What do you think about e-cigarrets

[Smoky]

Hiho

for me it´s a good alternative to stop/change from smoking and atm. im clean since 12 weeks. What do you think about it.

 

Vape on ... smoky

[.KeLFOuTO!r.]

I found it was the perfect way to totally quit smoking.

I was smoking a pack every day and I quit 3 or 4 years ago and totally switched to e-cig in one day, and will never go back to regular cigs.

 

Besides, it's financially very interesting, and you feel alot better very fast.

Don't give up !!!

[Raziel]

Friend of mine is very enthusiastic about them and is now working at a local shop for E-cigs. Guess I'm pretty neutral on them. Still don't know what's exactly in those liquids, so I don't know if they're healthier than normal cigarettes or not. Still, if they help people quit smoking, I'm cool with that. Appreciate the various flavours too (like Apple Pie and Cotton Candy Oo) .

[Neuro]

Scientifically better than smoking anything else

[.KeLFOuTO!r.]

If B3rkO sees this topic, he'll share his knowledge and enthusiasm on the topic    

[Anton Chigurh]

Great to see u quit smoking, same for you as well .Kel.

Keep it up

[Jet7Slow]

I found it was the perfect way to totally quit smoking.

I was smoking a pack every day and I quit 3 or 4 years ago and totally switched to e-cig in one day, and will never go back to regular cigs.

 

Besides, it's financially very interesting, and you feel alot better very fast.

Don't give up !!!

And we can say this, vape tricks are really beautiful to see ! For me I love it !

[BaBeLo]

Its great, cuz i rly hate when someone near me is smoking cigarets. It destroying my lungs more then his + that bad smell. And ofc E-cigarrets r not destroying ur health that much like clasic ones. thats a big +.

[Smoky]

Oh a lot of response :-)

Hmm i like it and i think i found the right juice for me...... but cheaper oO atm my kitchen is like a laboratory with a lot of Aroma :-) and a few things to check it out.

 

@BaBeLo

thats true .... as a smoker you didn´t smell this things... but now oO.

[Shoes]

I think if you want to quit then just quit. You don't need vapes or gum or patches.

[Symfony]

Friend of mine is very enthusiastic about them and is now working at a local shop for E-cigs. Guess I'm pretty neutral on them. Still don't know what's exactly in those liquids, so I don't know if they're healthier than normal cigarettes or not. Still, if they help people quit smoking, I'm cool with that. Appreciate the various flavours too (like Apple Pie and Cotton Candy Oo) .

I think ingredients are required to be listed now, however in most liquids it's Vegetable Glycerin and Propylene Glycol which are both safe to use and VG is used in diet/low sugar foods as a replacement for sugar sometimes. It's also used in lotions because it helps to moisturize your skin. The last ingredient is usually some sort of artificial flavoring which is safe as it's used in flavoring food and candy. 

[Krusnik87]

First of all this:

 

Nicotine, Carcinogen, and Toxin Exposure in Long-Term E-Cigarette and Nicotine Replacement Therapy Users: A Cross-sectional Study

 

Lion Shahab, PhD; Maciej L. Goniewicz, PhD; Benjamin C. Blount, PhD; Jamie Brown, PhD; Ann McNeill, PhD; K. Udeni Alwis, PhD; June Feng, PhD; Lanqing Wang, PhD; Robert West, PhD

Background:

Given the rapid increase in the popularity of e-cigarettes and the paucity of associated longitudinal health-related data, the need to assess the potential risks of long-term use is essential.

Objective:

To compare exposure to nicotine, tobacco-related carcinogens, and toxins among smokers of combustible cigarettes only, former smokers with long-term e-cigarette use only, former smokers with long-term nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) use only, long-term dual users of both combustible cigarettes and e-cigarettes, and long-term users of both combustible cigarettes and NRT.

Design:

Cross-sectional study.

Setting:

United Kingdom.

Participants:

The following 5 groups were purposively recruited: combustible cigarette–only users, former smokers with long-term (≥6 months) e-cigarette–only or NRT-only use, and long-term dual combustible cigarette–e-cigarette or combustible cigarette–NRT users (n = 36 to 37 per group; total n = 181).

