Story from a non-smoker who started vaping 13 mg

[Iamno1]

Here's my story,

In high school my grades began suffering.

I couldn't stand the monotony and pointless assignments.

Graduated and got accepted to a mediocre university.

Same story, procrastinated and got mediocre grades in most of my classes.

Often I would wait till 6 in the morning before starting on my lab reports.

Junior year got much more intense with hours in the lab and reports that took a whole day of non-stop work to finish.

There were no ways to bull.... and get by anymore.

The smallest sig figs were scrutinized by my professor, and there lots of them.

I knew I was doomed if I didn't do something.

So like a lot of my classmates, I went to the doctors and got prescribed adhd med, focalin.

I had a choice to pick adderall but I refused based on my personal research.

Focalin worked well. It got me through junior year, but there was a problem.

I began developing higher and higher tolerance.

As I increased my dosage, the crash got worse and worse to a point where I just didn't want to take it anymore (I can't believe they give this stuff to little kids).

At first, the tolerance would come down when I took a month vacation, but not so anymore.

Senior year, I was in the same place. Doomed again.

I had a 30 pages research paper on peptides mass spec to finish and...I knew not a single thing about mass spec.

Running out of options, I did what normal people do. Good ol' coffee.

Caffeine has to be the ....tiest stimulant known to man.

Jitteriness and anxiety, I was all over the place.

The paper deadline was looming closer.

Being very active on researching nootropics, at this point I came across the idea of using nicotine patch.

ThenI came across this article that mentioned nicotine,

Science’s obsession: The search for a “smart pill” - Salon.com

and this, Nicotine

I went out and bought a box of nicoderm cq immediately.

Long story short, it worked well, it worked very well.

I always thought that nicotine was a sad high for normal people, like caffeine and alcohol.

Boy, was I wrong.

Nicotine doesn't feel like an upper or downer, it just feels right. I puts me in the zone where I can get work done and enjoy.

I started looking forward to studying, whereas before I want to jump out of my seat or put a pencil in my own eyeballs during physics lecture.

I graduated shortly after and started teaching myself to code at home.

Eventually the cost of the nicotine patch ate away at my budget.

So I looked into vaping, the cheapest option for nicotine delivery.

Now here I am.

That feeling when you're banging out code and stumbling across a hard problem.
Just leaning back, taking a deep drag and having a sudden epiphany to the solution.
I love that feeling.

I've never smoked an analog. I don't plan to quit vaping anytime soon.

 

[AegisPrime]

I don't plan to quit gaping anytime soon.

And the vaping? Welcome to ECF!

 

[BillyWJ]

It bothers me how easily ADHD meds are tossed around like candy, but I doubt the medical community will every approve nicotine as a substitute. Thanks for sharing this!

 

[Talyon]

Welcome to ECF OP, Ty for sharing your story.

Did u hear that? We just grew yet again.

 

[Iamno1]

I really like how nicotine doesn't push you below baseline cognitively when you quit.

In the final days when I was using focalin , one day of use would put me out of commision for days afterward.

The whole world would turn gray in my eyes and it robs all pleasure from my life.

I just wished I knew about nicotine when I was in high school. I would have probably done a lot better and went to a better university.

 

[kalex]

BillyWJ - because there is no money in it yet. once they figure out how to monetize it, it will be next big thing. Totally agree that medical community is out of control. My wife is going for tooth surgery soon and her doctor wrote her 6 prescriptions. 4 of them are for pain killers each bottle is 30 pills. Lunatics.

/EndofRant - To the OP if it works for u use it and enjoy it

 

[AegisPrime]

I just wished I knew about nicotine when I was in high school. I would have probably done a lot better and went to a better university.

Well, I'm not one to advocate smoking nor vaping to non-smokers but I'd be a hypocrite to deny the fact that smoking (and now vaping) has helped me get through some tough times in my life. Maybe I could've coped just fine without it, but for me at least, it was there and it helped.

