Vaping isn't just about quitting smoking, is it?

[lukewheeler]

Since I've finally lost my craving for even a single cigarette, and through talking to lots of smokers / non-vapers, something is becoming evidently clear to me. vaping is so much more than just giving up cigarettes.

I have a hard time explaining to my non-vaping friends (smokers and non-smokers) why I spend the amount of money I do on different liquids, devices, batteries, wicks and coils, and everything else. They always tell me, "you don't need to spend that much money to give up smoking!" But it's about so much more than that, isn't it? Yes, vaping has been a more-than-adequate replacement of cigarettes for me – but it's so enjoyable to me, it's become a hobby. I love trying out new things in the world of vaping. My friends seem to misunderstand how this is also a hobby, not just a way to 'switch from smoking'.

Aside from the fact vaping creates something that looks like smoke, and most people start vaping from the desire to give up smoking, there aren't many similarities at all between smoking and vaping. Vaping let's us create the perfect experience for us, through the infinite number of combinations of liquids, devices, atomisers, etc. which is exciting! It just also happens to be the greatest way to part with cigarettes, too.

Does anyone else have trouble trying to get this across to non-vapers? It seems impossible to convince people that vaping isn't just about quitting smoking – it's a whole world to explore. I didn't even want to give up smoking, if I'm honest – even for health. I wasn't bothered, because I'm 24 and always told myself I'll give up by 30 and my health will mostly return to normal. Vaping is simply better in every way – it isn't just for giving up cigarettes!

I'd love to hear from others who get involved in these types of conversations with people they know who don't vape. What are good ways of explaining the joys of vaping to someone who doesn't quite get it?

 

[chrisj3982]

I also find this to be true. Nobody gets that it has become a hobby, and a never ending quest for the perfect flavor/vape/mod/atomizer combo. I'm not worried about the money I spend because it is still less than I spent on 2 packs of analogs a day.


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[SirSteve]

Vaping often morphs into a hobby. Look at some the other hobbies people have, stamp collecting, I see stamps as postage, others view them differently. You may never be able to explain it to those who don't share your enthusiasm. They have a point, we really don't need to go as far as we do if our goal is put down cigarettes, a simple VV ego can accomplish that. Then we would cut down our nicotine to 0 and put away our vaping supplies, and be done.

However when it becomes a hobby, we take a completely different approach, even if we get down to 0 nic, we still like the act of vaping, the tinkering, the taste of our juice, and the comradeship of places like ECF.

 

[celluloid]

I agree Luke, vaping becomes a hobby and assimilates a makeshift culture among former smokers. Although I'm successfully substituting vaping for analogues, this is my first holiday season to avoid regression to them.
Viewing vaping as a hobby really helps with me to avoid slips. I realize vaping offers many different experiences to as many people, but it's offered me hope in moving beyond tobacco.

Vaping is helping me out tremendously with holiday stress, particularly as a makeshift hobby. I hope it's offering others the same!

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[Amy87]

For me, vaping had nothing to do with quitting analogs. I gave up analogs (cold turkey) over a year before I ever vaped. I was well past the nic addiction, and had no desire to return to stinking like an ashtray and standing in freezing temps to get my fix. I think more than anything, I missed the hand-to-mouth, something to hold and fidget with habit. I had also went from 115 pounds to 150, with no signs of stopping, so I was getting very worried about my weight post-analogs.
A little after a year of being a non-smoker, I heard about e-cigs and got a horrible kit online. I used it for about a month and tossed it, thinking this was no substitute, and I'll just continue on as I was, growing fatter but still happy to be a non-smoker. About a year later on a whim I picked up a disposable at a gas station, that thing was a thousand times better than the crappy kit I had tried before. I began using those and researching the many new offerings in e-cigs since my first horrible experience. I took a chance on another new kit, this time armed with a little knowledge and many good reviews. I am now a full fledged vaper, and yes I may be back on the nicotine, but I don't stink, my lungs are not gunked up, and I have something hand-to-mouth that isn't making me fat.
If I stopped vaping today I still wouldn't be in danger of going back to analogs, I am repulsed by them, but to answer your OP, no vaping is not just about quitting smoking.