Measurements:

Sociodemographic and smoking characteristics were assessed. Participants provided urine and saliva samples and were analyzed for biomarkers of nicotine, tobacco-specific N-nitrosamines (TSNAs), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

 

Results:

After confounders were controlled for, no clear between-group differences in salivary or urinary biomarkers of nicotine intake were found. The e-cigarette–only and NRT-only users had significantly lower metabolite levels for TSNAs (including the carcinogenic metabolite 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol [NNAL]) and VOCs (including metabolites of the toxins acrolein; acrylamide; acrylonitrile; 1,3-butadiene; and ethylene oxide) than combustible cigarette–only, dual combustible cigarette–e-cigarette, or dual combustible cigarette–NRT users. The e-cigarette–only users had significantly lower NNAL levels than all other groups. Combustible cigarette–only, dual combustible cigarette–NRT, and dual combustible cigarette–e-cigarette users had largely similar levels of TSNA and VOC metabolites.

 

Limitation:

Cross-sectional design with self-selected sample.

 

Conclusion:

Former smokers with long-term e-cigarette–only or NRT-only use may obtain roughly similar levels of nicotine compared with smokers of combustible cigarettes only, but results varied. Long-term NRT-only and e-cigarette–only use, but not dual use of NRTs or e-cigarettes with combustible cigarettes, is associated with substantially reduced levels of measured carcinogens and toxins relative to smoking only combustible cigarettes.

 

Primary Funding Source:

Cancer Research UK.

 

 

____________________

 

Then for my case, it's been ... 3 months? since last my cigarette. I've been using e-cig since then  and succeeded in decrease the amount of nicotine to from 15mg to only 6mg. (I used to smoke nearly two packs* per day eight years ago...)

Thus i truely think that it helps a lot in stopping smoking. Yes it's not the perfect solution, but it is much healthier than keeping on smoking.

[Symfony]

To add to Krusnik's post, nicotine isn't really the issue with cigarettes and can even be beneficial in some cases, the real issue is with the carcinogens.

[Shoes]

https://fearless-assassins.com/topic/72633-i-quit-smoking/?hl=smoking

 

If I can do it, anybody can. I smoked for 29 years. Today is 2 years, 60 Days since I quit. If you just quit you go to 0 nicotine within a week. Yes its a difficult week but then its over. After that its all in your head.

Edited August 22, 2017 by Shoes

[Krusnik87]

The speed of nicotine absorption

 

Cigarettes are addictive because they contain nicotine. However, when the same substance is used in nicotine replacements, it enables thousands of people every year to kick their addiction. This paradox can be explained by the varying speed at which nicotine may enter the bloodstream and reach the brain.

 

When a substance is smoked or inhaled, it always reaches the brain via the bloodstream faster than if it had been injected. The substance arrives in the lungs and passes directly into the bloodstream through the alveoli. This blood then travels to the heart just once before being pumped to the organs, including the brain. It therefore takes just 8 to 10 seconds for the nicotine to reach the brain after the smoke is inhaled.

 

On the other hand, an injected substance always enters the bloodstream via a vein. From there, the blood flows into the heart a first time before being pumped into the lungs, where it picks up Oxygen. It then goes back to the heart before being pumped to the rest of the body. This process takes between 30 and 60 seconds. Furthermore, and more importantly, the arrival of the nicotine in the brain is staggered over time.

 

For smokers, the concentration of nicotine in the blood continues to increase after the first 'hit' until the whole cigarette has been smoked (which takes about 5 to 7 minutes). After this, the concentration rapidly decreases - after an hour, it will have been reduced by half, and after two hours it will be just a quarter of that reached during the first puffs of the cigarette.

 

Nicotine replacements provide a weaker concentration of nicotine at a slower speed than a cigarette. Smokeless tobacco or 'snuff', popular in countries such as Sweden, is between the two.

 

Gums and lozenges act faster than patches because the substance released inside the mouth is absorbed into the saliva and passes quickly into the blood stream. It reaches the brain in about 2 to 3 minutes. For this reason, nicotine gum can be useful when a smoker experiences strong, sudden cravings for nicotine. It is also why there is a (relatively low) risk of becoming dependent on nicotine gum. Research has shown that less than 1% of those who use nicotine gum are dependent on it one year after quitting smoking.

 

As for nicotine patches, they offer the advantage of releasing nicotine slowly. An hour can go by before the maximum dosage - generally equivalent to one third of the 'high' of a cigarette - is absorbed into the bloodstream. Because of this slow release, it is practically impossible to become dependent on patches.

from: Effect of smokeless tobacco (snus) on smoking and public health in Sweden. J Foulds, L Ramstrom, M Burke, K Fagerström. Tobacco Control 12, S. 349-359 (2003).