I had a breakdown in December 2013 (long, sad story) and despite being pressured to take anti-depressants I was determined to dig my own way out of the dark place I'd found myself in - I figured I'd gotten myself there and if I could just find the right (non-pharmaceutical) help I'd be able to get out again. One year later, things are looking better for me and in all this time the only 'drugs' I've relied on are nicotine and caffeine and that's just fine by me. I liked being a smoker, and I like being a vaper even more and if having a nicotine habit suits me (and I think it does) then I don't see any reason to be ashamed of that or feel I should quit.

And thanks to vaping, I no longer have to. Good luck on your journey!

P.S. Just because a no-meds approach worked for me doesn't mean I'd suggest others attempt to deal with depression or other mental health issues the same way - life is precious - do whatever you have to to keep on living

 

[Moedog]

Welcome, Iammo, and welcome to the vaping world! You've definitely put your finger on the benefits of nicotine. But be prepared for the haters on this board who will inevidably descend on anyone who vapes without first being an analog smoker. When I was in high school, I did find a way to administer a substance which greatly improved my concentration/studying skills....it was called a cigarette.

 

[Vapoor eyes er]

Hi, welcome to ECF and glad you got it all figured out

I just wished I knew about nicotine when I was in high school. I would have probably done a lot better and went to a better university.

You can take or leave this advice from an old codger...Life's much better when we don't constantly look in the rear view mirror. I occasionally glance long enuff to see where I've been but not long enuff to have regrets.
Cheers, congrats and again welcome to ECF.
Best of Luck.

 

[BillyWJ]

Well, I'm not one to advocate smoking nor vaping to non-smokers but I'd be a hypocrite to deny the fact that smoking (and now vaping) has helped me get through some tough times in my life. Maybe I could've coped just fine without it, but for me at least, it was there and it helped.

I had a breakdown in December 2013 (long, sad story) and despite being pressured to take anti-depressants I was determined to dig my own way out of the dark place I'd found myself in - I figured I'd gotten myself there and if I could just find the right (non-pharmaceutical) help I'd be able to get out again. One year later, things are looking better for me and in all this time the only 'drugs' I've relied on are nicotine and caffeine and that's just fine by me. I liked being a smoker, and I like being a vaper even more and if having a nicotine habit suits me (and I think it does) then I don't see any reason to be ashamed of that or feel I should quit.

And thanks to vaping, I no longer have to. Good luck on your journey!

P.S. Just because a no-meds approach worked for me doesn't mean I'd suggest others attempt to deal with depression or other mental health issues the same way - life is precious - do whatever you have to to keep on living

It's not just the dark periods, either - god knows I drowned enough sorrows over a pack of smokes. (Not a drinker).

But it's good times, too - I'm an artist and designer, and nothing is better to get you perked up after a long day than a smoke, or now, a vape. I was working on a digital painting last night, until later, and gaping works just as well as smoking to keep the creativity and focus fired up - and not having my lungs feel like they were blow torched afterwards is awesome. When I smoked, i could blow through a pack in an evening no problem, without even being aware of it.

I have some musician friends I'm going to try and convert, I want to see if they find the similar results - especially the drummers, smoking really catches up to you later on as a drummer, or so I'm told.

 

[AegisPrime]

I was working on a digital painting last night, until later, and gaping works just as well as smoking

I think there must be something in the e-liquid you and Iamno1 are gaping

 

[BillyWJ]

BillyWJ - because there is no money in it yet. once they figure out how to monetize it, it will be next big thing. Totally agree that medical community is out of control. My wife is going for tooth surgery soon and her doctor wrote her 6 prescriptions. 4 of them are for pain killers each bottle is 30 pills. Lunatics.

/EndofRant - To the OP if it works for u use it and enjoy it

Yah, I hear you. Everyone I know seems to be either on the pills, or resisting them. I just watched the Dallas Buyer's Club, and was reminded how evil Big Pharma and the FDA is. But that's another forum and rant.

