Veteran Smokers

[Ricketts]

As a newbie, I become quickly mired in the continuum of accessories, tastes and flavors advocated by E-Cig users when all I'm searching for are simple, personal opinions, preferably from older, veteran smokers. Primarily, other than menthol, I can't grasp the captivation for strawberry, chocolate, banana, and myriad other flavors. Are we talking cigarette smokers opting for a healthier choice or, are we competing with Baskin & Robbins? I drink Scotch but not with chocolate syrup. I've been smoking longer than most of you have been alive, perfectly satisfied with the flavor of tobacco.

Anatomy of a Veteran Smoker: In about a month, I hope to celebrate my 79th birthday. Among my memorabilia, I have an engraved Ronson cigarette lighter given to me by my parents as a graduation gift. That is, my 8th grade graduation. Yes, an avowed smoker for some 70 years.

Physical Condition: Small frame, 5'8”, 145 pounds. Suffered pneumonia at age 14, once again at age 36, but have not had a cold or influenza in over 40 years. Other than a topical cream for mild plaque psoriasis, I use absolutely no drugs/meds, and my doc claims he knows of no other senior my age who is med-free. Annual physicals have been consistently excellent. I'm food-apathetic, caring less about what it is, how it's prepared, and consider eating a waste of time. My love is chocolate -in any form and lots of it. Until two years ago, I abhorred and avoided anything remotely resembling exercise. Then, for some odd reason, I bought a WalMart $89.00 bicycle and have religiously ridden it for 5-8 miles every other day. In a nutshell, I've been blessed with remarkable health.

Profile: Never been a heavy smoker, averaging some 25 cigarettes a day. I'm a neat smoker, not smoking in homes or cars. Other than a few vague attempts at quitting, cigarettes have been a welcome and integral part of my life, by far, my very best friends, standing by and with me through any and all of life's ups and downs. Five years ago, in a dedicated effort to stop, the wife and I sought the services of a hypnotist. After the session, the wife hasn't touched a cigarette since, sensitive to even the smell. Me? I couldn't wait to get outside and light up. Quitting is simple if one wants to quit; knowing that one should doesn't cut it -she wanted to quit; I didn't. There was, however, an uptick to her cessation. I decided to cut down, and have held my fags to about 10 a day for this five years. No, it wasn't an economy move, my cigarettes are imported at $2.00 per pack, but my last physical indicated emerging signs of COPD. No surprise. After all, despite light smoking and drastically cutting back, so many long years have pushed the old lungs to the limit, and no amount of cutting back -even quitting entirely- can reverse the damage. But, just maybe, I can hold the beast at bay a little longer with E-Cigs.

Before jumping in, I tediously researched the effects of tobacco, nicotine and it's effective agents -Nitrosamines, acetylcholine, norepinephrine, vasopressin, histamine, serotonin, dopamine, autocrine, beta-endorphin, and all the other ill-sounding particles. Rewarding information.

Personal conclusion: E-Cigs are a viable and much healthier substitute for cigarettes. I began my adventure on 9/21/12, using 24 mg disposable cartridges, now trying 16mg cartridges, and smoking but 1-2 cigarettes a day which I hope to soon eliminate. Surprisingly, it hasn't been anywhere near as stressful as I anticipated. For those having real difficulty, pay heed to previous comments: Hang in there, it gets better each day.

A word of caution: For those who fear upcoming FDA reports, take their “expert” opinions with a grain of salt. The FDA is a puppet, at best a joke, fraught with fallacies and untruths spurned by government control. Want proof? Every day, 3000 young people become regular smokers, 6000 teens under 18 smoke their first cigarette, and more than 1000 adults die prematurely as a result of an adolescent decision. Clearly, a problem to be addressed. Remember the November 1998 multi-state tobacco settlement, estimated at $246 billion over the first 25 years, that was to attack the enormous public health problems posed by tobacco use in the U.S.? And how's that working for us? Well, as of November 30, 2011, states have cut funding for tobacco prevention and cessation programs to the lowest level since 1999, the very first year they received settlement funds. Fiscal Year 2012 will collect $25.6 billion in revenue from the tobacco settlement and tobacco taxes, but will spend only 1.8 % of it ($456.7 million), less than two cents of every dollar in tobacco revenue to fight tobacco use. No complaints from the FDA! Uncle Sam has absolutely no interest in your health or well being, only in your money. So, E-Cig fans can look forward to being taxed and regulated to death but don't give up the ship. Fight it.