 

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Quitting with electronic cigarettes: how it’s done

Many smokers use electronic cigarettes as a way to quit their smoking habit, although there is a lack of clear scientific evidence on the efficacy of this method of quitting. How can you successfully give up smoking with an e-cigarette? Advice from Dr Philipe Presles, specialist in tobacco-related illnesses, author of the book, “The Electronic Cigarette. An easy way to give up smoking at last” (La cigarette électronique. Enfin la méthode pour arrêter de fumer facilement).

 

Quitting smoking with electronic cigarettes, some studies

 

Few studies have tested e-cigarettes as a tool for quitting smoking (1, 2, 3). Siegel et al. (4) reported that 31% (69 out of 216) of people questioned gave up smoking after having used e-cigarettes for six months. Among those who had quit, 57% still used e-cigarettes, 9% used tobacco products containing nicotine and 34% had overcome their nicotine dependence. Polosa et al. (5) discovered that 22.5% (9 out of 40) of participants had not touched a cigarette for six months. In this cohort, 67% were still using e-cigarettes compared to 33% who were no longer vaping. The Bullen study, published in The Lancet in 2013, showed that electronic cigarettes were at least as efficient as patches in the quitting of smoking and considerably better than patches in reducing tobacco usage (6). However, this study was carried out with a type of electronic cigarette available before 2012, which was not as efficient in its release of nicotine.

 

A very recent study seems to suggest that, on the contrary, electronic cigarettes are no help in giving up smoking. (7) However, this study has some weak spots, particularly with regards the statistics used, as even its authors have admitted.  Barbeau et al. (8) reported that electronic cigarettes, compared to substitutes such as chewing-gum, patches and inhalers had fewer disturbing side-effects and were more likely to avoid a relapse.

 

There is, therefore, currently no study on quitting smoking over the long-term and using a more recent model of electronic cigarette, which would answer the two key questions: can electronic cigarettes provide a tobacco substitute, comparable to other nicotine substitutes? Can it be even more effective than these other alternatives?

 

Quitting smoking with electronic cigarettes: in practice

 

 “You don’t have to stop smoking tobacco before starting to vape” explains Dr Philippe Presles. He recommends that in the first month of trying e-cigarettes, you find the model and flavour that suits you best. With regards the model, the easiest is to start with a kit that has two whole electronic cigarettes and an automatic feed. The doctor recommends that new vapers choose a device like eGo which suits most people, and to leave the smaller models to those smoking fewer than five cigarettes a day.

 

There are three main criteria when choosing the e-liquids: the level of nicotine, the ratio of propylene glycol to vegetable glycerine, and the flavours. “The important thing is to feel good, so it’s worth trying out different doses” Dr Presles insists. The one that best suits you is the one that gives you the best feeling, the best “hit” (feeling in the throat) and which above all avoids you getting nicotine withdrawal symptoms (strong urge to smoke, irritability, anxiety, impatience, depression, mood swings, difficulties in concentration, insomnia, increased appetite, weight gain). Similarly, you should try different flavours in order to find the one, or ones, that you like best. Finally, choose the amounts of propylene glycol and vegetable glycerine which suit you best in terms of taste, “hit” and vapour density.

 

“Electronic cigarettes will generally replace other kinds of cigarettes after a month of vaping” says Dr Presles. If you’re not satisfied, you will have to look for a better model, try a stronger nicotine dose or a different flavour” the doctor adds. Should you gradually reduce your nicotine intake in order to be able to quit? “No, not necessarily” replies Dr Presles, who says that about half of people spontaneously reduce their nicotine dose after a month of vaping. If you still continue to vape after quitting tobacco it’s not a problem. “The most important thing is the goal of having one year without tobacco” he confirms. You need to vape with a sufficient level of nicotine and as long as necessary to avoid withdrawal symptoms and to avoid starting to smoke again.

 

Further advice from Dr Presles in order to quit smoking with e-cigarettes :

 

- don’t hesitate to use a 21 mg patch if you still need to smoke four to five cigarettes a day, as well as vaping. “That will remove the residual craving” he explains.

 

- make sure you have extra emergency supplies to ensure you don’t run out of refills, for example, and to avoid having to buy cigarettes. You can always keep a supply of disposable electronic cigarettes as a “safety cushion” for example.

 

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