 

[celluloid]

(I'll come back to this concluding question when I've got a bit more experience, Luke.)

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[Vicshalls]

I have friends that vape that dont get it. It is not just the non vapers. They tell me all the time that i was supposed to be saving money buy quitting not spending more. Yes, so far i have spent more, but i love it. I am putting myself on a budget that i know will be hard to keep. I just want more things to fiddle with. I have not even really gotten started on that cause i just learned how to make coils for my kangers. Now i am ready to venture into RBA's and RDA's. Now i have to go out and buy those. it just keeps adding up and i see no end in sight. My friends just dont get it at all. I had one call me yesterday wanting to know why they were getting no clouds. I asked if they had changed their head and they had no clue. I see them going back to smoking cause they wont spend the time to learn what they are doing. It is a shame and vaping can be so much fun. I got a provari and some other vaping friend could not believe i spent that much. Again it was you were supposed to be saving money not spending more. I am just glad i have everyone here that gets it. In the end those friends got some mods and as far as i know they are doing good with them. I was surprised since they fussed at me about saving money. They have been vaping for years now and looked to me for advice on which mod to get since i do so much more reading on the subject.

 

[Vaslovik]

I have to agree completely, it's about a LOT more than quitting smoking and it becomes so much more a part of one's life. Certainly a much larger part of one's life than smoking ever was. Now I have a wonderful hobby to pursue that affords me great pleasure When you get into rebuilding and juice making it's very rewarding.

 

[bulldog63h]

The thing is, vaping, like smoking, is a lifestyle choice for most of us. It's one way we identify ourselves, and most are proud of it.

 

[Amy87]

They tell me all the time that i was supposed to be saving money buy quitting not spending more. Yes, so far i have spent more, but i love it.

I actually do save tons of money, but I am a very simple vaper, I don't want set-ups with lots of parts that need changed and cleaned and replaced all the time. A few 808 batteries, some mini tanks and a bottle of juice is all I need to be happy. I spend about $15 month on juice, and once every 3 or 4 months I stock up on about $40 worth of mini tanks, and I have never yet had to replace a battery, though I know I will eventually. Occasionally I do order a new battery just to have back-ups, but so far it hasn't been a necessity.
Years ago when I smoked analogs, I spent about $45 a week smoking (thats a pack a day with the price of cigarettes here).
I can see though how vaping would be expensive if you're a "tinkerer", but I'm too lazy for all that and very happy with my simple delivery system.

 

[SheerLuckHolmes]

Full Circle of Life, my friends.

In the beginning it was always a hobby. Developing the perfect 'smoking experience'.

Pipes ~ briar... mericham... Clay... Corn cob.. type of tobacco... flavor of tobacco... cutt of tobacco.. What flavor could be added... how much flavor... tools for pipe smoking... humidifiers... Accessories... Stands... jackets... Pouches... cases... etc etc etc

Cigars ~ large roll... small roll... tight roll... loose roll... type of tobacco... cut of tobacco... flavor etc etc etc Tools. End clippers... pokers.. hunidifiers... etc etc etc.

Then cigarettes came along. Easy. Fast. Convenient. Cheap. The art of smoking... The hobby ~the art~ of smoking went away.

NOW IT IS BACK. Via LE ART!

 

[Muggs]

It started as a way for me to quit smokes for my kids and since has become a hobby of mine. I have 2 kids and a business so hobbies unfortunately come last on my list but vaping seems to fit in ok. I love gadgets too.

 

[BigCatDaddy]

Fact of life: Most people will ridicule something that they don't understand since it's the easy route to take. And quite frankly, it's nobody's business but mine how and on what I spend my money on.

 

[Rosco P. Coltrane]

Still ahead even when spending more then needed on tinkering items.

Provari 200
Protanks 30.00
Aga t2. 25.00
KFL+. 100.00
Nemi clone 40.00
Batteries. 40.00
Rebuilding stuff 20.00
Assorted juice. 100.00

Total 555.00 in the two months since the switch from analogs

Pack a day @ 11/pack over 60 days =$ 660.00

105 dollar savings while going overboard on equipment...

