There's never been a single reported case of popcorn lung caused by vaping, and the vape manufactures have basically all chosen to switch to something other than diacetyl out of an abundance of caution. It was only ever in some of the "creamy" and popcorn type flavors anyway.
That said, don't start vaping. It's great as harm reduction because it's better than cigarettes, but unless you're using it to stop smoking cigarettes, don't vape.
And I gotta say, I went from cigs to vapes 5 years ago and now I'm just stuck on fucken vapes. I can't stress how important it is to just never smoke in the first place.
Idk if anyone will take anything useful from this but I tried smoking and loved it. Did it for years, thought it was great. Slept like crap, was stressed all the time, couldn't be athletic. It was so awesome.
I finally quit nicotine completely 5 years ago and all that stuff I thought it helped with? Yeah that was just withdrawal. Now I'm stuck with cravings I don't think will fade any time soon and elevated cancer risk.
Just don't smoke, it's not worth it. Do fun drugs that are easier to quit instead.
I started at 16, switched to vaping about 23? quit at 27. I smoked about 1-2 packs a day, and when I switched to vaping did it constantly.
I don't think cravings this long are usual and suspect it's a result of how intense my addiction was/was the reason my addiction was so intense. There is limited medical literature on persistent cravings but it seems to happen to some people.
Deadset I found quitting morphine trivial compared to nicotine. Just fucking fuck idiot lonely teenaged me who found a way to make some friends. I don't blame that stupid goose barely hanging on but also fucking fuck them.
I also started at 16 and after 17 years was up to a little over a pack a day. I tried vaping and chewing but always ended up back at the same menthol cigarettes I started with. When I quit I chewed nicotine gum for 2 months and now I'm 2 months completely nicotine free. I still think about cigarettes every day and when people smoke around me it smells so fucking good. I still smoke a fair amount of pot though and that definitely helps. Driving is the hardest part as my work commute is 30 miles one way and I would chain smoke cigarettes both ways. I really hope I'm not still craving cigarettes 5 years from now.
I’ve heard from many long time users that those cravings never really go away. But I wouldn’t describe it as “cravings.” I would describe it as rose colored glasses. You’re reminded of the sensation/taste/whatever when you see someone else smoke or you smell cigarettes (cigarettes still smell good to me, years after I’ve quit. But they always smelled good to me, even when I was a kid. Burning cigarettes, not ashtray. That shits gross.), so you only remember he good parts of smoking. When you go back, you kinda have to push through a period of not even enjoying it. At least I did most recently. But the most recent time I quit, I quit at like 27 and started again at like 34. I smoked 1-2/day for a while, but it always just made me feel like shit. If I started smoking constantly again, that feeling would’ve gone away. But I never pushed past it.
It's not the crawling up the wall tear your skin off craving of withdrawal. But the same feeling that makes you want an icecream at the beach, a hot coffee on a cold day, a chocolate when you're bored.
Except I reenforced it a shitload more than any of those things. Obviously I don't want to smoke again or I would, but it's still a craving.
I’ve heard from many long time users that those cravings never really go away. But I wouldn’t describe it as “cravings.” I would describe it as rose colored glasses.
I never really thought I had a serious habit, but I dabbled in uppers for a few years before getting diagnosed as ADHD (and then taking Adderall for the last decade), and your words perfectly describe how I think about cocaine. I really did enjoy coke, and I had a lot of good times with my buddies while doing lines all night, but I don't really "crave" coke. I miss the ritual of it and the rush as it hits your bloodstream, and if the right person offered me some right now, I'd absolutely rip a rail, but I know the experience simply will not be as good as it was then.
Once you know what you're missing, you'll always miss it, I think.
Oh-ho-ho yeah. I lived in South America for a few years. And I did absurd amounts of coke. Like…it was beyond a problem. But, the thing is, I don’t enjoy coke. I still don’t. I didn’t then. I’ve been offered coke since leaving and I have no real desire to do it. But there is still a lot of positive memories associated with it, sure. It was fun. Kinda. But I still don’t like coke. I don’t really like uppers, honestly. But I still miss the numbness and the feeling like you’re just…I dunno. Super fuckin high. And geeked and ready to do whatever.
But again, I still hate coke and have no desire to do it again lol
Molly on the other hand? Yeah, I’d still do that every few months if I had easy access to good shit.
I can say this sounds like me. I'm not in continual withdrawal for cigarettes. I remember smoking when having a drink and those were good times. I remember smoking on road trips and it was a good time. Smoking with coffee, same. Bad things happen? Walk away to gather myself by having a smoke. Not a good time, but definitely part of coping.
I loved smoking. If it weren't for the terrible health shit I'd recommend it to everyone.
I quit and am not looking back. But I still feel the call.
I smoked for like a year and then I just kinda… hated it. It stopped making me feel good and just debilitated me. I only smoke when I’m trashed now ‘cuz it makes me more drunk. But never ever when sober.
I’m on and off with vaping. It also makes me feel kinda gross when I’m sober. My body must be weird.
I keep away from nic-sticks like the plague. If i need a nicotine fix I'll go outside and smoke a cig or my pipe. Same with dab pens for weed. They are just WAY too convenient and cause a problem. Having to actually go outside and smoke helps keep the dependency in check.
Yeah, but maybe avoid the black market weed carts. EVALI was caused by black market weed carts using vitamin E acetate (which isn't going to be in nicotine juice because nicotine plays nicely with vegetable glycerine and propylene glycol, THC doesn't) - the feds busted the manufacturer shortly after people started getting sick and I haven't heard about EVALI since then, so presumably nobody else is trying it at the moment, but the lack of widespread reporting about it being from black market weed carts is frankly criminal.
And still boomers in the government went after legally obtainable nicotine vapes, instead of doing anything for the fact it was black market THC vapes.
In States where it's illegal, it's still illegal. In States where it's legal, they could have cracked down on it.
And in my home state of California, they banned flavored vapes for "marketing to children" but didn't touch flavored alcohol or anything similar.
Or avoid carts completely and get a dry herb vape. Then just add your flower, and it heats it to vaporizing temperature without combusting, no added chemicals at all.
Lots of options but I'd recommend an xmax v3 pro as a good starter one, usually under 100 Usd.
I too went dry herb for a long time, even have a Mighty+ that I really enjoyed, the thing about the pens though... Much less smell, much more stealthy, and one cart can last very long in comparison to dry herb.
In a non-legal state, pen is just safer imo
But yes, stay away from black market as much as you can
The reason those carts are bad is because of what they're made of and what people put in them. Using cleanly made concentrates or just flower in most types of vaporization set ups is much better for you than either the carts or the combustion.
Wait actually? I was always under the impression that disposable thc vapes were fucking terrible for you. Do you have any links for me? I stopped using them because I thought they were killing me
not OP but I'm pretty sure they don't mean disposable vapes (which should not be used by anyone ever due to their environmental impact) but rather the herb vaporizers you can use to put ground weed in and then inhale the vaporized contents.
I got one for myself and it's just an all around swell experience.
I think I read somewhere that its the flavouring thats the main issue, at the time they were going off of guides for safe chemicals but most of those are for eating, not smoking. While they're safe to eat (popcorn) lungs are a different system. I think it was lung macrophages that accumulated these compounds and they're not sure how to process them so over time they just keep accumulating and cause disease. I'm not sure where the science is now I read that a few years back.