(Yes, the same folks who want to take our nicotine away denied AIDs patients drugs that work, over AZT which killed them. Yeah, I have all kinds of faith in the FDA)

 

[BillyWJ]

I think there must be something in the e-liquid you and Iamno1 are gaping

I think everyone gets that typo, lol - Phil Busardo made a post about it on Facebook yesterday. I need to dig into the spell check in my browser and create a special rule for vaping.

 

[BillyWJ]

Welcome, Iammo, and welcome to the vaping world! You've definitely put your finger on the benefits of nicotine. But be prepared for the haters on this board who will inevidably descend on anyone who vapes without first being an analog smoker. When I was in high school, I did find a way to administer a substance which greatly improved my concentration/studying skills....it was called a cigarette.

I wouldn't have made it through college without caffeine and nicotine!

 

[etx313]

Great story. I smoked for a long time, but never realized that nicotine was the root of my strength. After quitting I became very depressed. Vaping helped, a lot. Wta has pushed that even further and I feel like myself again. It's a bummer I need it but at least I've isolated the problem!

 

[Iamno1]

Hi, welcome to ECF and glad you got it all figured out

You can take or leave this advice from an old codger...Life's much better when we don't constantly look in the rear view mirror. I occasionally glance long enuff to see where I've been but not long enuff to have regrets.
Cheers, congrats and again welcome to ECF.
Best of Luck.

Hey, no regrets. One thing I've learned is, you really can't tell if something is good or bad until the whole story has ended. Bad and good things sometimes come in disguise, and they offer valuable lessons even if we can't recognize it yet.

As for people who are against non-smokers getting into vaping , I completely understand. I wouldn't recommend a non-smoker to vape either.

This is solely due to the fact that they might be more likely to take up analog.

I know myself and I would never smoke analog. I actually always thought that nicotine was most likely harmless.

To chemistry people, it's absolutely obvious that the combustion of plant matter (tobacco) that actually produce toxins.

You're inputting a lot of energy into these molecules, bonds are broken and reformed, millions of reactions are taking place, who knows what's actually being produced and you're inhaling all of it.

It's not just tobacco either. All combustion of organic matter create toxic by-products. There's a reason we don't make little kids sweep chimney anymore.

What amaze me is how many smokers actually make it to old age. The human body is very resilient.

After a lot of research I was convinced on the safety of vaping . The only thing I'm still iffy about is the flavoring, and particularly what we're inhaling when the juice is not being wicked fast enough and the coil manages to burn a little bit.

Let's hope that as e-cig technology advances we'll be able to solve these problems.

 

[Vapoor eyes er]

As for people who are against non-smokers getting into vaping , I completely understand. I wouldn't recommend a non-smoker to vape either.

As a rule I don't reco it for non smokers BUT my sis in law, a non smoker, has lost 150 lbs since starting to vape. Long story short she's obese and eats when emotional. Also has Rheumatoid Arthritis and in the last 20 yrs has tried every weight loss prog out there. She's now at a weight whereby she can exercise without pain and tone up/ improve cardio. She's also cut her meds intake by 50%.

What amaze me is how many smokers actually make it to old age. The human body is very resilient.

After 44 yrs of smoking I had given up on any hope of quitting and was just waiting for the "bad news" from my GP. The body is truly amazing. Just remember to drink lots of water as vaping is extremely dehydrating.

After a lot of research I was convinced on the safety of vaping . The only thing I'm still iffy about is the flavoring, and particularly what we're inhaling when the juice is not being wicked fast enough and the coil manages to burn a little bit.

Most clearomizers have a "head" (wick+ coil) and we can wash and dry burn the gunked up juice on the coil- turns to ash.
As for the wick it's impossible to burn cuz it's silica. I now recoil my own heads with either organic hemp or organic cotton...just trying to cover all angles. In regards to flavoring you could always vape unflavored juice.

