Octopus Overlords

I used to be a smoker. I smoked from the time I was 14 until I was 23. I quit in 1992. All my family smoked. It killed mom in 1993.

I cant stand cigs. Im very proud I quit. They are nasty, stink, and will kill you and do it slowly and very expensively

But Ive always considered vape. My cousin is a big smoker and its killing him and he is trying to quit or at least cut down by using a vape now. He let me try his today and it smelled wonderful. He uses nicotine in his though. When I tried it I felt no smoke / vapor but saw a ton of it and smelled mango and coconut. He said you dont have to inhale at all with it. So now Im interested. I wish like hell this had been around when I did smoke. Would have been wonderful.

I dont need a new habit but if I got it it would be without the nicotine and simply for the wonderful smells you can get and to just have the little habit of something to do at the pc and such with my hands. Remember I hate smoking and cigs. My wife has been very proud of me for quitting and that in turn makes me feel good about myself. She has been against vape until tonight when she saw what it actually is. She even suggested she would get me one if I can find one I like for Christmas.

Im not sold yet. Mainly looking at options and prices. I dont need a new habit but if its one with no downside that would be ok. I figured these things were like printers and razors. You get the main product fairly cheap then they ream you on the oils. But looking online I find that not the case at all and it seems a fairly cheap thing all around. This would not be for illegal drugs or anything of the sort. Im a pain management patient and stay clean...not to mention Im not interested these days.

So what do you all think? Opinions? Info?

This is the kit Im considering . Its a lot like his as far as I can remember what it looked like. Remember I have no idea what Im looking into yet. Not even sure of good reputable online or local stores. Or if its truly safe.

http://www.aspirecig.com/aspire-kit/aspire-kit166.html

Its an Aspire brand Nautilus

Daehawk wrote: Opinions?

From someone who has been struggling to quit smoking for what feels like a decade. Don't? Studies point to your lungs and heart hating it and rather than be a step down from smoking it's a gateway back in to it.

With all due respect, this sounds insane.

There, that should rid you of this silly idea.

It's possibly a slightly healthier alternative to smoking. It is not, however, a healthy habit.



This sounds like an impulse buy. Wait it out and you'll find something else to play with.

Everyone I know who vapes still buys cigarettes. They might not smoke as much, but they still smoke some ciggies.

I have tried it btw, it is an interesting sensation. Not really that pleasant to me either.

I say, get a pipe addiction, way cooler! ( JK JK)

hepcat wrote:

There, that should rid you of this silly idea.

A Bruce Wayne for a new generation!

Daehawk wrote:I dont need a new habit but if its one with no downside that would be ok.

So above and beyond the initial cost (which would be the same for any habit/hobby), you have the price of juice. The internet tells me:

a 10ml bottle would equal 5 packs, a 15ml bottle is worth 7.5 packs, a 30ml bottle should last 15 packs, and a 50ml bottle is good for 25 packs.

So if you vape a pack a day, you're looking at around 60 mL of juice per month, or about $37 in habit spending per month. Much cheaper than 30 packs of cigarettes but that's still $37 disappearing. Now of course you're going to say, I don't smoke a pack of juice a day. Well, no, not yet you don't. But you'll get there - because it's totally fun and healthy.

Except when it's not. As stated earlier in the discussion we are really in the wild west stages of vaping. We have no idea what the risks are and the early data is suggesting the might be less harmful than cigarettes..maybe. At the end of the day, you're still introducing nicotine into your lungs and/or mouth. And while it's true that we're not completely clear on the actual, direct negative health impacts of nicotine on the human body, that's only because the most popular way to get nicotine (and the data associated with it) is related to exposure to cigarettes. Whether they want to be or not, people that vape are currently our test cases.

And all of this assumes your juice is just nicotine and inactive ingredients created by a reputable manufacturer and you're saying you want to go nicotine free. Well, the latest trick was to suggest the flavors were all considered FDA "food safe", which if you were going to eat the eVape juice would be terrific. But because you're not and instead inhaling it it's not "food safe" and representing it as such is a horrific twisting of the information. So even for you if you're vaping nicotine-free juices, there's no guarantee you're inhaling substances that are designed to be inhaled. Go look up "popcorn lung". I'll wait.

Anyway, for people that smoke, switching to an eCigarette might be better (as mentioned by Lawbeef). But to go from not smoking to vaping? I don't get it. If you like the smells, get a vial of essential oil and rub down your neck and arms. Or get a diffuser and set it near your desk.

I will *not* look up "popcorn lung".

No pictures, but it's a thing.

“Recognition of the hazards associated with inhaling flavoring chemicals started with ‘Popcorn Lung’ over a decade ago. However, diacetyl and other related flavoring chemicals are used in many other flavors beyond butter-flavored popcorn, including fruit flavors, alcohol flavors, and, we learned in our study, candy flavored e-cigarettes,” said lead author Joseph Allen, assistant professor of exposure assessment science.

Plus, vapor is considered to be worse on the lungs than smoke (not talking about specific chemicals in the sample, just the delivery method in general).

