E-CIGS

[Arverni]

So I quit smoking about ten years ago - and never really wanted another. Then when I started working in the bar last year - I'd have a smoke or two here and there because everyone smokes in the bar. Not too bad though - I only worked two days a week and the rest of the week I didn't smoke.

Then this last business trip overseas was pure hell. I got sick ... then I got injured (again, this time more serious). My boss said I could come home - but I told him no I'll stay on the point even though I was recovering from the injury. Then the other guy working with me had to come home for a death in the family - and that left it all on me so yeah - fuck me, I picked up a pack of cigs - then a carton. Goddamn.

Got back home - my cardio in the gym was suffering - had to do something. So I bought an E-cig.

Jesus man - are these things the best thing since sliced bread? I haven't had a cig in a week and I even feel I can quit these e-cigs. I'll definitely carry one to the bar when I work just in case the urge hits.

But my lungs are like - back to new and cardio full on.

Anyone else have a good experience with these things?

[Up_N_Smoke]

Congratulations!! hopefully you can stick with it. After smoking for at least 18 years myself, I've been on mine for the past 2 1/2 months. I feel alot better and healthier in this short of time. It also help me start working on improving other aspects of my life(thank you I'm getting my wind back) .And it doesn't hurt to have a lil' extra money back in my pocket either. So I've been encouraging who I can to give it a shot.

[eholiday]

I've been using ecigs for just over 6 months now. Haven't looked back. Now if I could just make the time to get my fat ass in the gym...

Congrats Arv!

[1ThickBlond]

I love my e-cigs ! It's great not smelling like an ashtray and way cheaper to use. I smoked for 20+ years and switched to e-cigs about 3 years ago. It was super easy to make the switch and I haven't smoked a real cigarette since. I do worry about the long-term effects of inhaling propylene glycol vapor though. There haven't been any long-term studies yet but I seriously doubt it is safe to be inhaling one of the main components of antifreeze.

[HungCurve]

It can't be any worse than inhaling tar vapor in real cigs...

[eholiday]

1Thickblonde,
The fact that PG is in some antifreeze is true and not disputed, but the ingredient in antifreeze that is problematic is actually Ethylene Glycol, which is toxic.

Funny thing is, everyone that is anti-smoking and wants ecigs to be taxed into oblivion or banned neglects to mention that Propylene Glycol and Vegetable Glycerine (the other main ingredient in ecig liquid) are considered generally regarded as safe for human consumption (not specifically inhalation) by the FDA, and have been used in food and drink products for decades. Also vapor from these have been pumped through the ventilation systems in hospitals for decades. Both have anti-bacterial properties.

More studies need to be done on long time effects, but the whole knee-jerk reaction from some groups without discourse of research is maddening.

I will say that I've felt so much better since switching. I smoked a pack a day for nearly 20 years. And an estimated 99% harm reduction and being able to still get nicotine and the feel of smoking, without smelling like I walked out of a dive bar, or tasting like an ash tray? Yeah I'll take that.

[Mr MojoRisin]

Originally Posted by 1ThickBlond

I love my e-cigs ! It's great not smelling like an ashtray and way cheaper to use. I smoked for 20+ years and switched to e-cigs about 3 years ago. It was super easy to make the switch and I haven't smoked a real cigarette since. I do worry about the long-term effects of inhaling propylene glycol vapor though. There haven't been any long-term studies yet but I seriously doubt it is safe to be inhaling one of the main components of antifreeze.

Well I've tried e-cigs I need to go back to them cause I did like them and they did keep me away from conventional cigarettes. I understand your concern with propylene glycol but don't worry to much i's a food additive and rather inert and the ingredient that is responsible for the vapor. Ethylene Glycol is what's in Antifreeze and would be harmful.

Jim

[turbo-dog]

Can they be used effectively for non-tobacco products?

[Old Horn Dog]

I had to quit cold-turkey in 2001. My doc wouldn't let me use nicotine (there weren't e-cigs yet--just patch & gum) b/c the issue was the nicotine constricting my blood vessels, not the smoke itself or lung problems STAFF EDIT - FORBIDDEN. After six months of being cold-turkey, I found that I really didn't miss all the horrible side-effects of conventional cigarettes: there was definitely a hangover next morning, my sinuses were in better shape, I didn't listen to my lungs squeak & squeal b/c I was always running some kind of low-grade bronchitis, etc. Had e-cigs or nicotine been an option for me then, I probably would have found quitting regular cigarettes to be a lot easier (that first six months was awful), since none of those other side-effects have to do w/nicotine, but w/all the other stuff in tobacco.

I read the hysteria regarding e-cigs as well, but it seems to me most of the objections are aimed at the fact that they LOOK so much like "real" cigarettes. If that's the best they can do, I mean, really? In my mind, that translates to, "Someone, somewhere, is enjoying something I disapprove of or turn my nose up at. IT MUST BE BANNED!" Fucking assholes...

[GypsyHeart]

I have tried the ones that look like a cigarette. I like the actual vapes with battery and tank. I was not a smoker like what you all talk about. I was a sporadic cigar smoker. I got tired of the after taste in my mouth. You can get the fluid that tastes like tobacco if you do enjoy that taste.

[Arverni]

Yeah I like the battery and tank ones better. I call it my "hooka pipe" ... LOL

[Brmike1963]

What brands do y'all prefer, I tried the Blu but the pull was shit and the damn thing didn't last very long.

[Hangtime]

My fav device is a VAMO, with a Kanger T3 Clearomizer, and vaping, depending on my mood, either Hype or Boba's Bounty from Alien Vision E-Juice, or French Vanilla, Maraschino Cherry, Ecto Cooler, or Hawk Sauce from Mt. Baker Vapor.

Most folks new to vaping look for an exact cigarette replacement taste, or as close as is achievable. Along those lines, Legend, from Heather's Heavenly Vapes, gets as close as any juice I have tried. Almost all people who have been vaping for a while move away from trying to replicate smoking, because it is impossible to recreate that sensation.

I strongly recommend that new vapers visit ECF - the Electronic Cigarette Forum. Much information available there to make vaping more practical and enjoyable.

Two and a half years into vaping myself after having stents put in my heart in 2011.

Vape On!

[1ThickBlond]

Originally Posted by Brmike1963

What brands do y'all prefer, I tried the Blu but the pull was shit and the damn thing didn't last very long.

The ecigs you can get at the convenience stores, Wal-Mart, etc, don't begin to compare to the ones you can get online or in the vaping stores in some areas. In Texas most of the headshops sell them but the prices are ridiculous compared to what you can find online. I've bought my first starter kit from a store that sells only ecigs here in Houston and paid about $80 for a kit with 2 ecigs and a charger. Now you can get the same starter kit on ebay for a lot less http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ego-CE4-1100...item4d16afd454 .

Ebay doesn't sell the liquid nicotine/e-liquid though but there are many places to buy it online. I don't trust any of the stuff made overseas and only buy American juice. I usually get mine from http://www.mountainoakvapors.com/default.asp

[kitmouser]

Originally Posted by 1ThickBlond

I don't trust any of the stuff made overseas and only buy American juice. I usually get mine from http://www.mountainoakvapors.com/default.asp

I just walked out of the ER with my SO after speaking with her ER nurse that vapes. She said the same thing, the imports do not work for her. She also mentioned cleaning, or replacing a certain part occasionally. I'm for it, since the smoke is starting to bother me lately.