Asklemmy

I was in my early 20s when I started. Wanted the calming effects of nicotine, was into other similar interests, and was dating someone who also got into it. He was actually the second vaper I'd dated, so you could say it took me a while to be interested.

I'd had a couple cigs before but I never considered myself a smoker and didn't take to it. Vaping became a huuuge hobby for me. Learning about different mods, building your own coils, DIY e-juice, etc. I was vaping all day, all the time, pretty much as soon as I woke up (at the lowest amount possible though). It was a nice flavor and chemical pick me up when I was on edge. Sort of like a physical distraction. I vaped for 5 or so years. The lasting effects I've noticed are that sometimes I miss it. That's it. It was pretty hard to quit, mostly because I didn't want to. I had a lot of resistance, because it became a passion for me. But nicotine regulations started to suck, and that same partner quit as well. I got really sick with a flu and didn't vape during it. Then, I didn't start again after I got better. I had dreams about it, and it took a bit for me to want to move on.

The thing is, though, I don't feel any different now than when I was vaping constantly. It doesn't improve your life that much. It'd be great if it could be an occasional thing, like alcohol or dessert is, but it's hard to not do it all the time if you're doing it at all. And you get to an equilibrium where it just doesn't feel that strong. Hence the constant clouds.

The most annoying part about it is that it becomes like a security blanket. You have to take it everywhere. Forget it for work? Guess you'll just be late today. Have to sit for a movie? Man it sucks not to vape inside. Flying for hours? What a nightmare, can't wait to land and go outside.

It was annoying to not feel myself if I ever decided to leave my vape behind. And blowing clouds out of my car was great, but it sucked having to wipe down my car windshield all the time due to the glycerin condensation. Same with inside -- no smoke on the walls, but the glycerine would hang around and I'd have to run an air purifier. I'd often worry about the vapor leaving slight residue all over my apartment, belongings, monitors, PC internals and such.

Overall, it was great for a while as it was something I got really into, but it was also a lot of money and stress over something that didn't really benefit my life the way other hobbies still continue to do. Much better to be a free person unattached from adult security blankets. 😎

1. ~18.

2. See answer below.

3. No.

4. No.

5. Yes.

6. Yes.

I started vaping around when I was 18, back when disposable coils were first starting to be a thing and the paradigm was mainly making your own coils, testing resistance, and then pulling your own cotton. Very much a manual process, and not a known thing just yet. Smoke shops were just starting to carry juice.

I started after I got in trouble at work for eating sunflower seeds. Back then I had a pretty bad tick where I had to do something with my mouth quite often. My coworker mentioned it and I saw it as an alternative, I also liked the idea of replacing caffeine with nicotine as a stimulant.

Easy to guess, but my symptoms and tick were ADHD related. It worked for a short while, but soon I was using both caffeine and nicotine, though by the time I quit vaping for the first time I had completely gotten over the tick.

Since I started I've been through a few cycles of quitting and resuming. I've never quit because I saw it as an addiction, and mainly have quit for financial or health reasons, if any at all. And by health I'm referring to purely the impact stimulants had on my blood pressure, nothing to do with vaping itself.

Being ADHD my addictions have always been as transient as my hobbies, and I've quit both nicotine and caffeine multiple times and only the last few times grew conscious of the withdrawal symptoms.

I do recognize it as a legitimate addiction, as the time I quit intentionally (asthmatic friend was visiting) I did notice the desire to resume, although that may also be related to finally finding working ADHD treatment.

If you plan properly you can use 0nic liquid and mix it with nic liquid to slowly wean yourself off nicotine, and have personally coached two people through this process, one of which was a lifetime smoker.

Aside from health concerns from nicotine itself, the only health issue I've had from vaping was suffocating myself by vaping too much lol.

I do think vaping in public should be treated the same as smoking, and that access be behind an age restriction. But I don't see it as anything more than a mildly unhealthy vice. My addiction to sugar and sweet stuff has been much more harmful to me and is completely unchecked here in the US.

Vapes can be as bad as smoking for you but there are restrictions to it like it smelling like shit which at least prevents teens from starting it to some extend. When it comes to vape its new it actually does smell kinda good,its colorful and packaged like a toy. Vape is the cousin of cigarettes that is designed to exploit younger people. Don't do it

If you want my opinion: Don't get addicted to nicotine.

I've quit vaping. And it's supposedly easy for some people... But for me, overcoming the nicotine addiction has been hard and just shit and taken way longer than I thought. So, I don't know why you're asking all these questions... Just be a bit cautious with nicotine and things like that.