Smokers Don't Understand

Believe it or not I have smokers that critique me for vaping. And a lot of non-smokers are on the same plain. I try to explain the benefits of not smoking and how it helped me to stop smoking, but they just don’t get it. I say produce some facts because what you are doing is a proven killer. I hear them speak about individual mishaps with mods but no single ***DEATH BY VAPE.****I really don’t understand how a smoker can be so critical. Does anyone else have to deal with this madness.

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I talked to a lovely young lady last month, a smoker, who was convinced that e-cigarettes were much more deadly than regular cigarettes. I couldn’t sway her. Odd.

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They don’t understand that most of what we ingest, they ingest in food, sodas, meds and the list goes on. All we do is mimic our favorite flavors for our delight and enjoyment. In the meantime it keep us from using analogs or at least slow analog use down to a level that hopefully a person can stop. The same guy that started me vaping is now 1 of my biggest critics because he didn’t stop smoking. I think he’s a bit envious because it didn’t work for him.

I get that a lot, too. I can understand why people who don’t smoke (especially those that have never smoked) wouldn’t understand the appeal of vaping over smoking. But those people that are dead set and determined that vaping is worse than smoking are just beyond me. I try not to put out there that vaping is ‘safe’ because the truth is we don’t know that it is yet. Is it worse than breathing air? Maybe. Worse than smoking? I won’t believe it until someone has rock-solid proof. But like you said, we DO know that smoking kills. Even knowing that smoking kills we (and many others) still chose or choose to smoke. So what if we, as vapers, have chosen another way that we believe is better? The only thing I can think is that those anti-vapers have bought into the hype that vaping is dangerous and determined that because they don’t like it, it is bad. When it comes to people like that, I don’t even try anymore. You can hear it in their voices when they talk about it. Sometimes the best thing to to do is nod your head, smile, and walk away to vape somewhere else.

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Rt now I don’t care what people say… I put down those rotten things and haven’t looked back!!! And let’s face it I gained a hobby and a whole community of supporters. This world is a much better place now!!! :grin::grin:

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I was in my local pub last Friday for my regular Darts league matches and I placed my MVP2 on the counter while I paid for drinks.

The barmaid (around 55yrs old) says to me “that’s one hell of a contraption!” Then follows it with, “my cancer doctor told me you might aswell smoke cigarettes than use a vape!!!”

I was like WTF, went into defensive mode explaining about the hazards of old clearo’s on new mods etc and diacetyl and Asatonin Propianol (spelling) but the fact there are a greater reduction in the amount of things that are entering your body etc compared to the +3000 chemicals found in cigarettes.

I just couldn’t believe that a doctor would have that stand point on vaping.

That’s one dumb ass cancer doctor.

But then most doctors here in the UK are very much that vaping isn’t a recognised treatment for smoking therefore it’s bad for you.

J

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I usually say to those that speak ill of vaping, “Well, when vaping proves to cause over 500,000 deaths annually here in the old US of A, you can start spouting your rhetoric of how bad vaping is for a person. Otherwise, you have no legs on which to stand.”

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…and the response I get is usually something like this…

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Most ppl I talk to about it are other nurses and respiratory therapists and not one person has ever said one derogatory comment. In fact everyone that knew I smoked prior is super glad I’ve stopped. I did try to get one other fellow nurse to quit smoking he tried vaping and it just didn’t stick. It’s not for everyone. It’s a real shame for those that smoke to say vaping is worse … Our they high ? They need to google what they good ol pals are putting in those cancer sticks and Really think about it. crazy ?? SMH ???

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This is something I’ve had to learn the hard way. When something works for me and I really love it, I want everyone to love it too. LoL I tried for years to get one of my sisters to switch and it just hasn’t worked for her or her hubby. I keep trying, but you’re right, it isn’t for everyone. And that is okay. I just wish it was okay with everyone that it is right for us. :smile:

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My friends who smoke, first off ask if it helped me quit and I explained how easy a transition it was they usually I really need to try that.And my non smoking friends are 100% behind my choice to Vape.My one sister who is a health nut and a vegan even approves and let’s me vape in her house. Some non smoking friends even enjoy wat Ching me make clouds and try to guess what flavor I’m Vaping.

