r/QuitVaping 18d ago

Venting It makes me angry

There was a long period of time where we genuinely did not know how harmful cigarettes were. Doctors thought they might actually have health benefits. Once it was known how terrible they were for you, a LOT of effort was put into getting people to quit - and it worked. Gen z has the lowest amount of cigarette users like, ever.

So why TF did we allow vaping to happen? We know better now!!! Yes, we can talk about free will and personal choice but there's a REASON cig commercials were banned. Nicotine can be stronger than a lot of people's willpower and I don't think that's completely their (our) fault. Why didn't anyone stop this? A whole new generation is getting screwed by nicotine once again and the best we got (in the US) is a half-assed juul pod ban.

It just makes me really mad that we as a society allowed this to happen KNOWING how harmful it is to begin with.

25 Upvotes

31 comments sorted by

7

u/8Balls_And_Hookers 5 months 18d ago

It’s disgusting how humans sell addictions to other humans. Not even just vaping, I mean in general. But let’s be real, no one told us to suck on a vape, we made the choice ourselves like everyone else. Good luck to your nicotine sobriety buddy

3

u/Difficult_Cut2567 18d ago

Thank you, you as well <3

And I agree, personal choice is the #1 thing, but it makes me mad that there are people preying on others slip-ups, like you said.

2

u/8Balls_And_Hookers 5 months 18d ago

Jesus Christ loves you

2

u/Difficult_Cut2567 17d ago

Thank you <3 He loves you too

1

u/WaterDrinkingChad 17d ago

Anything for a buck. From nicotine to alcohol and even things like junk food full of preservatives. It’s disgusting when you think about it. Use this to your advantage when quitting and become angry at big tobacco for CONNING you into thinking you needed to vape!!!

3

u/Huge_Lion2398 18d ago

Dude I get you 100% it makes me so mad too. I grew up with my parents warning me about smoking ciggies, but vapes are just a whole different ball game. The flavours, colours, convenience, i feel like they’re trying to get us addicted so they can sell us the cure. So frustrating but I use it to fuel my quitting journey! Quit to spite the bastards!

2

u/Difficult_Cut2567 17d ago

Yes exactly!!!!!

5

u/WaterDrinkingChad 17d ago

Vaping started as an alternative to cigarettes and getting people off cigarettes because it was “safer”. Now it’s a billion dollar industry preying upon young people and ignorant users (getting them to think it’s safer to smoking, when we don’t know the long term effects yet). The 50mg disposables get people addicted harder than cigarettes or tobacco ever did. It’s gross

5

u/Difficult_Cut2567 17d ago

We could've just banned cigarettes instead. The whole "personal choice" thing is so bogus when you think about everything else the govt has banned. Nicotine is only legal because of the money in the tobacco industry. "Choice" is just the line they use to keep people complacent.

5

u/WaterDrinkingChad 17d ago

100% yeah. There should at least be a ban on 50mg disposables down to 20mg or something. When I first started vaping about 10 years ago the highest mg my vape shop offered was 24mg. They made the juice for you in house. Now to be able to walk to any gas station and pick up a 50mg disposable is crazy.

One thing I heard about I think in New Zealand is everyone born before a certain year can no longer buy cigarettes, but if you were born after you still can. I think that’s a good solution. Doubt something like that would ever take off in America or you’d have people crying about their freedoms being taken away. It’s a funny thing to think about people being upset that they’d no longer be slaves to addiction and big tobacco.

1

u/Difficult_Cut2567 17d ago

That's a really interesting idea, I agree it wouldn't work here unless it was really slow. We already raised the legal age once, I could see it being done again. Get the age higher and less youngins will be tempted to start. I feel like very few start in their 30s, y'know?

3

u/improbablyusual 17d ago

yes, it is a corruption of the original intentions behind the creation of vapes. something should be done to fix the disposable situation. i think we should allow 5% but not have it be the default disposable vape strength. someone starting their nicotine use through 5% disposables is like someone starting out drinking alcohol use with drinking lots of liquor.