 

[Jay-dub]

Just leaning back, taking a deep drag and having a sudden epiphany to the solution

Imagine the epiphany's you'd get if you could vape in the shower!
Nice post. Welcome to ECF!

 

[Iamno1]

As a rule I don't reco it for non smokers BUT my sis in law, a non smoker, has lost 150 lbs since starting to vape. Long story short she's obese and eats when emotional. Also has Rheumatoid Arthritis and in the last 20 yrs has tried every weight loss prog out there. She's now at a weight whereby she can exercise without pain and tone up/ improve cardio. She's also cut her meds intake by 50%.

After 44 yrs of smoking I had given up on any hope of quitting and was just waiting for the "bad news" from my GP. The body is truly amazing. Just remember to drink lots of water as vaping is extremely dehydrating.

Most clearomizers have a "head" (wick+ coil) and we can wash and dry burn the gunked up juice on the coil- turns to ash.
As for the wick it's impossible to burn cuz it's silica. I now recoil my own heads with either organic hemp or organic cotton...just trying to cover all angles. In regards to flavoring you could always vape unflavored juice.

Yea, I'm not worry about silica because it's very stable and combustion point is very high.

I think when we get the burnt flavor, the gunk is insulating the coil and not transferring heat to the liquid outside. I'm not sure, but it's very minor regardless. I'm sure we breathe in worse air if living in a crowded city.
I find what works for me is tightening up the draw so it wicks better and refilling the tank early.

Regarding the first point, nicotine does suppress appetite which some people need. I guess there is a reason why so many runway models smoke.

I almost think it's human nature to self-medicate something. Humans have been chewing this and that for thousands of years.
Modern times, many people just self-medicate with candy bars and potatoes chip which leads to obesity. A lot of students tend to snack on junk food while they're studying, definitely much worse than vaping even if it doesn't lead to obesity.

I've noticed especially, nicotine has replaced caffeine for me. I only drink coffee occasionally now and when I do drink alcohol, it's 1 drink at most every few months, instead for 5-6 like the old days every week. I think nicotine stabilizes your mood so you don't feel the need to eat or drink excessively to feel better.

And I tend to not say anything to people just won't listen unless they're already interested. No luck trying to get my father to quit analog : (

 

[Vapoor eyes er]

I think when we get the burnt flavor, the gunk is insulating the coil and not transferring heat to the liquid outside. I'm not sure, but it's very minor regardless.

It's the old juice gunking up on the coil that burns and gives a very harsh taste. Eventually it also contaminates fresh juice- fresh juice goes dark within 10? minutes.

Regarding the first point, nicotine does suppress appetite which some people need. I guess there is a reason why so many runway models smoke.

She's an emotional eater. BF always pushes her buttons and for relief she'll down a bag of chips. Now she vapes when her buttons are pushed.

I almost think it's human nature to self-medicate something. Humans have been chewing this and that for thousands of years.
Modern times, many people just self-medicate with candy bars and potatoes chip which leads to obesity. A lot of students tend to snack on junk food while they're studying, definitely much worse than vaping even if it doesn't lead to obesity.

You'll find many vapers here will admit openly to having an addictive personality, myself included. I'm a volunteer counselor at a non profit for over 10 yrs and the toughest of all addictions to kick are analogs....LOLLL yet it's the only one that's legal= go figure

I've noticed especially, nicotine has replaced caffeine for me. I only drink coffee occasionally now and when I do drink alcohol, it's 1 drink at most every few months, instead for 5-6 like the old days every week. I think nicotine stabilizes your mood so you don't feel the need to eat or drink excessively to feel better.

Since quitting smoking my entire lifestyle has changed for the better and I now have hope for being around for a few more years of kickin' the can.

And I tend to not say anything to people just won't listen unless they're already interested. No luck trying to get my father to quit analog : (

Never say never and I just try to lead by example. I've had some serious doubts about some smokers/ potential converts but they generally usually come around.