Vaping is smoking. Don't un-quit.

How about just not doing it?

I seriously doubt you need this in your life.

Want wonderful smells, try incense or potpourri.

As a non-smoker I too briefly considered taking up vaping, but decided against it for many of the stated reasons.

I have never smoked a cigarette in my life. My struggle is boredom and stress-eating. I figured vaping might sate my desire to be doing/consuming something. I still haven't found a viable alternative.

I can totally see how smoking looked cool back in the day. Seeing Rick in Casablanca smoking with his white jacket looked totally badass. Seriously.

Vaping - that looks like the opposite of cool.

While it may be healthier than smoking, there's also reason to believe vaping compromises the immune system in the lungs:

The Independent wrote:Using electronic cigarettes may harm the body’s defences against pneumonia and flu, according to a new study. The research, which reopens the debate on the dangers and benefits of e-cigarettes, suggests the vapour produced by the devices can compromise the immune system in the lungs, leaving them more vulnerable to infection by harmful bacteria and viruses.

Scientists from John Hopkins University in Maryland, exposed mice to e-cigarette vapour twice a day for two weeks at a level designed to proportionally mimic the amount a person who regularly used e-cigarettes would inhale. They then administered some of the mice with an influenza virus and others with the streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria, which is responsible for pneumonia, sinusitis and other illnesses. Compared to a control group, the mice that had been exposed to the vapour were less able to fight off illness, and some died. Professor Shyam Biswal, senior author of the study, said the findings suggested “e-cigarettes are not neutral in terms of the effects on the lungs” and said that studies should now be carried out on people, particularly those with common lung problems such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which often affects smokers and ex-smokers – the main users of e-cigarettes.

...

However, Professor John Britton, director of the UK Centre for Tobacco Control Studies said the most important point was that harm to the lungs was less from e-cigarettes than from tobacco.

“The lung is an exquisitely delicate organ and therefore nobody with any common sense would believe that inhaling heated vapour many times a day would be harmless,” he said. “What matters here is not a comparison of the effects of e-cigarette vapour compared with nothing, but the effects compared with those of tobacco smoke.”

I could be mistaken, but I get the impression that you and your wife already aren't exactly in the best of health, and you're certainly not getting any younger. Exposing your lungs to greater risks from pneumonia, which kills plenty of Americans annually -- and, IIRC, remains the most common cause of hospitalization for adults in the US, short of childbirth -- seems like an awfully steep price to pay just to keep your hands busy while using your PC.

Buy toothpicks. Chew on same.

When I was a smoker back in the 90s and I'd be working in the dispatch where I couldn't smoke, I'd take a medium paperclip and straighten out the first bend. I'd keep that in my mouth all the time, not really chewing, but just working it around. Before that, I used to carry around a pocket of unpopped popcorn. I'd put a kernel in my mouth to suck and chew on. You have to work at it a while, as it takes time for your saliva to soften it enough to break it up. It takes care of that 'something to fiddle with/consume' urge.

As someone who smoked two packs a day for 15 years before quitting over a decade ago, I say STAY AWAY! Besides being a health risk and a total waste of money, it's also a path to resuming smoking. Nothing good could possibly result from you taking up "vaping".

If I ever decide to give up cigarettes again I might go the vaping route. It's tempting to save the money. But I know myself too well; without a strong desire to quit them, I'd end up using both. I've never met a nicotine delivery device that I didn't like.

Well, the opinions in this thread seem unanimous to me!

Two healthier/cheaper activities to keep your hands busy:

• Get yourself a begleri and learn how to use it. To quote that store, "Begleri are skill toys that you flip around your hands to do tricks. I think of them as mini nunchucks for your fingers." Speaking as someone that loved flipping balisongs/butterfly knives as a young miscreant, a begleri can be great fun (and has the bonus of being significantly cheaper and less intimidating than flipping a butteryfly knife). Here's a great Youtube demonstration of some nifty begleri tricks.
• The Thinket: An immensely satisfying magnetic fidget toy, that doesn't require the skill of flipping a begleri. Here's a Youtube demonstration from its creator showing it action.

Anonymous Bosch wrote:Two healthier/cheaper activities to keep your hands busy:

• Get yourself a begleri and learn how to use it. To quote that store, "Begleri are skill toys that you flip around your hands to do tricks. I think of them as mini nunchucks for your fingers." Speaking as someone that loved flipping balisongs/butterfly knives as a young miscreant, a begleri can be great fun (and has the bonus of being significantly cheaper and less intimidating than flipping a butteryfly knife). Here's a great Youtube demonstration of some nifty begleri tricks.

I must have this.

From an RN, don't!!!

The health issues related to vaping has been discussed above.

DON'T DO IT

Blackhawk wrote:

Anonymous Bosch wrote:Two healthier/cheaper activities to keep your hands busy:

• Get yourself a begleri and learn how to use it. To quote that store, "Begleri are skill toys that you flip around your hands to do tricks. I think of them as mini nunchucks for your fingers." Speaking as someone that loved flipping balisongs/butterfly knives as a young miscreant, a begleri can be great fun (and has the bonus of being significantly cheaper and less intimidating than flipping a butteryfly knife). Here's a great Youtube demonstration of some nifty begleri tricks.