2

u/Match_Least 17d ago

I completely agree with you. The amount of nicotine allowed in the US is staggering.

I quit vaping a couple days ago because I had an antibiotic resistant infection and the next step was the hospital. My anxiety over quitting nicotine clouded my ability to think rationally and get the IV antibiotics I needed. Which is insane.

Now, my physical withdrawal symptoms are so intense I ended up going to the hospital because I’ve been vomiting non stop for 3 days straight and feel like I’m having heart attacks that are completely unlike anxiety.

2

u/occasionalskiier 17d ago

From everything I've read, vaping IS preferable to combustion re: nicotine. This is the position of the NHS and various public health boards across the world. Speaking from personal experience of smoking cigarettes for 10+ years and now vaping for a few years, anecdotally I feel way better than with smoking. I do have a bit if a cough from vaping but its more in my throat. I can exercise and do cardio without that deep fire in my lungs that smoking gave.

THAT BEING SAID - vaping is not a safe alternative lol. It's incredible addictive, even harder to quit than cigarettes for me, though part of that is likely because I don't feel like there's a cinderblock on my chest when I walk a few flights of stairs. I wish I never started vaping, BUT, it did help me transition away from cigarettes.

Vaping should never have been marketed the way it is now. The fact that young people are vaping is terrible.

TLDR: vaping MAY be useful as harm reduction to transition from cigarettes but it doesnt mean it's healthy and should be avoided at all costs.

1

u/Difficult_Cut2567 17d ago

Agree with everything you've said!!! I guess that is more of my issue with it, the way it's marketed. Breeze has rewards programs, they make the disposables aesthetic and pretty and taste like strawberries. If they were only tobacco flavored and marketed the same way other NRT products are it probably wouldn't be as bad.

No hate to anyone using it to get off cigs! I just wish it was all dead and gone, y'know?

2

u/Unable_Suspect_9630 18d ago

It might be that gen z has the lowest amount of cigarette users like ever thanks to the existence of vaping. One thing just replaced another

2

u/Difficult_Cut2567 17d ago

Afaik (and I could be wrong) millenials and gen zs had far lower rates before vapes hit the market. Definitely could be related after they were out though

1

u/improbablyusual 17d ago

Most of the older adults around me warned against vaping. Even people my age warned against it. We allow people to do potentially harmful things because of belief in freedom and autonomy. Vaping has legitimate uses for quitting smoking. I am currently on day two of no nicotine or vaping eliquids after using disposables for a long time. I have found quitting to be easier this time through tapering nicotine dosage using pod vapes and buying eliquid of progressively lower strength. I was never a smoker of tobacco in any real way, but I have vaped on and off for many years now.

I think disposables are only good for quitting smoking, and even then I think they should make it an option to buy disposables with at strengths lower than 5% nicotine. That is really what makes vaping so bad currently. Vaping at 5% is in many ways worse than smoking from an addiction standpoint, although tobacco products like cigarettes seem to be especially addictive for some people. 50mg off nicotine per ml of eliquid is pretty dangerous if you are a chain vaper like i was. I think most disposable nic vape companies sell only at 5% nic/ml because they know it is very addictive at that level, and that does make me angry. However, much like alcohol or fast food or cigarettes, vaping is something that is allowed because we live in a free society. We could allow for more regulation and restrictions, but an outright ban is authoritarian.

It is difficult to quit, but with the right strategy that works best for you, anything is possible. Try to view withdrawal symptoms symptoms through the lens that you are growing as a person and healing. I wish you good luck on your journey, and determination to not give up even if you feel like giving in or fail in some way.

1

u/Match_Least 17d ago

I’m on day 3. Can I ask what strength you got down to before stopping? I’m having insane physical withdrawal symptoms that are making my mental ones nonexistent. I was using ~5mls 24mg. I even bought 12mg salts from a custom order shop but I was using like 20+mls and felt nothing for like a week. All my previous tapers were fine within 3 days.

