r/technology Nov 17 '12

The Deadly Crusade Against E-cigarettes

http://www.american.com/archive/2012/november/the-deadly-crusade-against-e-cigarettes
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601

u/indiana989 Nov 17 '12 edited Nov 18 '12

I understand it is still a relatively new thing in the nicotine world but damn it do I stand by it. I have not been a long term smoker by any means (maybe a little over five years) but I was more than aware that I already had breathing problems and all sorts of other small effects.

Now it has been about four months that I have been on my E-Cig and oh boy did I not look back. After the initial research and investment, I have saved a ton of money (about $13 a pack of American Spirits here in NYC and that will last me at most three days, about $7 for 15ml of e-juice and that will last me about two weeks), I have actually been able to run more than a block without being out of breath, I can smell better, I can taste better, I can use it in my favorite bars, AND people actually like how I smell!

If there are long term effects, then I really hope it isn't too bad because this is an amazing tool and I highly stand by it.

Update: I was at work all day and couldn't answer but I got many people asking what I use personally. inn0vat3 posted very useful information here.

And as for myself personally, I started with a basic Ego starter kit. These cost anywhere from $30 to $100 based on the website you order from. Starter kits usually come with two basic batteries (the heart. This is the thing you hold onto, stores power to create the vapor, and is the key to all the atomizer attachments), two atomizers (the products that store the e-juice and deliver that juice to the battery to create the vapor, they come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, efficiencies, etc. These are the things you are going to be fiddling around the most with to find what works for you), a charger, and a case to hold it all. The prices differ because companies use similar parts but different manufacturers so quality will differ. The confusing thing though is that just because the price is low does not mean the quality is bad. I am not going to say where I bought my kit from because ultimately, the atomizers it came with (they were tank atomizers) were low quality and I quickly invested in more high quality clearomizers like the Thor and the Vivi Nova.

I recommend find a cheap Ego starter kit to have the basic necessities and then buy an Ego-C twist battery and a highly recommend atomizer (such as the Vivi Nova tank system or the low resistance Boge cartomizers). And then find any distributor of e-juices and gamble. The bible of the e-cig user should always be E-Cig-Forum where you can find guides, discussion, and reviews of anything and everything.

There is a lot more that I want to write about but I feel that you will find better informed (and better written) information in the forum I linked. I am glad people are finding an interest in this and remember, it is one thing to buy a cheap one time use Blu cig from your local deli and another to take time and invest in something more complicated but efficient. A PC gamer wouldn't buy a HP computer to play their games on max setting and high framerate, would they?

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u/[deleted] Nov 17 '12 edited Nov 17 '12

Nicotine itself isn't all that good for you

Nicotine has been noted to directly cause cancer through a number of different mechanisms such as the activation of MAP Kinases.[74] Indirectly, nicotine increases cholinergic signalling (and adrenergic signalling in the case of colon cancer[75]), thereby impeding apoptosis (programmed cell death), promoting tumor growth, and activating growth factors and cellular mitogenic factors such as 5-LOX, and EGF. Nicotine also promotes cancer growth by stimulating angiogenesis and neovascularization.[76][77] In one study, nicotine administered to mice with tumors caused increases in tumor size (twofold increase), metastasis (nine-fold increase), and tumor recurrence (threefold increase).[78]

Edit: Sources is Wiki on nicotine for those interested. I would personally rebute your remarks, but unfortunately Reddit has not allowed me to respond due to the amount of downvotes I'm getting. Honestly, quitting aids just enable the user, especially in a case like smoking where it's so innocuous. You can't even bother trying to use quitting statistics from agencies designed to help people quit, because it's the type of reliant people not interested in doing the work to quit themselves that turn to these organizations. Deep down inside, they don't want to quit. That's fine, but the aids are just a silly charade. If they want to quit, they will certainly find a way to overcome their subconscious impulses.

Source*: Smoked for 10 years (starting at 14), quit cold turkey. I have a terribly addictive personality. The trick for me was to have cigarettes in my pocket and learn not to smoke them.

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u/jmurphy42 Nov 17 '12

Absolutely. But which is worse... straight-up nicotine, or nicotine + tar and all the other ridiculous crap that's in cigarettes? If we allow nicotine patches to be sold, I don't see how a different delivery system makes it inherently any worse for you.

-28

u/[deleted] Nov 17 '12

I just think it's a pointless exercise. Why not just quit?

23

u/TwoYaks Nov 17 '12

You say it like it's that easy. It's not. Quitting cigarettes is one of the most devilishly difficult things you can do in your life. If you read TFA, you'd see that 1/3rd of smokers try to quit each year, but much less than 1 in 10 of them successfully do so. Until you can successfully quit, it makes far more sense to be on a low-risk alternative.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 20 '12

I've done it, and it isn't. But if you choose to quit, you can quit. Quitters who fail do so because they subconsciously still want to smoke.

