In Defence of Vaping

[Philarv1]

Looking through related posts I can see that my views in support of vaping will cause consternation among many here. Anyway, here goes.......

70 year old male, sustained moderate to heavy tobacco user for more than 50 years.

Diagnosed with moderate copd in 2010. Switched to vaping 2013 and vaping high nicotine strength pg juice to date. Test this year showed copd level unchanged from 2010.

I would not encourage a non-smoker to take up vaping and clearly total abstinence makes most sense but as the joke goes ‘giving up smoking is easy, I’ve done it loads of times’.

I tried once cold turkey and lasted less than six months and the second time with gum, only three months. However smoking to vaping was seamless. It was a real substitute for tobacco and I knew within days that I would never touch another cigarette.

Since then, with the exception of the BMA advice (vaping 95% safer than smoking), I have read nothing but negative articles and scare stories in the MSM.

The latest is the sudden spate of ‘vaping’ deaths in the US. Looking beyond the headlines however it appears that the majority, if not all, of the deaths are people vaping THC oil (cannabis extract) and an acetate. Undeterred by this fact however it appears that many states are now banning the sale of all vape products while still selling cigarettes. Many countries are following suit.

There have been many research papers produced warning of the dangers of vaping but the sponsorship of this ‘research’ remains hidden.

Perhaps we can get a better understanding of this by ‘following the money’.

Big tobacco in the West has been hurting for years due to the year on year reduction in smoker numbers and vaping can only worsen this pain. They are therefore the most obvious suspect here but no the only one.

Governments have more skin in the game. Cigarette smokers generally die much younger the non-smokers. Most governments are facing issues funding the pensions and health care of their ageing populations. In simple terms it’s much cheaper to treat a lung cancer patient for two years than a dementia patient for ten or a fatal heart attack or stroke at no cost and pension payments stop on death. Add to this loss in tobacco tax revenue (at least eight quid a pack in the UK) and the numbers speak for themselves.

The UK is fortunate in having a body like the BMA which appears to be fully independent and able to present an honest case, free of vested interests. The people of US, and of many other countries, are however not so lucky.

So I’m happily vaping till I die and I believe that that event will be deferred somewhat thanks to the switch to vaping. My only wish is that vaping wasn’t discovered earlier.

The defence rests

[Hidden]

Hi 👋

I am so glad that vaping is working for you and probably millions of others. For me it increases my coughing, chest pain and breathing difficulties. Not everyone is as fortunate as you are. I think I will get rid of vaping before my cigarettes.

Have a good day. Xx

[Philarv1]

ps. I must add that I’m not a fan of the so called Cloud Chasers. These tend to be young ‘hipster’ men, often with too much beard, that from a distance appear to be on fire. They use high powered devices called Mods designed to produce as much smelly vapour as possible for reasons only they can know.

In stark contrast I, and many others, use a discrete vape pen that delivers the nicotine with barely any visible exhale and zero smell. So much so that it is perfectly useable under the blanket on a long haul flight.

[sassy59]

Both my sons vape (ex smokers) and my daughter in law who hadn’t smoked in years and has undergone chemo for breast cancer also vapes.

They’re all adults and old enough to make their own decisions. Each to their own.

I’m glad vaping is working for you and you no longer smoke cigarettes.

Take care xxxxx

[hypercat54]

I too have seen all the negative reports and scaremongering when vaping has helped so many give up the evil weed and completely agree with you. I hope smokers aren't put off using this valuable resource to stop. x

[jackdup in reply to hypercat54]

If they used it for a short period to stop that may be one thing but would love to know how many switched and are now hooked on vaping, and how many actually stopped? If you are addicted to nicotine and switch to e-cigs and are vaping nicotine how does that aid one to quit? The addiction is still there and you are using the substance you are addicted to to try to quit only in a different form. I think perhaps many people switch with the intention of using it to quit and then just carry on vaping and never quit anyway.

Again I am not criticizing anyone using e-cigs in an effort to quit and am happy for those it has helped to quit completely.

[hypercat54 in reply to jackdup]

Because unlike real cigarettes you can reduce the nicotine very slowly. Even if users vape rather than smoke surely that has to be healthier given all the dangerous chemicals in smoking?

[jackdup in reply to hypercat54]

But if you reduce from 20 cigarettes a day to 15 and then to 10 etc is that not the same thing? As I said it people are using it to quit is one thing but am afraid the majority switch and then never quit and I don’t think we know the long term effects.

[hypercat54 in reply to jackdup]

It is but cutting down like that is generally much harder for smokers.

[jackdup in reply to hypercat54]

You could very well be right as I have not tried e-cigs. I just assumed when the body gets used to a certain level of nicotine, reducing your intake, whether by reducing the number of cigarettes you smoke a day, or how much nicotine you get from an e-cig, the body would react the same way by craving more nicotine.

[corriena]

You put a good case. l would say you have to do what is right for you. So keep it up and long my you last

Ps dont touch the canabis oil it dosent appear to be good for longevity 😉

[Hidden]

Vaping they say safer than smoking but it seems to me it causes lung damage and death much more quickly - All cause lung damage serious to health.