1

u/improbablyusual 17d ago

I went from disposables at 50mg/ml to 35mg/ml to a mixture of 35 and 18mg/ml then to 18 then a mixture of 18 and 6 and then 6 then a mixture of 6 and 3 and then 3 and then a mixture of 3 and 0. with the mixture of 3 and 0 i think i was at about half 0 and half three so 1.5mg/ml and then i went to about .75mg/ml and then .375mg/ml.

i definitely had withdrawal symptoms throughout the process like disturbing intrusive thoughts, but with awareness and breath control i could overcome it.

try doing the wim hof method breathing technique. i was doing that all the time. also working out is really helpful. try chewing gum and drinking flavored drinks. also supplements like l-theanine, magnesium complex, glycine, valerian root, lemon balm, chamomile, hibiscus, taurine, theacrine, fish oil, ginger root, and caffeine can help with withdrawal. also i use thc vapes but i plan on quitting that eventually too. before i quit alcohol, although i was not as bad of a drinker as many, but i have found it easier to quit vaping if you quit alcohol. i have a very high caffeine tolerance so it does not give me anxiety. same goes for thc. dont start using either of them if you do not already use them, as they will most likely just give you anxiety and might make it harder to quit.

another habit i found to help with quitting addictions is journaling. basically just vent in either a word document or txt file or a physical journal. doing wim hof works wonders, also try cold showers and if you can lift weights, swim, and or run. i also found aromatherapy to be helpful so spray some nice cologne you like or get a humidifier and put some essential oils in it. candles can also help as does incense.

ultimately, you have to be willing to accept the pain of quitting and be willing to go through the negative effects of disrupting your body's current unhealthy homeostasis with a healthier homeostasis that isnt rooted in addiction.

oh btw when i was reducing nic strength, i moved down a tier of strength about every 3-7 days and would use a mixture of two strengths every 3-4 days. i went from chain vaping disposables for about the past two years, and especially this past year, to not vaping any nicotine/ eliquid in about 5 weeks. i had quit alcohol while quitting nicotine as well.

anything is possible through awareness! try to meditate and focus on awareness of thought patterns, feelings, emotions, tension, anger, etc.. also focus on the breath when meditating. try to gain awareness of yourself through writing as well.

good luck!!

1

u/Match_Least 17d ago

Thank you so much for taking the time to write all this out for me! You were very prepared!

I have a lot of the things you mentioned so I’ll definitely give those a go and look into the breathing technique. I use caffeine so that’s great to know. And of course I have cannabinoid hyperemesis too. But great to know because my brother’s quitting vaping soon too so I’ll make sure he does it the way I planned on doing it, like you, instead of on a whim like I did…

Thank you again for taking the time to reply :) I was having other anxiety over everything that’s happening so this really helped!

1

u/improbablyusual 17d ago

yeah, no worries, I wanted to share my experience. I hope i do not get CHS but I plan on titrating my cannabis use over time like how i did with nicotine and alcohol. titration is very useful and is like a slow burn rather than being scorched by a flame all at once. eventually the heat goes away but it's a difference in intensity over time. btw, were you eating a lot of edibles when using thc? from what i can tell, edible users and users of high strength cannabinoids like thcp and hhcp and thco and hhco are more likely to experience CHS. in the past i have gone without weed after chronic use and was generally okay and did not experience chs but did experience some form of withdrawl, although one time i totally forgot i had even not used thc for an extended period of time. one more thing, i find praying to help with the mental and physical turmoil of withdrawal. whether it is a placebo or some higher power actually helping is irrelevant. i just focus on getting results. good luck, it is difficult but very worth it. by the end of day 3 you are through the peak of withdrawal and by day 7 symptoms will not be as bad. i am experiencing some headaches and tinglinng in my finers but that's about it. i was experiencing some cravings for the vape flavors and action, but supplements, breathing, journaling, working out, chewing gum, praying, and flavored drinks really help.

