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Safer to Puff, E-Cigarettes Can’t Shake Their Reputation as a Menace

nytimes.com

71–80 of 269 posts

Re: Safer to Puff, E-Cigarettes Can’t Shake Their Reputation as a Menace

#71
post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a former smoker I believe that the best way to quit smoking is cold turkey. Sure, the withdrawal phase is a hell but in my case that helped me realize just how addictive that shit was. Before I’d never imagine that quitting would cause me depression or sleeping problems. All that, and a lot more, helped me understand how much my body was reliant on cigarettes. From my experience most smokers don’t realize how addi…

For a year or so I smoked casually when i was a teen in the 90s (to look cool) with intermittent bouts of heavy smoking over days at friends homes/etc. Probably average ~1-2 packs a week. One day i just got bored and stopped. Never felt any withdrawal signs. I'm not countering your point of it being addictive. I was so, so so lucky not to have been hooked by that at all. I don't know if i just didn't smoke enough, or…

Some people have no problem quitting cigarettes

It's probably genetic

Also it seems to correlate with risk of Parkinson's http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/832391

( huh that seems to be paywalled? Google "Ease of Quitting Smoking May Be Early Sign of Parkinson's")

Re: Safer to Puff, E-Cigarettes Can’t Shake Their Reputation as a Menace

#72

For anyone looking to quit smoking I can't recommend e-cigarettes enough. As a very passionate former smoker I got off the habit pretty much accidentally and without even trying in a timeframe of about half a year. And it actually started with the intend to find a cheaper alternative to expensive cigarettes without any desire to quit. The key is to steadily reduce the amount of nicotine in the liquid you're using. On…

I bought one for my mother because her health seemed lowering. She didn't like it and didn't want to spend time searching for the right device and/or liquid. She had an infarctus (not myocard it seems though) last month, obviously cardio told her no more cigarettes. She was worried about nicotine addiction, I mentioned e-cig, I got angry eyes, borderline saying it was worth than cigs. I understand their concerns abou…

Disposable ecigs are much more convenient, and are a more natural way for people to switch. I also find refilling liquid to be a nuisance. The Njoy Daily has become my favorite.

Re: Safer to Puff, E-Cigarettes Can’t Shake Their Reputation as a Menace

#73
post #23

Do e-cigarettes really have a reputation as a 'menace'? I've never heard anyone express any significant concern about them on an individual level (certainly nowhere near as much as about traditional cigarettes), and yet I've read countless news articles decrying them. It seems odd.

There's a couple of big things against them right now. A) they are unproven. Many people believe that something that isn't proven safe or unsafe is not better than something unsafe that has been heavily scrutinized and studied. What if there's a much worse effect that we dont' know about yet? B) They are unstandardized. Each producer can be putting who-knows-what in the oils. C) It's still smoke. When they first came…

It isn't smoke, and it isn't burnt plant matter.

In theory the vapour might have as strong a smell as cigarette smoke; in practice even the most strong smelling vapours are mostly comparable to the smell of personal fragrances, and we are ways off from banning those as well.

Re: Safer to Puff, E-Cigarettes Can’t Shake Their Reputation as a Menace

#74
I quit smoking 7 years ago and helped a dozen people to quit as well.

NONE of the people I know who used e-cigarettes were able to quit for good.

Here's my recipe:

1. Quitting sounds hard but it isn't. The majority of people who try to quit, actually succeed. 2. Don't use ANYTHING as a substitute (no chewing gum, no patches or e-cigs). Substitutes usually can never replace the original and will just keep you "hooked". 3. Read affirmative stuff (like news stories, studies). Reading about a study that showed most people quit for good, actually helps. As does reading about the consequences for continueing to smoke.

That's it. Just quit. It's easy, you'll be off cigarettes in no time.

Everyone can do it. Smoking is totally a 90s thing.

Re: Safer to Puff, E-Cigarettes Can’t Shake Their Reputation as a Menace

#75
I think that the two properties--that it is safer than cigarettes and that it's a menace--are not a contradiction. It's certainly not as bad to be around a vaper than a smoker, but that doesn't mean it's not bad to be around a vaper. It's relatively better, absolutely still on the "gross, don't do that around me" end of the spectrum.

I try pretty hard to not subject people to my disgusting habits. How is it that people expect inhaling chemicals to be any different? They act like they are surprised that you don't want to be exposed to their disgusting clouds of stink.

Re: Safer to Puff, E-Cigarettes Can’t Shake Their Reputation as a Menace

#76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I bought one for my mother because her health seemed lowering. She didn't like it and didn't want to spend time searching for the right device and/or liquid. She had an infarctus (not myocard it seems though) last month, obviously cardio told her no more cigarettes. She was worried about nicotine addiction, I mentioned e-cig, I got angry eyes, borderline saying it was worth than cigs. I understand their concerns abou…

Disposable ecigs are much more convenient, and are a more natural way for people to switch. I also find refilling liquid to be a nuisance. The Njoy Daily has become my favorite.

I wish I tried this first with my mom. She would probably enjoyed the experience, which I assume is supposed to be hassle-free "drop-in replacement".

Re: Safer to Puff, E-Cigarettes Can’t Shake Their Reputation as a Menace

#77
post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While I also highly recommend e-cigarettes, your story is of course the ideal picture of how it should go. But it might not go that easy for everyone: even with the use of it I'm having a hard time to quit the actual cigarretes completely and it's not due to the nicotine (in fact I do not know what exactly still makes me crave for those hand-rolled cigarettes). Also nicotine can be a pleasant drug to use. Which is li…

I'm not sure why the goal is quitting. Nicotine itself isn't the problem with cigarettes, it's just a stimulant and has the usual stimulant effects. If you have high blood pressure or trouble sleeping, probably not a great drug to use. But the same can be said of coffee, which is perfectly legal. https://www.gwern.net/Nicotine is interesting reading. Of course, e-cigarette liquid is not only nicotine, so who knows wh…

There's also breakdown products of the glycol and glycerine that include aldehydes such as formaldehyde and acrolein. Not as much as are in cigarettes, but enough to be somewhat concerning on their own.

Re: Safer to Puff, E-Cigarettes Can’t Shake Their Reputation as a Menace

#79
post #27

For anyone looking to quit smoking I can't recommend e-cigarettes enough. As a very passionate former smoker I got off the habit pretty much accidentally and without even trying in a timeframe of about half a year. And it actually started with the intend to find a cheaper alternative to expensive cigarettes without any desire to quit. The key is to steadily reduce the amount of nicotine in the liquid you're using. On…

As a former smoker I believe that the best way to quit smoking is cold turkey. Sure, the withdrawal phase is a hell but in my case that helped me realize just how addictive that shit was. Before I’d never imagine that quitting would cause me depression or sleeping problems. All that, and a lot more, helped me understand how much my body was reliant on cigarettes. From my experience most smokers don’t realize how addi…

Unfortunately, it doesn't work for many people.

Re: Safer to Puff, E-Cigarettes Can’t Shake Their Reputation as a Menace

#80
post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>>I realize this often isn't the case, but the pursuit of taxing specific behaviors is supposed to only be used to fund things caused by that behavior: That is only for the press release.. It is never actually that way. Almost all taxation applied to a general fund, meaning all taxes are simply put in a large pool, then various programs are funded from that pool. There are almost never any actual legal rules that req…

I have no problem with taxes on harmful products like tobacco and alcohol since they are a harm to society and a burden on society.

I have no problem with taxes on them for a different reason: They are a luxury good. Nobody needs them.
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