MY Two Cents

[Deadcat2]

The problem here is not with the people who use e-cigs as a nicotine reduction therapy, but the ones who use them as a nicotine replacement therapy.

If anyone here was discussing that as an option, wouldn't they be banned?

[renstyle]

The problem here is not with the people who use e-cigs as a nicotine reduction therapy, but the ones who use them as a nicotine replacement therapy.

If anyone here was discussing that as an option, wouldn't they be banned?

The tough part is that BOTH of those terms are accurate for what an ecig does. Fred's word "EVENTUAL" is wide ranging and can mean totally different things to different people. You can use ecigs to reduce nicotine, and you can use them as a replacement for cigs, as long as in the back of your head you are EVENTUALLY going to let it all peter out (no pun intended).

Ecigs were my cigarette replacement therapy. I quit nicotine as an afterthought, to test a theory.

To some on this board, that also equates to nicotine replacement in all cases. There have been several examples of where is is NOT the case, and honestly beside the point.

Get an individual off the smokes, regardless of how the nicotine question is handled up front. I am certainly not going to dissuade anybody who wishes to leave nicotine, but I am far more concerned with smoke. Those that have the burden of smoke lifted from their shoulders and lungs can tackle the nicotine on it's own. It's much easier that way. I can speak from experience (which for me was a total non-event honestly).

There could be a huge discussion about the OTHER chemicals in cigs which the body has craving for. There are MANY out in the wild that are "hooked" on MAOI's, which is a big reason why NRT never worked for them before, and ecigs only provide part of the solution. Basically the nicotine was NOT the reason they truly wanted to smoke, it was something entirely different in the cocktail which was fulfilling that need.

[Stephanie]

uneducated scare tactics

Are you a nicotine scholar???????????? Grrrrrrrrrrrr it never ends.

ya see Pam, good to see you by the way and I would love ya no matter how you quit, these arrogant tactics the ecig nazis use, are what make me feel close minded about ecigs, so many of them are mean!

Again, good to see you and I hope it works for you and you find the freedom you have been seeking for a long time.

Steph

[pam]

Thank you all. I do sincerely feel this is working for me - more strongly than with any other strategy I used. My best to you all! Keep on keepin' on......whatever it takes! There are many routes to the final destination............see you there!

[drseuss]

Congrats Pam! If it gets you there, good on ya!

To me, the real goal of quitting smoking and nicotine is to find a method that beats death as the "eventual" quit method.

Congrats again!

-doc

[pvprincess]

uneducated scare tactics

Are you a nicotine scholar???????????? Grrrrrrrrrrrr it never ends.

ya see Pam, good to see you by the way and I would love ya no matter how you quit, these arrogant tactics the ecig nazis use, are what make me feel close minded about ecigs, so many of them are mean!

Again, good to see you and I hope it works for you and you find the freedom you have been seeking for a long time.

Steph

On this subject I have educated myself. I am a reader and a researcher. I research things before I try them. That comment wasn't really referring to you in particular. IT was more towards Electricman and I beleive I've seen Evelyn post some nonsensical stuff at times too.

When you post a thread about nicotine poisoning directed at ecigs and totally ignore the fact that the same danger exists when using the gum or the lozenge then yeah its an uneducated scare tactic. Or maybe its blatant biaswhichever you prefer.

[Deadcat2]

When you post a thread about nicotine poisoning directed at ecigs and totally ignore the fact that the same danger exists when using the gum or the lozenge then yeah its an uneducated scare tactic. Or maybe its blatant biaswhichever you prefer.

Electronic cigarette users are VERY familiar with scare tactics, since we see it every day.
It is what all of the opponents of electronic cigarettes use to try and scare people away from trying them.

The opponents of electronic cigarettes have no facts and no real solid arguments to fight against electroinic cigarettes.
They have no choice but to use scare tactics.

But one needs look no further than the FDA press release from two years ago.
That was an incredibly powerful and successful use of scare tactics, disinformation, and misdirection.

It makes me sick to think of how many lives will be lost because of that disgusting press release.

[cigarbabe]

Pam, congratulations on finally finding a way to quit smoking. I think it's great that you're using the e-cig to quit cigarettes and reduce your nicotine intake. I think that's what it's all about here. I have no argument whatsoever with this method- or any method- that will help someone with nicotine dependence.

The problem here is not with the people who use e-cigs as a nicotine reduction therapy, but the ones who use them as a nicotine replacement therapy.

It is only a problem for you. You claim to be happy for her quit but not really you aren't.
You will be happy if she does it your way without nicotine.
As if this is some cardinal sin.
It isn't a sin or a problem for most people except you qsmd members sheesh!
I think unless they have stated such or you have asked them specifically you don't know who
actually has an "alleged nicotine problem" Dutch and that in itself is a problem for me.
C.B.