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It’s just a smoker’s denial. They don’t want to hear about health benefits because they’re scared of giving up smoking. They just parrot what they hear on TV, same like rest of the TV population but could never be bothered doing simple research on the Net.

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@flavorhound1 I couldn’t have said it better my self!!

A heavy smoker told me today that he doesn’t see how I can smoke this stuff (vape), it make him want to throw up. I told him I’d rather throw up than die. Then he looked at me real quiet and went on about his business. Hopefully I gave him something to think about.

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Yeah, lots of folks (smokers in particular) I have spoken with about Vaping automatically jump to the bad press. They always bring up the formaldehyde thing. I remind them, first off, that the press usually jumps on anything in a sensational way just to fill air time or columns. That’s what they get “paid” to do.

Secondly, I remind them that without a doubt, there are approximately 600 ingredients in cigarettes. When burned, they create more than 7,000 chemicals. At least 69 of these chemicals are known to cause cancer, and many are poisonous…formaldehyde being one of them. So, with that being said, I feel pretty good about vaping my vegetable glycerine, food flavorings and nicotine.

The formaldehyde and the other 6999 elements in the cigarettes they smoke should be what they need worry about. Now, doesn’t vaping sound like the better way to get your nicotine?

Bonus feature, vaping doesn’t make you smell like ass.

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Next time they do that, tell them there is lots of the stuff in 1 single pear. You will have to take a lot of drags of your vape to get that level of formaldehyde in your body. It is in all kinds of fruits and vegetables, meat, cheese and fish and also in the air that we breath. That last one is a nice snippet of info when they proceed to tell you they don’t inhale their food. It is all a load of bollocks!

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This is by far the most common reply that I get from both smokers and non smokers. I have managed to get 2 close friends off of the analogs and into vaping as well as working on a third friend now so never give up because for some smoking is a very hard thing to give up.

Folks that know me see the difference it has made for me and constantly ask me about vaping. I was a 2 to 3 pack a day smoker for most of the 46 years that I smoked. I was diagnosed with COPD 15 years ago. I was using albuterol with a nebulizer 3 times a day everyday. I was using at least 4 rescue inhalers every month. I was being treated for bronchitis at least 4 or more times a year. I had tried everything my doctor could prescribe to try to quit and nothing worked.

Started vaping on Christmas day of 2014 because my Daughter that is in college for nursing gave me a Triple-e-cig starter kit and 2 bottles of juice as a Christmas present. By mid January 2015 I was down to less than a half a pack a day and by the end of February I was off of the cancer sticks completely. I have no need for rescue inhalers at all and the albuterol with a nebulizer I use maybe 1 or 2 nights a month when my seasonal allergies get real bad. The dose on my blood pressure meds have been cut in half. I have not had to go to the doctor for bronchitis since December 2014.

So vaping for me anyway has truly been a life changing event and that my friends is the story I tell anyone that ask me about vaping.

If I die from sucking in formaldehyde (doubtful) so be it because I was already on my way to an early grave from smoking and now at least I can breath much better than I could when I was smoking. It seems to me that every day that goes by I feel just a little bit better.

By the way my Doctor has been asking me a lot about vaping and seems to have truly taken an interest in learning more about vaping after seeing how it has improved my quality of life. His words to me were “All I can tell you is keep doing whatever your doing”

I believe that only thru telling our personal stories over and over again will we ever open others eyes. Sadly main stream media will never tell a story like mine.
Dave

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We need more Doctors speaking up. They see patients all the time, recovering from smoking related diseases after switching over to vaping. They are probably going to be our most important allies. If they are really Doctors and not money grabbers of course. Any Doctor opposing vaping after seeing patients recover, is not a Doctor but a leech.