I must have this.

FWIW, the owner of that store also has some helpful Youtube tutorials, e.g. here's a basic begleri getting started tutorial. It does take practice when you're just getting started to develop some of the muscle memory, but once you get the basics down it becomes much more intuitive.

My stims are almost all tactile. Touching things and handling things is a constant for me. If I don't choose something, I do something anyway, and not always something good (eating snacks or chewing my nails instance.) I've got a wishlist full of 'fidgets' that are just that - things to touch and handle while watching TV or whatever. Lately I've taken to keeping a deck of cards nearby, and I'll sit and manipulate the deck while watching TV.

These items seem ideal. The Thinket is way too much, though.

Don't forget about the Fidget cube.

Dae, you know there are a bunch of haters on this board. Don't listen to them.

You KNOW how cool vaping looks so do it! Get a unit with a skull on it if you can.

Blackhawk wrote:My stims are almost all tactile. Touching things and handling things is a constant for me. If I don't choose something, I do something anyway, and not always something good (eating snacks or chewing my nails instance.) I've got a wishlist full of 'fidgets' that are just that - things to touch and handle while watching TV or whatever. Lately I've taken to keeping a deck of cards nearby, and I'll sit and manipulate the deck while watching TV.

These items seem ideal. The Thinket is way too much, though.

Yes, the Thinket certainly can be rather costly, but it'll absolutely scratch you where you itch. It's difficult to describe just how immensely satisfying it is to fiddle around with a Thinket. Fortunately, with the more expensive models, you're mostly just paying for additional bling, i.e. fancier materials and finishes. Still, as excessive as $40 or so may seem for a basic model (including shipping), I very much doubt you'd think so after you begin to manipulate it in your hands. For someone with your particular fondness for tactile stims, you'll likely wonder how you ever lived without one.

Fortunately, a begleri is a much cheaper option; you can buy a custom-sized begleri from the aforementioned TGPBegleri shop on Etsy for just over $10, including shipping. For anyone just starting out, I'd suggest steering clear of the models with metallic beads, and go for a paracord version in your preferred colour scheme instead. The paracord version will be significantly friendlier to your knuckles as you're first starting out.

Anybody remember "worry stones"? Wiki says they were popular in the 1970s, when I used to carry one in high school. I probably still have it somewhere. Google says they're still a thing.

I did a little searching a learned a new meme:

Another one is "Mouth Fedora."

You guys have convinced me..I'll do it!! ...No wait I mean I wont bother. And I was going to try the one without nicotine. Ill see about other harmful habits I can look into.

I don't know, "vaping' sounds goofy enough.

Wow, now I want to vape as well.

All this bad-mouthing of it makes me think it must be awesome.

Rip wrote: All this bad-mouthing

I see what you did there.

You don't want to try vaping. You want to go home and rethink your life.

Ok I'm surprised by the reaction here; except that you don't smoke -- so as my doctor said "Nothing in your lungs but oxygen is good, but vaping is a hell of a lot better than cigarettes".

I've been vaping for over a year, haven't touched a smoke since.

So in your case -- you're crazy to put shit in your lungs you don't need.

If you are a smoker however -- Vaping really is the best damn thing to come along for quitting. Honestly, forget the study quoted above -- it was a total bullshit study done with ridiculous amounts of heat on high nicotine juice. It did NOT represent the normal vaping process in any way shape or form.

I vape once or twice a day, for about 15-20 minutes while reading. This is vs a pack of smokes a day. My lungs are clear, and you realize how much it's not just nicotine that grabs you by the balls with cigarettes (Example: there's no such thing as a head rush on vaping, no matter the nic strength. So what's doing that with a cig? All kinds of engineered evil).

Anyways my plan is to finally just stop, but I keep it around for the weird times I really feel like smoking (the other day out of nowhere -- Boy I'd love a cig!. Hit the vape for 2 mins and problem solved).

It tastes better, and *IS* better for you than smoking. If you aren't a smoker, then stay the hell away -- there is no point in this.

Also Aspire gear is shit, and stay away from the "cig a like" stuff like originally posted above -- you will move to a bigger vape delivery device within a month (I did). I went from an Aspire tank (Nautilus) and move to a bigger battery w/ a u-Well crown. Big clouds, very satisfying.

Note: I do this in my garage/outside at home, so I don't blow clouds of sickeningly sweet vapour into strangers faces. Doing that is almost as ignorant as smoking and butting it out on the sidewalk. Almost.

Rip wrote:Wow, now I want to vape as well.

All this bad-mouthing of it makes me think it must be awesome.

You're Tom Sawyer's favorite kind of person. With folks like you around, he'd never have to paint a fence again.

They said the same thing about wine enemas, but now everyone's doing it. I say go for it.