[Stephanie]

If you are hooked on nicotine you have a nicotine problem and you are hooked on a drug. But trust me Pam, don't let them twist my words, I am happy for you and I am happy for anyone who finds a way out using any method to quit and we all go way back so I am sure you know my happiness for you is genuine and so is Dutch's. I would love for you all to find complete freedom from nicotine anyway you can.

Steph

[Dutch]

It is only a problem for you. You claim to be happy for her quit but not really you aren't.
You will be happy if she does it your way without nicotine.

C.B.

Thank you, CB, for your brain-dead interpretation of what I really meant to say. The last time I heard something that stupid was, well, the post you made before that. Keep 'em coming. Sooner or later you just might say something by accident that actually has a little value.

[Wintering]

Hi there!
I know so many of you on this forum. Nice to see you. I joined the "original community" about 2003. YES, that is how long I have been quitting. I have gone 1mo., 3mos., 6mos., up to 2 years quit. I have tried every method there is. Well, I have never given up hope of being able to quit. I had totally abandoned any thought of coming back here. I happened to be cruising through ECF (of which I am not yet a member). I have been using the electronic cigarette now for over 4 months and it has changed my life. I AM quitting -one milligram at a time. I started in March with 36mg nic. I am now down to 5.
I really don't understand all of the objection with the e-cigs. When I used Chantix, with all its side effects, I was able to quit for 2 years. I so thought I had “arrived”. I did still have to use the psychological and physical "tricks"to quit. The one that comes to mind is… I used to suck on straws with a q-tip in it. The q-tip was dipped in peppermint oil to give me that "fix" I needed in the early stage of the quit. I did give it up and move on with my quit. Very similar to the ecig. That was fine with everyone here.
s*** happens; and I relapsed. However, I still held onto the hope that I would not smoke forever. I left this board when maybe I should have stayed on. Don’t know. What I do know is that whenever I have “popped in” over the last few years, I realized this was the last place to come for support. Honestly, quitting is not a “one size fits all”. The mantras used back in the day, although tried and true for many, just do not work for everyone. They did not work for me. I do think this will. I am so pleased that there is this one section of the board (Thanks, Fred) that I, and many others can feel comfortable with. Cigarettes and smoke kill. Nicotine is an addiction, but on its own, I believe can be overcome. I literally sat on my patio with a lit cigarette in one hand and the e-cig in the other, alternating as I smoked my last cig. It was then that I KNEW I COULD DO THIS. Right now the last thing I want, ever, is a cigarette. I have never felt that before.
I am so proud of all my friends who have successfully quit here. But I wish you would open your mind to other possibilities. Your way is not the only way. Yes, there are some hard core career vapers. My belief is that it is better than smoking so I am happy for them. They need to reside on ECF. I have seen successes quitting altogether using this method. My entire office is now for the most part, nonsmoking. Everyone’s vaping. Some are quitting via that method, others are just enjoying the alternative experience.
Technology has changed all of our lives. Much of it; for the better. It’s a new way to quit smoking. Like… why write a letter when you can email? Why go to the encyclopedia when you can google? Many things are so much easier now, including quitting smoking.
I think it would be beneficial to everyone to accept with an open mind that this can be done. Yes, my grandfather had to walk a mile to school, uphill, in the snow, barefoot, etc….I got to ride a bus, my kids got driven, my grandkids do it online….. get my point?
I have the utmost respect for the early pioneers here and those that followed and their hard earned success. The road they traveled was a hard one. This is a new day and there is a new way
I am not selling any product, just an idea that may offer hope to those struggling as I did.

Hi Pam, I just wanted to thank you for the wonderful post. It's been a few months since you've visited, so if you pop in again, please do let us know how many milligrams you're down to. Like you said, it's quitting "one milligram at a time". (I love that!)

[Inquistadora]

"It was then that I KNEW I COULD DO THIS." That really rings a bell with me! I had tried everything and Wellbutrin actually drove me to smoke MORE I didn't want to try the ecigs, but I had tried everything else. Now that I've tried them, I have real hope for the first time.

I don't think you should sweat it about there being voices on this forum that are critical of ecigs. If people want a "Rah! rah! ecigs are wonderful, vape all day!" sort of environment, they can hang out on ECF. It's my first day here and I don't feel bullied. You have to remember, we really don't know anything about the long term safety of ecigs. They could well turn out to be bad for our health if used for decades. It takes that long for the worst effects of conventional cigarettes to manifest.

For myself, I won't feel free of tobacco unless I'm not using ANY tobacco products. It is all very well and good to use a crutch when you leg is broken, but once the leg mends, the crutch should be thrown away.