Can one quit smoking with e-cigs?

[Aikenrooster]

I'm seeing more and more people using e-cigs and they claim to be doing it on the premise of quitting. My wife wants to quit, and I suggested she buy one of those e-cigs, but I know nothing about them.

 

Any suggestions on a brand or type?

 

Are people really quitting or are they trying to save $, get a fix without tar, or some other reason I can't think of.

 

Please, any insights suggestions would be helpful.

 

She smokes Misty menthol 100s, if that helps.

[LedRush]

I'm seeing more and more people using e-cigs and they claim to be doing it on the premise of quitting. My wife wants to quit, and I suggested she buy one of those e-cigs, but I know nothing about them.

 

Any suggestions on a brand or type?

 

Are people really quitting or are they trying to save $, get a fix without tar, or some other reason I can't think of.

 

Please, any insights suggestions would be helpful.

 

She smokes Misty menthol 100s, if that helps.

 

I like the V2s...good quality, battery life, and throat hit.

 

I use them not to stop smoking, but to smoke in a way that isn't (as) harmful to me.

 

However, before using them I was at most a 3/day smoker for only 3 years (plus maybe 1 in college). If I don't smoke for a week on vacation or a business trip, I don't notice not doing it. However, I won't kid myself and say I'm not addicted on some level (I think more mentally than physically).

 

The danger with e-cigs is that you can smoke more often, and you may actually increase your nicotine intake. Nicotine itself isn't really that bad for you, and the incremental increase will probably have negligible affects, while removing all the carcinogens and other crap will have tangible and immediate benefits.

 

I know some people who have quite while vaping, but more often it's just trading one bad vice for a significantly less bad vice.

[Aikenrooster]

V2. I will look that up. Thx.

[KennyLee]

Let me know how it goes. I tried the e-cig and it had a "chemically" butane-ish kind of taste that I didn't care for. Also, maybe it's the kind I got, "NJoy' but you have to suck on 'em like your trying to suck a golf ball though a garden hose.

 

I really should quit smoking because of all the singing I do. my problem is, it hasn't affected me yet. Terrible logic I know but my self control for "this may hurt you later" is horrible. I'm OK now, right? Hopefully someday I'm motivated enough to quit.

[Lost In Xanadu]

Easiest way to quit is to not start, kids. :)

 

 

My mom was addicted to those things for so long, took her a hard fight and eventually gave them up. It was because of her smoking I never had any desire to do it. I hated the smell.

[LedRush]

Let me know how it goes. I tried the e-cig and it had a "chemically" butane-ish kind of taste that I didn't care for. Also, maybe it's the kind I got, "NJoy' but you have to suck on 'em like your trying to suck a golf ball though a garden hose.

 

I really should quit smoking because of all the singing I do. my problem is, it hasn't affected me yet. Terrible logic I know but my self control for "this may hurt you later" is horrible. I'm OK now, right? Hopefully someday I'm motivated enough to quit.

 

V2 were easier to inhale than 2 others I tried. Also, the refillables are easier than the disposables (and cheaper too). However, I use the disposables and they are fine.

[LedRush]

Easiest way to quit is to not start, kids. :)

 

 

My mom was addicted to those things for so long, took her a hard fight and eventually gave them up. It was because of her smoking I never had any desire to do it. I hated the smell.

 

I despise the smell of cigarettes: that's why I smoke clove "cigars". That, and the tobacco companies made clove cigarettes illegal.

[Aikenrooster]

Lol. Back when I was able to smoke weed, I'd smoke a clove cigarette to mask the smell. I had no idea those things were illegal, now.

[Mike2112]

I used the brand "blu"... I supplement with them and find that I am smoking less than half of what I used to. I tried NJoys several times and they seem to die quickly - sometimes only giving me about 10 tokes before flashing and no longer working... The Blu brand seems to last a long time...

[LedRush]

Lol. Back when I was able to smoke weed, I'd smoke a clove cigarette to mask the smell. I had no idea those things were illegal, now.

 

Tobacco companies lobbied to make them illegal because US companies don't make them. After they succeeded, the clove makers just put a different wrapping on them and called them cigars. NYC then made all flavored tobacco illegal (except mint because US tobacco companies make those). So clove cigars are now illegal in NYC, but ok almost everywhere else.

 

I started smoking them for the same reason (hiding weed smell and extending the "high" feeling). Now I have the clove flavored ecigs.

[The Analog Grownup]

Well, no. You're still smoking something.

[Aikenrooster]

Well, no. You're still smoking something.

I looked at the product he mentioned. You can buy cartridges with differing amounts of nicotine from 2.4% to 0.0%, so, I guess the nicotine can be controlled.

 

I may buy my wife a start up kit and see what happens.

[Lorraine]

I don't inhale. Edited May 19, 2014 by Lorraine

[Mike2112]

Lol. Back when I was able to smoke weed, I'd smoke a clove cigarette to mask the smell. I had no idea those things were illegal, now.