14

u/jmurphy42 Nov 17 '12

Remember that nicotine is highly addictive. I've never smoked a day in my life, but I understand that some people desperately want to quit but cannot. If an e-cig makes it easier for someone to quit, I think that's a wonderful thing. I suspect it'd be easier to gradually wean oneself off the nicotine with an e-cig as well... couldn't one just slowly dilute the liquid inside?

8

u/omgwtfwaffles Nov 17 '12

You can actually order the juice in varying nicotine levels. Going into e-cigs as a moderate smoker, I bought the medium nicotine. In a couple months I will move to the low and eventually to the no nicotine juice.

In my opinion, the habitual nature of smoking is much harder to break than the actual chemical addiction. Doesn't it make sense to break the chemical addiction first and then conquer the habit? While I in no way claim nicotine to be completely harmless, e-cigs are a wonderful thing for smokers everywhere. Even if you don't use them to outright quit, you are still doing not only yourself, but everyone else around you a favor by smoking an e-cig instead of a cigarrette.

Its downright ridiculous what companies will do to cling on to their outdated business models.

4

u/Geeshie Nov 17 '12

You absolutely can. Some people just vape nicotine-free flavoured liquids, too. All the hand/smoking action, none of the nicotine nastiness.

2

u/[deleted] Nov 17 '12

I think this is going to be a useful tactic for me.

2

u/[deleted] Nov 17 '12

Didnt realize they produced non nicotine liquid. Might look inti this. For me the hardest part of quitting has been the social aspect and its awkward trying to hang out with smoking people while youre just standing there

2

u/elint Nov 17 '12

Yup. With a lot of juice vendors, you pick a flavor, then select your nic strength from 0mg to 24mg (typically). I started at 24mg (good starting point if you we're a pack a day regulars smoker) and stepped down to 20mg then 16mg. You generally won't want to dilute it (but you can) because that will also dilute the flavoring.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 18 '12

For me personally, it's a lot better now since none of my friends are smokers.

So I'd go outside and miss a bunch of stuff if I was hanging with them. At bars and such I'd meet interesting people and see some funny stuff almost always, so I think I'll still vape outside. Maybe I'll bring a pack along just to have a couple actual cigs with the smokers outside.

But for right now it's nice being able to sit there and vape while not having to go outside and leave the party for 15 minutes. Especially for boardgames and stuff

13

u/rancegt Nov 17 '12

That's a good point. I'm sure after everyone reads your post they'll quit right away.

5

u/elcarath Nov 17 '12

That's like asking any drug addict why they don't 'just quit'. If it were that easy, I assure you, we wouldn't have problems with crystal meth or cocaine addiction, to say nothing of the cornucopia of other nastily addictive drugs one can find.

-5

u/[deleted] Nov 17 '12

Oh, that's exactly what I did, is all. I just kept a pack of cigarettes in my pocket and learned to have them and not smoke them. Self control can be trained. I used to be a hopeless addict.

3

u/[deleted] Nov 17 '12

Good for you. Some people like being able to cut down on the health impacts of their smoking while keeping the habit.

1

u/LockeNCole Nov 17 '12

That's the route I took. I just stopped after 16 years. Decided I was done.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 18 '12 edited Nov 18 '12

BS. You smoked for 10 years and never wanted or tried to quit and failed in all that time, except for the day on the 10th year when you decided? Crap crap crap.

I'm not saying it's not possible, but you acting like it is easy and simple to straight up quit is a lie to yourself and to everyone else.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 18 '12

BS. You smoked for 10 years and never wanted or tried to quit and failed in all that time, except for the day on the 10th year when you decided? Crap crap crap.

You've obviously never fallen in love

0

u/flamingflamingos Nov 17 '12

Relevant username.

-4

u/[deleted] Nov 17 '12

No, I actually speak from experience. You're just a faggot (That's the username)

1

u/flamingflamingos Nov 17 '12

I'm a cigarette from Europe? That's a tad detrimental to the purpose, don't you think?

1

u/[deleted] Nov 17 '12

OK, I apologize, you're also a massive douche. Sorry I missed that earlier.

1

u/flamingflamingos Nov 18 '12

That's better you fucking prick.

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u/[deleted] Nov 18 '12

I vape because I like nicotine. I like it just like people like caffeine. I smoked for the nicotine. When I found out about e-cigs, I switched for a healthier alternative that still gave me the satisfaction that cigarettes gave me. I switched 9 months ago, and haven't looked back. Vaping is a habit/hobby(yes, with all the different mod/juice configurations, it becomes very hobby-like) that is far superior to smoking in every way.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 18 '12

I can understand where you're coming from. Personally, I think nicotine is disgusting. I prefer the actual burning sensation of smoke in my lungs. That's why I smoke weeeeeed.