Boy, I should have make this into a Word Document a long time ago but Ill do it this time so I have it available the next time I feel like posting it. Smoking, the three headed monster.
First though, lets keep in mind one very important fact. Tobacco in and of itself is not the major issue, its the combustion of tobacco, smoking, that gives tobacco a really bad rap. Much of what is said about tobacco by the ANTZ (anti-tobacco and nicotine zealots) is part of a propaganda campaign that has gone on for decades. Most smokeless tobacco is orders of magnitude safer than smoking. Back to the monster.
The reason that it is so difficult to quit smoking is that there are so many reasons people started smoking and have a difficult time quitting. No one miracle product will ever be invented that will be the magic answer to get everyone to quit. In fact, I dont believe everyone will ever quit. That being said, in my journey, which began over two years ago when I got talked into buying an E Cig, I have seen three major groups of people along the way.
The Hand to Mouth Addicts There are quite a few people that smoke or have smoked that the physical act of smoking is an ingrained process, like someone that bites their fingernails. They are the ones that start using an E Cig or PV (personal vaporizer) and within a very short time go from using nicotine to zero nic and are happy as they were smoking, maybe more so. Many think they like the flavor of tobacco and some do, but a lot they find the delicious flavors and soon both smoking and tobacco flavor are a thing of the past. They are basically doing the same thing they did in the past as far as hand to mouth, just not inhaling smoke and increasing their chance at health issues. These are also the people that after a while of vaping have the best possibility of complete abstinence after a while. Once they realize they dont NEED the nicotine, they may realize they dont NEED the PV.
The Nicotine Addict Yes, nicotine has been declared to be more addicting than h or c or anything ever conceived by man. All part of the Big Plan by the ANTZ, declare the Nicodemon from hell is why people smoke. There is no doubt nicotine is addicting, but there are a lot of products that are addicting in the way the word is used today. Ive witnessed Caffeine addicts that need to have that can of soda in front of them every hour of the day and the worker that cant exist without a mug of coffee in front of them constantly.
The person that is seriously into nicotine again finds the PV a suitable replacement once they get the proper quantity into their system. They too find freedom from smoking once they find something that satisfies their taste. These are the people that NRT might work for if they werent also fighting that Hand to Mouth Addiction.
The only way they get off the PV is if they gradually reduce their Nic level but probably never do.
The Self-Medicating Addict I stand up in front of the support group and state, Hi, Im Jim and I self-medicate. I as well as those that, like myself, found the traditional nicquid left something missing from our smoking experience. It took me over six months to realize that PVs helped, but would never get me off smoking. I might not be smoking 40 to 50 cigarettes a day anymore, but I had to have a half dozen and that started creeping up by a cigarette or two at the end.
Every time I read someone post that they needed to vape 24/7 I knew they were having the same type issues as I. When they push their nic levels higher and higher hoping to find that sweet spot, but never seeming to find it, I know they are where I once was. Every time I see a vapor looking for that perfect flavor to combine with the right level of nic, but never really finding the ONE that will keep them from thinking about having a cigarette, I know they are where I once was.
I found god when I found Swedish snus almost a year and nine months ago. It gave me that tobacco alkaloid combination that satisfied the real reason I smoked all of those 43 years. I have not had a single drag on a cigarette since and not desire to do so.
That being said, smokeless tobacco is not something that most people are willing to even try. Why would they? A decade of brainwashing that it wasnt a safe alternative to smoking is pretty difficult to overcome. Not only that, but you will be seriously disfigured if you use it and spit tobacco is disgusting. Oh, theres no spitting? Thats not the point.
Smoking gave us something other than the hand to mouth and the nicotine, at least some of us. What Swedish snus did for me, products like WTA may work for others. Is it totally safe? NO Is it probably a lot safer than smoking? MORE THAN LIKELY Is it more dangerous than using traditional nicquid? MAYBE, BUT MAYBE NOT
That cant possibly be true some of you may say, but take a moment and think about it. Water is safe until you get too much of it, then it will kill you. If, as some of you have indicated, you vape 24/7, might you be better vaping WTA a few times a day? Only you can answer that, but I will tell you that what youre getting in WTA is what was in those cigarettes you were smoking for how many years you smoked. WTA plus CO, tar and all those other nastys found in cigarette smoke. Each person need to analyze their own situation and select the risk they are willing to accept.
I used to inhale an average of 50 grams of combusted tobacco a day. Today I use 4-5 grams of snus a day and about 1 ml of WTA liquid in three days. I feel great with my risk assessment. Its up to each of us to make our own determination.