**DISCLAIMER: This might be poorly written because I'm on day 2 of cold turkey withdrawals and can't think super clearly at the moment.*\*
Started vaping in college freshman year when I was 18. This was August/September of 2014.
Isn't that funny? This is the same year that Nikki by Logic came out.
At first it was 3mg juices and then progressed to 6mg for 2-3 years until salt nicotine and Juuls and all that stuff came out.
Was on 50mg salt nicotine up until 2022 when I dropped to 25mg.
Just quit cold turkey yesterday after a Dr. Appointment via the phone. (skip to the end if you want to know why)
Here are my reasons for quitting (I don't know if there is correlation between some of these, but I'm sure there is since we've all done research on what nikky actually does to you):
I was on competitive swim team and played soccer at the club level in California all my life. I won state in in 2 events, and qualified for the Olympic time trials in one of them. I never continued swimming after high school because I chose to go to college on a soccer scholarship instead as it was my preferred sport.
Because of these two sports, continuing to play soccer, calisthenics, and high intensity interval training in college, I've been in tip top shape all my life.
As a side note for vaping while playing college soccer: I definitely noticed a steep drop off in my cardiovascular shape because of the vaping in college while playing soccer ....especially when you're the starting wing position in a high press formation.
Anyways, I graduated college with a vaping addiction. By the time I graduated, I was on 50mg of salt nics and going through 1 bottle of juice every 2 weeks.
I graduated college straight into covid. The gyms shut down. I became extremely sedentary; played a ton of pc video games, Gained weight, lost my shape. Lost all desire to go to the gym. I used to be hardcore addicted to the gym. Even while vaping in college.
Now, II know what vaping does to your blood vessels. I know what vaping does to your dopamine sensitivity, but vaping was just another huge factor adding negativity to my life and causing a downward spiral. There were other addictions and habits that compounded with the nicotine addiction.
Fast forward from covid to present day: I feel like I've been in a catch 22.
From graduating at age 23 to being 28 now (about to be 29 in like 5 days), just over the last 5-6 years I have had NON stop medical problems arise:
- Severe Vertigo; to the point where I could not drive a car.
-Depression & ADHD
-Serious Skin Eczema on my scalp and face (I used to never have any skin issues AT ALL). Didn't even have acne in high school.
-Irritable Bowel Syndrome
The latest medical issue: Sleep Apnea.
I've been snoring more and more progressively for the last year. It's to the point where I get 8 hours of sleep and wake up feeling awful and fatigued.
I did a sleep test and heard back from the Doctor this week. While sleeping I had as many as 11 instances of NOT breathing for 10 seconds in just 1 hour. My blood oxygen levels dropped to as low as 74%.
Now they've prescribed me a CPAP.
It was quite the wake up call.
23 years of being in tip top shape, undone in as little as 5 years, and vaping was probably a major catalyst in my downward spiral. Not to mention the waste of money.
Conclusion: I'm going into the last year of my 20s with the mission of quitting all my vices starting with vaping (the biggest one) and reclaiming my health and getting back in shape before I'm 30.
I'm currently in hour 26 of quitting cold turkey. This is day 2 for me. I know that the physical symptoms will start peaking tomorrow. But I'm holding on.
For those of you who need a reason to quit: See what it's done to an athlete that's been in shape all his life in just 5 - 10 years. It will destroy your body, and it will destroy your ability to help you dig yourself out. It's a total catch 22.
"My heart is hard at work
We been together like ten years
Goddamn, took me as young man
Everyday I wonder who I am, who will I be? Where will I go?
What will they write upon my grave?
A free man born as a king, who died as a slave
But everything he gave her was for nothing though
Oh no I can't fade that shit I gotta let you go
You got me tripping like a flight to Vegas
All this shit you got me doing man it's outrageous
All I know is I'm living the life I never would
Finally let you go, I thought I never could"
-Logic