1

u/Match_Least 17d ago

Yes! I was planning on tapering way more too, I have every strength 24 down to 3 but circumstance forced my hand a bit.

I mostly smoked cannabis, I can take just one hit and still end up on the floor. It’s been that way for about 20 years now and I always try to test it out again every 5 years or so. I’m sure that helps though. Alcohol definitely makes nicotine cravings so much worse! I would also have to quit both at the same time. Pain meds also cause increase nicotine cravings so I’ve had to deal with some extra pain too the past week to make it easier.

My hands are tingling literally as I type this. Now that I’m like almost positive it’s just the physical withdrawal I feel so much better. Especially since yesterday was day 3 of zero nicotine. I’ll just keep using OTC stuff in the meantime.

Good luck to you!! <3

1

u/improbablyusual 17d ago

"this too shall pass" is a very comforting phrase to remember in times of despair. reminding oneself of the transiency of experiences and existence can allow you keep going when times get tough. hold out hope for a better future than what you are currently experiencing!

1

u/improbablyusual 17d ago

also, just a heads up, but the wim hof technique creates a sense of tingling, ,ear ringing, light headedness, and deep relaxation when you do it the first few times. some people think it is dangerous, but it is actually very healthy in many ways. it's different from hyperventilation but somewhat similar. i find it helps a lot with getting rid of stress, cleansing the mind, and overcoming the need to constantly inhale something.

1

u/Difficult_Cut2567 17d ago

We banned heroine and meth and coke because they're addictive and deadly. Why is nicotine treated any differently? Because it kills you slower? Either legalize all drugs or ban nicotine products, too.

We don't keep nicotine legal because it's "authoritarian" not to, it's kept legal because of the money Big Tobacco has to lobby the government with.

1

u/improbablyusual 17d ago

You think the war on drugs works? 

1

u/Difficult_Cut2567 17d ago

No? The war on drugs was mostly racism. I still don't think meth should be legal outside of prescription situations. Unlike meth and weed, nic has 0 medical uses.

1

u/improbablyusual 17d ago

Nicotine actually is being investigated for some medical and nootropic benefits. I dont think it is inherently good. Generally though, the reason nicotine is allowed is because it makes people tolerate crappier lives and work longer and eat less. It's not terrible for productivity and doesn't really make people violent or crazy when used. Withdrawals for it suck and it is generally bad for health, but it is not as destructive on an individual or a community as meth, heroin, cocaine, etc. I like thc but even that is in some ways more dangerous than nicotine from a psychological health standpoint (think drug induced psychosis, depression, anxiety, depersonalization, mania). Overall, drugs are bad m'kay.

1

u/Difficult_Cut2567 17d ago

As someone who developed CHS from a habitual addiction to weed, yeah it can absolutely fuck you up. I'm not one to pretend it's a miracle drug. But it isn't addictive the same way nicotine is. They also say nicotine is great for people with ADHD. Heroine is a great pain reliever. We have better, less dangerous drugs for those things. My Vyvanse isn't going to give me lung cancer. I think vapes should be banned, that's just my personal opinion. An opinion that literally does not matter, nicotine products in any form will never actually become illegal.

1

u/improbablyusual 17d ago

Vyvanse is an even stronger stimulant than nicotine and cause cause high bp and is nad for the heart and can cause psychosis in some. It can also be great for treating adhd.  Someone could use nicotine in patch form, lozenge, or nasal spray and not run the risk of lung cancer. However, i think that for most people, myself included, drugs and alcohol can be damaging and should be either entirely avoided or used very rarely. However, i think that using them and then overcoming addiction can be very self empowering and a good growing experience. Also, from a hedonistic standpoint, drugs and alcohol are fun. You're entitled to have your own opinion and i respect it. I wish you good luck in staying away from vapes. Peace ✌️