 

Tobacco companies lobbied to make them illegal because US companies don't make them. After they succeeded, the clove makers just put a different wrapping on them and called them cigars. NYC then made all flavored tobacco illegal (except mint because US tobacco companies make those). So clove cigars are now illegal in NYC, but ok almost everywhere else.

 

I started smoking them for the same reason (hiding weed smell and extending the "high" feeling). Now I have the clove flavored ecigs.

 

Aren't cloves like really really bad for you though? (like a lot worse than cigarettes was my understanding)

[Babycat]

Easiest way to quit is to not start, kids. :)

 

 

My mom was addicted to those things for so long, took her a hard fight and eventually gave them up. It was because of her smoking I never had any desire to do it. I hated the smell.

 

I despise the smell of cigarettes: that's why I smoke clove "cigars". That, and the tobacco companies made clove cigarettes illegal.

 

I have no idea what a clove cigar is. I think I might regret asking.

[The Analog Grownup]

But do we really know if there isn't anything in e-cigs that can be harmful in the long run?

[LedRush]

Well, no. You're still smoking something.

 

You don't smoke anything when using e-cigs. The "vape" in vaping is because the liquid is turned to vapor.

[LedRush]

But do we really know if there isn't anything in e-cigs that can be harmful in the long run?

 

As harmful as smoking?

[LedRush]

Easiest way to quit is to not start, kids. :)

 

 

My mom was addicted to those things for so long, took her a hard fight and eventually gave them up. It was because of her smoking I never had any desire to do it. I hated the smell.

 

I despise the smell of cigarettes: that's why I smoke clove "cigars". That, and the tobacco companies made clove cigarettes illegal.

 

I have no idea what a clove cigar is. I think I might regret asking.

 

It's essentially the same thing as a clove cigarette, but legal.

[LedRush]

Lol. Back when I was able to smoke weed, I'd smoke a clove cigarette to mask the smell. I had no idea those things were illegal, now.

 

Tobacco companies lobbied to make them illegal because US companies don't make them. After they succeeded, the clove makers just put a different wrapping on them and called them cigars. NYC then made all flavored tobacco illegal (except mint because US tobacco companies make those). So clove cigars are now illegal in NYC, but ok almost everywhere else.

 

I started smoking them for the same reason (hiding weed smell and extending the "high" feeling). Now I have the clove flavored ecigs.

 

Aren't cloves like really really bad for you though? (like a lot worse than cigarettes was my understanding)

 

They have about 33% more tar if memory serves. But people that smoke them generally smoke far less than cigarettes. It's like weed in that way. Perhaps technically worse, but in practice far, far better for you.

[Mike2112]

FYI I found this article today in the news related to ecigarettes and quitting smoking:

 

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/20/us-health-ecigarettes-idUSKBN0E00UW20140520

 

(Reuters) - Smokers trying to quit are 60 percent more likely to report success if they switch to e-cigarettes than if they use nicotine products like patches or gum, or just willpower, scientists said on Tuesday.

 

Presenting findings from a study of almost 6,000 smokers over five years, the researchers said the results suggest e-cigarettes could play an important role in reducing smoking rates and hence cutting tobacco-related deaths and illnesses.

 

As well as causing lung cancer and other chronic respiratory diseases, tobacco smoking is also a major contributor to cardiovascular diseases, the world's number one killer.

 

"E-cigarettes could substantially improve public health because of their widespread appeal and the huge health gains associated with stopping smoking," said Robert West of University College London's epidemiology and public health department, who led the study.

Mainly funded by the charity Cancer Research UK and published in the journal Addiction, West's study surveyed 5,863 smokers between 2009 and 2014 who had tried to quit without using prescription medicines or professional help.

 

The results were adjusted for a range of factors that might influence success at quitting, West said - including age, nicotine dependence, previous attempts to give up smoking, and whether quitting was gradual or abrupt.

 

They showed that 20 percent of people trying to quit with the aid of e-cigarettes reported having stopped smoking conventional cigarettes.

That compared with just 10.1 percent of those using over-the-counter aids such as nicotine replacement patches or gum. Of those using willpower alone, 15.4 percent had managed to stop.

 

E-cigarettes contain nicotine - a stimulant not thought to be particularly harmful, although it is addictive - delivering it in a water vapour rather than in smoke from burning tobacco.

 

A relatively new product, they have become highly controversial, with public health opinion split over whether they might be a powerful tool in helping those hooked on cigarettes to finally give up, or whether they simply replace one bad habit with another.

Because switching to e-cigarettes from tobacco ones does not entail kicking the addiction to nicotine, some specialists say they could spell the end of smoking - which the World Health Organisation (WHO) calls "one of the biggest public health threats the world has ever faced".

But critics point to a lack of long-term scientific evidence to support the safety and effectiveness of e-cigarettes, and warn they may also re-normalise smoking, enticing children or other non-smokers to take it up.

 

West agreed that evidence about long-term use is e-cigarettes is scant, but stressed the balance of risks had to be weighed against the very strong evidence of tobacco's harms.