[nickfinley]

Dear E-Cig Newbie,

I thoroughly enjoyed reading your post. I have been using the e-cigarettes now since September as well. I am 63 years old and have been smoking for the last 40 years. I tried all different flavors and have settled with Wintergreen. I buy my "base" (pre-mixed with nicotine level of 48) from a China website e-cig.com and mix that with Wintergreen flavor extract from the kitchen cupboard and it is fantastic. As far as a regular cigarette flavor, that is really hard to come by because comparing Camel or Marlboro or whatever you're used to smoking to e-cig flavor is just difficult. My daughter says the Red and White from Kingpincigs.com is very close to Marlboro though. I am not trying to "quit" smoking, however. I still smoke less than a pack a day as opposed to 3 packs a day (which is what I did before I found the e-cigs). I fill in the gaps now with my e-cigarette and I very much enjoy it. I hope this information helps! And yes, we're fighting!!!

Nick

[SimianVape]

Great post. You've definitely been smoking longer than I've been alive. I smoked for about 18 years and was up to 2 packs a day. Tried everything to quit, Chantix, patches, lozenges, cold turkey more times than I can count. I don't even remember how I came across an electronic cigarette 2 1/2 years ago and I had my doubts but honestly not one day went by since I started vaping where I really really missed an analog.

[jowaddle]

Love your post Veteran Smoker! Nick (he posted up there ^^) is my dad and we LOVE LOVE LOVE our e-pipes. Our family thinks we are crazy. We don't care. We are sitting here on Skype right now, vaping away, discussing topics on this awesome site we discovered yesterday and are thrilled that we can now connect with people who understand.

The first time we vaped in public was at a Cracker Barrel during a family gathering. After we ate, half the family went out to smoke. Instinctively, we got out our pipes and started vaping. I pointed to the no smoking sign and dad flipped it the bird. That seemed to be a moment of clarity for both of us and we have been laughing at the no smoking signs ever since.

Have fun!

Jo

[Ricketts]

Just a follow-up to my earlier post. The more I use and become familiar with the E-Cig, the more I like it. Once again, the convenience of leaving the house with just an E-Cig in my pocket versus a pack of cigarettes and lighter is great, not to mention not having to dash outside for a quickie every half hour. Recently tried refilling my cartridges and found it to be very easy and will significantly reduce overall costs by a wider-than-expected margin. I'm experimenting with the number of times a cart can be refilled. Too early for an opinion but thus far I've refilled one three times without problem. My present "dilemma" is that I have over four cartons of regular cigarettes in the drawer! To avoid just giving them away, I've been smoking one every morning, however, because they're "lights," I just don't get the nice"hit" that I do from the E-Cig.

[jowaddle]

I'm glad to see you are enjoying your e-cigarette! I do have that morning craving more than any other time of the day, but I personally won't have one because I know myself and I would have one in the morning, then one more and more and more. It does save on money though, doesn't it! I also notice that I feel better overall - no more coughing, chest pains or shortness of breath coming up the steps. Recently, I tried the T-Rex from Kingpin and it has a bigger "hit" than the regular smaller e-cigarettes that I like to travel with. By using the T-Rex, I crave the morning cigarette less, and the tank is huge and refillable. You don't have to replace the cartridges. I fill it once a day and that's it. Same with the battery. The kit is a little more expensive but well worth it!!

[PoppaC]

Ditto to all of the above! Hard to quit but e-cig gives me hope.

[bill45005]

great post . I smoked for 40 years ! was up to 2 1/2 packs a day . I saw e-cigs 3 years ago and decided to try it I had tried to quit smoking so many times and failed that the thought of not ever smoking again didnt really figure into my decision to try it but rather as a "non stinky way to cut down " I wanted some way to combat that "I got to have a cig" while in a non smoking area .. So I bought a joye 510 . Ego's wernt even around at the time . That saterday morning when I bought my starter kit and used it was the last cig I have ever used ! . I threw away my remaining 5 packs of cigs the following thursday . I can taste and smell things that I had fogoten , I can go up a flight of stairs without breathing hard , I can Vape away at a meal without having to go out into the cold the heat or the rain or snow

I dont smell like an ashtry etc

I save enough money to go out to dinner when I want to , and it makes my car payment for me .

The negative ..... hmmmm I did gain 20 lbs but thats ok lol

[SABOTEUR]

Congrats on discovering electronic cigarettes! I too cling to my preferred menthol, though it's not as if I haven't tried other flavors. I guess being freed from the limited taste restrictions imposed by cigarettes encourages vapers to enjoy many different flavors. I find that even though my "go-to" juice is the fresh, clean taste of Halo Menthol Ice, switching occasionally to a different flavor refreshes my taste buds, allowing me to appreciate my favorite that much more. Even at that, though, I never venture past one or two alternate flavors. But after experimenting for almost 4 years (I'm 55, by the way), it's very apparent that the one remaining aspect I've carried over from smoking ( beside the hand-to-mouth ritual) is "menthol". Whatever I vape must have a noticeable menthol base. With that, I find that adding menthol to a coffee or vanilla juice improves the flavor for me. I've yet to find a coffee or vanilla, though, that's satisfying enough for me to commit to. Anyway, keep it up...a pleasure reading your post.