Seems I can buy another KF and still be even!!!!

eta: I have no plans to continue acquiring equipment at this pace going forward...but it goes to show you how much you could spend and still be ahead. P

 

[cliffy15]

When my s/o asks if I plan on quitting vaping, I tell her no. I tell her that the whole plan was to quit smoking cigarettes (smoked for 24 years) - which I have.

When she says that ecigs have nicotine, I explain that it's in the same class of chemicals as caffeine in that it has health benefits when used in small quantities, and is harmful in large quantities. I ask her if she plans on quitting caffeine and she rolls her eyes and walks away.

When she complains about a new battery or tank or tools or parts, I explain that I used to smoke almost $100/week in cigarettes and generally only spend less than half of that on vaping.

I see where this can turn into a hobby/obsession, though. I'm always on the lookout for something new. It's a good thing that I got into rebuilding, don't care for genesis rbas, and prefer ~15mm tanks! So far, my Sophia RBA/RTA is my favorite piece of equipment although I really also want a Spheroid I can call my own.

I have different setups for work, home, and travel.

The only thing I haven't gotten into is DIY liquid at this point. I won't go there anytime soon, either, as I find it fun to hunt down, and be pleasantly surprised, by all that is to offer in the internet. I'm currently loving my Yaeliq juices.

There are two things that I can see me keeping me from vaping - any new, credible research that can determine that vaping is very hazardous and the state government imposing some ridiculously high "sin tax" on vaping products.

Vape on!

Edit: btw, I don't feel the overwhelming urge to smoke/vape either. I mean, I try to make sure that my batteries are charged and I have liquid... but I no longer throw a fit when I have to go for many hours without nicotine like if my battery dies or if I'm on an airplane. although I like using nicotine it's like my interest in coffee ... like it but don't need it

 

[Myrany]

Cliffy your post made me realize something that might be key for some.

When we smoked we spent a great deal of money on something we burned up. Nothing to show for it. When we vape we over time accumulate STUFF. A significant other sees this stuff accumulating and doesn't make the connection we do. We know we are spending less or the same but have alot to show for it. The SO sees the stuff accumulating like it never did when we smoked and thinks "My God how much are you spending?"

 

[Commie]

Does anyone else have trouble trying to get this across to non-vapers? It seems impossible to convince people that vaping isn't just about quitting smoking – it's a whole world to explore. I didn't even want to give up smoking, if I'm honest – even for health. I wasn't bothered, because I'm 24 and always told myself I'll give up by 30 and my health will mostly return to normal. Vaping is simply better in every way – it isn't just for giving up cigarettes!

I'd love to hear from others who get involved in these types of conversations with people they know who don't vape. What are good ways of explaining the joys of vaping to someone who doesn't quite get it?

I disagree. It *is* quitting smoking. Just because it looks like smoking, doesn't make it the same. If I quit drinking, but still drink coffee, that doesn't mean that I still "drink".

 

[ppeeble]

My switch to vaping was never about the money. I had a simple choice - stop smoking or become very ill.
My very first 650mAh eGo and clearomiser was a lifesaver, it took away the cravings to smoke and more importantly it did it in a way that didn't leave me hyper tense and stressed.
One year on and i own too many mods to list and every type of delivery device available. This is a hobby to me and i have spent literally thousands of pounds on it.
Only one other person i know understands my obsession with collecting vaping gear. He had a heart attack shortly before the switch.
I wonder if this obsession is coming from a place of immense gratitude for an invention which has increased my quality of life in ways undreamed of even 5 years ago....... Or maybe i'm just a vape-nerd.

 

[Recycled Roadkill]

When I smoked I was a slave to cigarettes.

Now I vape and I'm pretty much a slave to vaping but that's gotta be better than being a slave to cigarettes, isn't it?

 

[holy_handgrenade]

Eh, my ex-roommate was the same way; he thought it was silly to be messing with all this complicated equipment when a pack of smokes requires no fuss.

Personally I've saved over $13/day for the past 8 months. I figure as long as my vaping gear doesn't top that, I'm doing fine! So far so good!