Check out BBC news Health - Two UK deaths 'may be linked to vaping lung injury'

about 2 hours ago

[Philarv1 in reply to Hidden]

Hi Bkin

Lung damage caused by vaping may indeed become more evident in the coming years but for now ‘2 deaths may be linked...’ has to be compared with the NINE tobacco-related deaths per HOUR, every hour, every day in the UK alone.

In light of the above vaping seems to me the safer bet.

[Hidden in reply to Philarv1]

People haven't been vaping very long. The deaths from smoking likely have occurred after over 20 years of the habit. How long has vaping been going on in UK 2007 !! I think e cigs around 2003, so that is a very short time for people to get lung damage and die as a replacement / alternative smoke habit.

Just my observation. But of course if its your belief its safer to vape, I don't suppose any differing viewpoint will alter your view.

Good health and easy breathing all who continue to vape.

[Dragonmum in reply to Hidden]

I've been a vaper for exactly 10 years yesterday, I have also researched the subject for the same length of time - the important phrase in your quote is "May be". It's so true that the devil has all the best tunes, and bad news and scaremongering sell newspapers - in this case at the cost of people's lives. Like Philarv1 they will have to prise my e-cig from my cold, dead hands.

[DaisyEric]

Yes follow the money!

Like the money allowed the tobacco industry to be able to keep up it's fabricated stories about how harmless tobacco was....

So I believe is 'vaping'

I cannot believe inhaling anything can ever be good for us.

I'm so sorry to be negative, but hate seeing it and smelling it. All I can say is time will tell and as sassy59 says 'each to his own'

[Hidden]

E- cigs and vaping were never meant to be a replacement habit, they were purely to aid giving up tobacco. So if people had only used them as an aid to stop smoking tobacco instead of an alternative replacement habit, perhaps the lung damage risks of vaping and e cigs would not already be impacting on peoples health.

The danger I feel is the young people not ever having smoked tobacco thinking it safe to do the e cigs and vaping, as the trend now seems to be. And that is a terrible shame to damage their young virgin lungs unknowingly without the full awareness.

Beside the amount of vapour that is put into the atmosphere from all the vaping folk is pollution and for some people hard to avoid the 2nd hand vapour.

[Dragonmum]

A useful link for reference to all things e-cig - just hope it works: ecigarette-research.org/res....

[jackdup in reply to Dragonmum]

The Link didn’t work for me.

[Dragonmum in reply to jackdup]

Sorry, it doesn't work for me either via the site, but easy to google

[jackdup in reply to Dragonmum]

Do You just Google ecigarette-research.org or is there mire to it?

Thanks

[Dragonmum in reply to jackdup]

Just Google.

[jackdup]

I remember cigarette ads when I was a kid. Everyone was smoking and some of the cigarette companies even had doctors doing ads claiming they smoked this brand or that brand. People are free to smoke or use e-cigs or whatever they want but it bothers me that so many here are promoting e-cigs as far better and far safer than smoking when we don’t have any proof partly because they do not have a long enough track record. How many years, or maybe more appropriately decades, did people smoke before the realization as to how had it was for you?

People come here looking for answers about using e-cigs and people are coming out of the woodwork to wholeheartedly endorse e-cigs because they have been using them for 3 weeks.

I had my first spirometry in 2005 and another in 2006 before surgery. I had another in 2012 and it was exactly the same as the one in 2006 and I smoked the entire time so I guess based on that cigarette smoking is completely safe, at least that is the conclusion of many using e-cigs.

I believe Hypercat54 has been mild for quite a few years and believe she has smoked fir quite a few of those years so again is that proof cigarette smoking is safe? I am not picking on her, just stating a fact that her COPD seems stable and has not progressed, in spite of continuing to smoke for at least a part of that time. I am not criticizing her either for smoking after being diagnosed with COPD as I did the same thing for several years and consider myself very lucky my COPD stayed stable through that period. That does not prove cigarette smoking is safe.

Many are drawing conclusions with very little evidence and essentially no real long term evidence. So many think anything has to be better than smoking, and it may turn out e-cigs are safer than cigarettes, but I think to make that conclusion with insufficient evidence is irresponsible.

I am always leery to reply to these types of posts as so many think I am attacking those using e-cigs or stating they are harmful when that is not the case, I simply don’t know, nor does anyone else, and that is the point.

I am fine with people using e-cigs if that is what they choose to do, and am not criticizing anyone who uses them, but am bothered by those trying to convince others they are safe and are much better than cigarettes, when no one knows for sure.

I believe the statistics are one in five smokers gets COPD so should we assume that because 80% of smokers don’t get COPD cigarette smoking is safe?

Something else that I don’t think is being considered, maybe the damage won’t be to the lungs but perhaps another organ or organs like the liver or kidneys. Much of what goes into the lungs is transferred to the blood and travels through the body so perhaps other organs may be effected.