Do you vape?

[fantalimon23]

I know this will attract judgement but I'm not asking for criticism, just discussion.

Never been a smoker but recently took up vaping. Dh does it and so do a few friends. I was curious. We are going through a very stressful time in life - young dc and no help, demanding job, house renovation. I was winding down in the evenings using booze and junk food which wasn't good for me either so I suppose I just wanted to try something that helped relax me. I do enjoy it but I don't think I'm 'addicted' per se, for example I don't take it out with me during the day and don't miss it. I just use it in the evenings.

Anyway bizarrely I have health anxiety which is quite ridiculous when I think of all of the unhealthy habits and coping mechanisms I have. But I do worry about the vape. There is so much conflicting info out there - loads of sources saying it's much better than smoking others saying it's as bad or worse. All the alleged health issues they can cause but no definitive studies as they've not been around long enough.

So I guess I'm wondering if you vape, why? What does it bring you? And do you worry about the health impact?

No, but Greggs and other fast food places are producing very unhealthy items, fast food production is extremely bad for the environment, they all stink of constantly cooking food on the streets… honestly a bit of sweet air amongst all that is an odd thing to complain about.

Well… for you, maybe. I genuinely find walking through puffs of strawberry flavoured air a bit vomit inducing, so for me it is something to complain about. Anyway it’s possible to both not like people eating Greggs in the street and dislike people vaping in the street. It’s not an either/or scenario.
Like I said, I don’t care what people do in their own homes. I just don’t want to be subjected to clouds of rank smelling vapour in the streets. Not sure why that’s a controversial stance.

I can’t imagine taking up vaping having been a non-smoker, that seems really weird to me.

I’m a mostly ex-smoker but when I have a drink it’s all I can think about. Having a vape around on those occasions means instead of buying 20 fags on a night out, I have a couple of puffs on a vape and it gets me over the feeling of needing a cigarette. I tried the Nicorette spray things but they didn’t quite soothe the itch. As it is I’ve not bought cigarettes in a long time, can count on one hand the number of cigarettes I’ve smoked in the past couple of years, and the vape I’ve got will last for ages as it’s hardly ever used.

They definitely have their used as a “tool” but the market has gone way beyond that now and I’m glad the government are planning to do something about it.

BBC programme has just aired about the risks of vaping.
Have a watch.
As a nurse who deals with people who have respiratory problems we are seeing people who have inflammation of the lungs.
You are breathing in glycerin..which can be formed from animal fat or vegetable fat...which is ok to be consumed through your digestive system....not your lungs

I do vape, as an alternative to smoking.

Like many others, I found giving up smoking hard, and failed numerous times. On balance, the lack of tar in vaping is definitely better than the presence of tar in cigarettes.

But - I don't vape in the house, I don't vape the sweet smelling liquids, I choose a low power on my vape so that I don't make enormous clouds of vapour, DD(8) does not know I vape as I never do it around her, I use a reusable/refillable vape, and very low nicotine (3%, which is the lowest).

So all-in-all, whilst it's not ideal, I believe that it's a better option than smoking-proper.

I feel a bit sad for you @fantalimon23 that you took up vaping when you weren't a smoker as nicotine addiction is such a bastard.

I don’t want to be subjected to certain smells out and about as well, but they’re there and not going away. It’s just tough really, I’m sure you take out smells every day that other people don’t appreciate (drive a car, pick up an odourfull lunch, wear perfume) but that’s life isn’t it.

I vape. I had to quit smoking because I had probably tripled my habit while going through a horrendous divorce. Switching was easy and I've not had a cigarette since. So that cut out a minimum of 20 a day.

Within a couple of weeks I could run again, my cough went and along with that, all the shit that was coming out of my lungs. No hideous smokers breath either.

I hate that they are so accessible to children and I don't understand anybody taking it up if they didn't previously smoke. However, it's been life changing for me. I don't inflict it on anybody else and don't use a device that sends clouds out. Neither do I use disposables. I am able to have a couple of puffs and leave it at that. It's not constantly in my hand.

Yes it’s life. I’m just saying I don’t like it. What’s wrong with that? As you say, you have things you don’t like, and so do I. I find the smell of vaping repulsive 🤷🏻‍♀️.

And actually no, I don’t do any of the things you mention. I drive a car, but it’s electric so no smell. I don’t eat in the streets, never have. But that’s irrelevant really. I’m still entitled to say I find the smell of vaping disgusting and antisocial.

If you don’t like the smell you are perfectly entitled to feel that way, as anyone is. Vaping (as opposed to smoking regular cigarettes or weed) is really debatable as an ‘anti social’ public activity though. As much as anything else that causes a smell, and vapes really don’t smell any worse than many perfumes (albeit more akin to Impulse than a £100 bottle of something fancy).

The key difference is that you don’t find perfume being blown towards you and over you in the form of a warm, engulfing white cloud of someone else’s breath. Gross

Yes. It's the only thing that got me to quit my 30 a day smoking habit
No, not concerned as it's better than smoking which I would still be doing otherwise, I've read the studies, the cancer research stuff, the gov studies and guidance and I use a liquid made in the U.K. which is strictly regulated

Well we can agree to disagree there, but no one has ever blown perfume over me in a cloud of vape.

Oh and I've been vaping on and off since 2013, properly since 2017 which was when I quit smoking

Many women wear perfume like they’ve bathed in it, never mind men annd their anwful sprays. Especially noticeable on public transport or enclosed spaces and obviously not every perfume/aftershave/spray will be to another person’s taste. Especially if the person wearing it is covering poor hygiene which is a bigger problem than many care to accept.

An individual is absolutely in their right to dislike the smell of vapes, but in the grand scheme of worldly smells there is somewhat of a gross exaggeration on this thread about how bad it is.

No. I hate the way vaping has become an alternative to smoking rather than a quitting aid. They were never meant to be used in the way they are.

You do understand living in a capitalist society, right? They will be used in the best way to make money and gain tax.

There is so much hysterical misinformation about vaping on this thread.

Hilarious.

as an absolute idiot i listened to my consultant from 121 ( cambridge diet ) when she advised to vape in order to feel less hungry and lose weight .

I never smoked , but liked the vapes , need to stop ASAP

The comments about the looking stupid, being antisocial etc are irrelevant to me because as I said, it's not something I do outside of the house. In the evenings when the kids are in bed I will have it in the living room while watching tv. It relaxes me in the same way a glass of wine would and I actually find I'm drinking less now.

But yeah I agree there are probably healthier ways to unwind.

I used h a to quit cigarettes and then quit the vape when I fell pregnant. It was one of the hardest things I've ever done - they are SO addictive & you barely realise it until it's gone.

I wouldn't vape again. I would rather have a social cigarette with a glass of wine than a vape. It's only now after giving up that I realised it kind of made my lungs feel heavy and thick. It can't be good for you, even if it's better than cigarettes in the long run.

@SpeedyDrama there is no duty on vapes -yet

I do, I used to worry about it but then 2 of the most healthy people I know, who eat healthily, don't even drink never mind smoke, vape etc got diagnosed with stage 4 cancer so that gave me some perspective. For me right now, the positives are outweighing the negatives. And I know I'll stop when I next get pregnant so there's that!
If you're going to do it you may as well enjoy it, otherwise you might as well stop

To be fair to you there are probably also less healthy (or equally as bad) ways to unwind, such as replacing the vapes with alcohol. It depends on what level of risk to your health you’re comfortable with I guess.

Hmm inhaling chemicals into our lungs which then get circulated around our body, ending up goodness knows where, brain cells perhaps?

You’d have to be chronically stupid to vape/smoke.

You’ve got one body look after it.