 

"It's not clear whether long-term use of e-cigarettes carries health risks, but from what is known about the contents of the vapour these will be much less than from smoking," he said.

 

Smoking tobacco kills half of all those who do it, according to the WHO, and has a death toll of 6 million people a year.

West said evidence shows that smokers who seek professional help from doctors or health clinics that provide stop-smoking services have the highest success rates in quitting.

 

"These almost triple a smoker's odds of successfully quitting compared with going it alone or relying on over-the-counter products," he said.

 

(Reporting by Kate Kelland; Editing by Catherine Evans)

[CygnusGal]

I found the NJoy did die very quickly, but I thought the flavour was the best of the e-cigs I've tried. They're pretty pricey too, especially for such a short lived product.

 

I've found White Cloud to be quite good. Good flavour, they last a while and they're about half the price of NJoy. I do think I get more nicotine with the e-cig than with traditional. I think that part of that is because I can just sit around and puff on it when I'm doing any number of things that I used to do while smoking (when I smoked inside) instead of having to slog myself out to the land of pariahs (also known as the smoking section).

 

I'm still on the fence about moving to e-cig full time. Technically it's "vaping", so e-cig by definition isn't smoking, but it feels like smoking and to my mind the difference in definition is splitting hairs. I try not to "vape" in all of the the same places I wouldn't smoke (not at my desk at work, not in front of the TV, not in the car, not in restaurants, etc.)

 

And, of course, I'm still curious about the long term effects of glycerin being inhaled. Probably not worse than tobacco smoke, but at least smoke is known bad, if that makes any sense. Glycerin is inert and used in many daily products (food, makeup, for example). Is it also safe to inhale in vapor form? I've read studies and lots of literature on the subject, but don't know what to believe. If big tobacco has a hand in it, I'm naturally even more skeptical.

[LedRush]

I found the NJoy did die very quickly, but I thought the flavour was the best of the e-cigs I've tried. They're pretty pricey too, especially for such a short lived product.

 

I've found White Cloud to be quite good. Good flavour, they last a while and they're about half the price of NJoy. I do think I get more nicotine with the e-cig than with traditional. I think that part of that is because I can just sit around and puff on it when I'm doing any number of things that I used to do while smoking (when I smoked inside) instead of having to slog myself out to the land of pariahs (also known as the smoking section).

 

I'm still on the fence about moving to e-cig full time. Technically it's "vaping", so e-cig by definition isn't smoking, but it feels like smoking and to my mind the difference in definition is splitting hairs. I try not to "vape" in all of the the same places I wouldn't smoke (not at my desk at work, not in front of the TV, not in the car, not in restaurants, etc.)

 

And, of course, I'm still curious about the long term effects of glycerin being inhaled. Probably not worse than tobacco smoke, but at least smoke is known bad, if that makes any sense. Glycerin is inert and used in many daily products (food, makeup, for example). Is it also safe to inhale in vapor form? I've read studies and lots of literature on the subject, but don't know what to believe. If big tobacco has a hand in it, I'm naturally even more skeptical.

 

Big tobacco starting off attacking the e-cigs and still try and make laws against them as they get into the market fully. That should be enough of a reason to support ecigs.

[KennyLee]

I tried quitting yesterday and made it til 2:30 before I snapped and caved.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Tg2MUFIcEQ

Edited May 21, 2014 by KennyLee

[CygnusGal]

I found the NJoy did die very quickly, but I thought the flavour was the best of the e-cigs I've tried. They're pretty pricey too, especially for such a short lived product.

 

I've found White Cloud to be quite good. Good flavour, they last a while and they're about half the price of NJoy. I do think I get more nicotine with the e-cig than with traditional. I think that part of that is because I can just sit around and puff on it when I'm doing any number of things that I used to do while smoking (when I smoked inside) instead of having to slog myself out to the land of pariahs (also known as the smoking section).

 

I'm still on the fence about moving to e-cig full time. Technically it's "vaping", so e-cig by definition isn't smoking, but it feels like smoking and to my mind the difference in definition is splitting hairs. I try not to "vape" in all of the the same places I wouldn't smoke (not at my desk at work, not in front of the TV, not in the car, not in restaurants, etc.)

 

And, of course, I'm still curious about the long term effects of glycerin being inhaled. Probably not worse than tobacco smoke, but at least smoke is known bad, if that makes any sense. Glycerin is inert and used in many daily products (food, makeup, for example). Is it also safe to inhale in vapor form? I've read studies and lots of literature on the subject, but don't know what to believe. If big tobacco has a hand in it, I'm naturally even more skeptical.

 

Big tobacco starting off attacking the e-cigs and still try and make laws against them as they get into the market fully. That should be enough of a reason to support ecigs.

A good point.

 

Do you believe that big tobacco has a hand in e-cig? I'm asking out of genuine curiosity. I don't know the answer.

 

I would think that RJR or PM would at least be testing the waters and thinking about how to make money in a new market segment (that market being people who like to inhale things). To your point, lawsuits against independent e-cig manufacturers slow them down while the giants come up to speed. Just my skeptical nature, I suppose...