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I totally agree. I would like to share a little more here. I live in a very small backwoods rural area in West Virginia. We have a small community health care clinic that is staffed full time by a Nurse Practitioner and overseen by a doctor that I went to for over 15 years. He is also the MD that diagnosed me with COPD 15 years ago. The MD is an EX-SMOKER and the NP has taken a big interest in vaping with me as the test subject so to speak. I have spoken to both about this in detail as well as going over the equipment I use.

I have also explained the DIY e-liquid thing and talked with them about the use of distilled water and saline solution in the liquid. So far they do not want to come out and advocate the use of e-cigs but both agree that in my case I need to keep doing what I am doing.

While my COPD will never go away my daily quality of life has dramatically improved and they both agree about that. I fully intend to keep on them and now two friends that I am helping with quitting are also patients at the same clinic so I am encouraging them to talk with the staff about this topic as well. With any luck they (MD and NP) will see this in a new light from the BS that mainstream media puts out, which to me is driven only by the big tobacco money.

I do not know what the future will bring with the pending FDA regs but I for one am trying my best with very limited income to make sure I have enough equipment that I like to use to at least last me the rest of my life without worries of the regs making cig-a-likes the only vape option available that gets FDA approval.

Kanthal wire, NI200 wire, organic or sterile cotton balls for wicks, VG/PG and candy flavorings will always be available no matter what the FDA does about vaping equipment and commercial e-juice. I am not sure how the nicotine we all use will fair with the FDA regs but we will see.

Sadly I think we have a long hard road ahead of us with SMOKERS as well as NON SMOKERS ever understanding what we do. I also have say I find Non-Smokers and Ex-smokers much more receptive to vaping than current Smokers seem to be.

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It is perfectly understandable that they are unwilling, FDA has cracked down in the past on Doctors coming up with new, revolutionary ideas that hurt the profit business. Doctors will have to really unite on this and start forming a front. However, there will always be Doctors willing to play puppet for big business regardless of what others say. It is very difficult to fight this because it is not about facts, it is about money. The opposing Doctors will get media time, the others will not. Public opinion is easily swayed and that is another problem. Media is in the hands of the same corporations that profit from death. It doesn’t make it easy but we will just have to keep fighting.

[quote=“wvsanta, post:19, topic:15649”]
I have enough equipment that I like to use
[/quote]That’s what I do. I have plenty, don’t forget the spare parts and extra glass tanks :grinning: As for nicotine, I keep mine in the freezer. I have put it all in small 10 ml dropper bottles and take out one at the time. I’m down to .3 now and will continue to reduce it until I get to 0. As @ringling says; juice tastes a lot better without. Do some research into making nicotine from potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants and such. If things get really desperate and you can’t do without that is a viable option. I would do that now and not later, free Internet is another thing they would like to get rid off and if they succeed the info won’t be available anymore!

[quote=“wvsanta, post:19, topic:15649”]
I find Non-Smokers and Ex-smokers much more receptive to vaping than current Smokers seem to be.
[/quote]I was one of those, a staunch refuser of e-cigs. I just wanted my smoke and didn’t really see the point of the whole thing. My sister bought one and told me about it and I still didn’t want to know. She quit altogether and I just bought one out of curiosity in februari. They tried to sell me a flavoured one but I was adamant I only wanted the tobacco. I have smoked two rollups after that and no more. Since then I very quickly progressed to an ego and then got into RTA/RDA’s and DIY and even flavours although I still enjoy a good tobacco vape. My sister unfortunately started smoking again and still doesn’t really take to vaping. Like you I smoked a long time, 44 years, I was 9 when I started. I have the good fortune that I still have my health though and am not suffering from any smoking related diseases. I’m very sorry that you do and hope it will progressively get better with time. Lets hope we can do something for future generations not getting all this crap by getting vaping accepted and replace cigarettes altogether. Giving up is not an option!

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