Post by PipeSmith on May 11, 2018 16:26:40 GMT -7
It's quite often that I field emails from long-term smokers/ pipe users that are interested in switching to vaping, and most of these are centered around the same, or at least very similar concerns of: 1.) if they will be able to make the switch/ like vaping, and 2.) be able to completely kick the smoking habit. While it is no secret that the pipe/ e-pipe community is typically populated with those who have been smoking longer than the green-haired counter attendant at the local vape shop has been drawing oxygen into their lungs, these users are also typically less apt to buy into the hype of vaping being provided, nor do they wish to be burdened with hearing the latest whiz-bang gadgetry to allow filling a room with exhaled vapor.
Let's talk about some differences -
First and foremost - No, vaping WILL NOT be the same as smoking. Not ever. Period. The simple physics of the two define the distinct characteristics respective of each; smoking is the inhalation of the byproduct of combustion (smoke), whereas vaping is the inhalation of the byproduct of heating a liquid (or solid) to a point that said liquid (or the moisture contained within the solid) reaches the point of vaporization. In the simplest of terms, we are creating steam by heating the product (solid or liquid) within our vaping atomizer, and this is achieved at a much lower temperature than that which is required for combustion and consumption of a solid (tobacco).
When we are smoking our tobacco, we experience the richness, depth, and variety of flavor notes of our chosen tobacco, but part of this experience also includes the actual "smoke", or the byproduct of combustion and ultimately consumption by fire. This means that a portion of the consumed tobacco is carried away in the smoke in addition to the various tars created by the combustion process. This is what creates the "ashtray" overtones that are accepted as part of the smoking experience, and these can contribute to a "full" sensation of the smoke. These "ashtray" overtones also tend to detract from the inherent flavor notes of our chosen tobacco as we burn through a bowl. Over time, these "ashtray" overtones begin to become not only accepted, but also expected as part of the satisfying pipe experience.
This is important to understand, as often when a long-term smoker first begins vaping, they tend to feel as though the vapor is not as full and/ or satisfying. We'll assume they are not using the poor quality over-the-counter pens from the local convenience store, and leaving the fruity, desert, candy, or umbrella drink flavors aside; a lot of what the new vaper is missing in their early vaping experience is the generated tars and the taste of the ashtray.
Kicking the habit -
Probably the greatest concern voiced is "I don't know if I can quit...". This is the flawed line of thinking that we have been programmed to fall into. When we begin to concern ourselves with "I have to quit...", or "I can't have...", or "I have to stop..." we initiate an involuntary response of opposition reflex in our brain. This is why people often try to quit smoking on numerous occasions and fail - the moment we engage the "have to quit/ can't have/ have to stop" mindset, our brain begins to rush in a tizzy out of a perception of imminent loss being at hand, motivating us to acquire more and more of the very thing we just settled on giving up.
Let's be clear here - this is not the fault of the smoker. This does not imply weakness, shallowness, or any other silly label often applied to those who have attempted to quit smoking and have failed. This is an involuntary response initiated when the breaker in our brain trips as it believes we will be left without certain factors.
More specifically, this is in response to our addiction. Our addiction to nicotine, fair enough, but more so to the seven thousand plus (7,000+) chemicals that are added into our beloved tobacco. Some are added for flavor, some specifically to fuel the addictive nature, some for burn rate, some for shelf life, and some for the Fire Safe Cigarettes (FSC) that are supposed to no longer continue to burn/ smolder like our smokes of just a number of years ago would. Regardless the reason they are added, these chemicals also become part of our smoking equation, thereby adding to the already existing addiction.
With all of this in mind, we are left with three (3) means that have historically been used to stop smoking.
1.) Cold turkey - a complete, immediate walking away from tobacco in any way, shape or form. Many people break their smoking chains in this manner - a very large percentage return to smoking within time.
2.) Weening off - this is a very structured process to slowly decrease the amount of tobacco use in a determined and disciplined manner until the user achieves the use and dependency level desired.
3.) Replacement/ Substitution - as the name implies, this is the replacement or substitution of tobacco with something else. Commonly, this can be seen with gum, mints, or even smokeless tobacco. I personally went this route about twenty five years ago, dropping smoking for snuff. I loved my Copenhagen, but it wasn't uncommon that I would also have an occasional smoke. Eventually, I was back to buying smokes along with my snuff (big win for big tobacco), and the environment of the day being the primary dictator of which I used.
Quite often, the Replacement/ Substitution used is food. Many users who believe they are quitting "cold turkey", then gain a good bit of weight, have actually been practicing Replacement/ Substitution, using snacking in place of smoking. While this does provide some replacement of the physical behaviors entailed by repetitiously raising the hand to the mouth, it does not address the nicotine or other chemical additions that stem from modern tobacco use, nor does it mimic the rolling of the smoke in the mouth/ throat, or the exhalation of smoke. In short, these users end up worse off - they are now (more) overweight, possibly have additional medical issues from the additional snacking, and eventually still return to smoking.
Replacement/ Substitution also entails the use of nicotine gums, nicotine patches, and the host of chemical pharmaceuticals - each with their own horrific potential for side effects.
Progression -
In light of the above three (3) historical means of quitting smoking, vaping now provides a fourth option - Progression. While no one can yet definitively say vapiing is completely and entirely "Safe", it is, without question "Safer". To me, this progression is the easiest, most logical,, and in out current time - the most intelligent means of walking away from smoking for good.
What we retain: With the proper atomizer selection & build, juice choice, and nicotine level choice, we can retain the most important attributes that we enjoy of our tobacco. A fulfillment similar to and approaching that of swirling the smoke in the mouth and throat, the exhalation, the hand-to-mouth habit, the association of handling the device (particularly for pipe smokers), and the flavor(s) of tobacco - with NETs, we can even expand on this, with the juice maceration of our favored pipe tobaccos.
What we gain: A potential increase in flavor of tobacco, since we've eliminated the "ashtray" overtones from combustion/ consumption; the ability to dictate the exact nicotine level of our pipe experience, diminishing to 0 mg/ml if one chooses; a return of taste and smell; and the greatest amount of control that a user has in their tobacco use EVER to be experienced - even before our tobacco was polluted with chemicals. Anecdotal references (subject to each individual user) are users experiencing greater breathing ability, lower blood pressure, better breath, no tobacco staining if used inside the home or car, and, of course the comforting knowledge that while you're still enjoying tobacco and the nicotine level of your choosing - you're kicking the habit of the 7k+ chemicals that have polluted our tobaccos.
What we lose: With vaping, we obviously lose the 7k+ chemicals in our tobacco previously mentioned, but we also lose the inhalation of the combustion/ consumption byproducts. We loose the "ashtray" overtones, allowing our pipe experience to be as rich at the end of the tank as it is at the beginning, often even picking up new/ additional flavor notes that have otherwise been masked by these overtones. We also lose the tars associated with smoking, meaning clearer lungs and less staining of the teeth.
In closing, the greatest bit of advice I can offer the long-term smoker that is considering the progression to vaping - beware of falling into the "Quitting" mindset as defined above, but wrap your mind around "I am still enjoying my tobacco, but by better means of delivery". Yes, the vapor will initially seem somewhat lighter than the smoke you're accustomed to - remind yourself that what's missing are the byproducts of the combustion/ consumption that do not exist with vaporization. Yes, it may take a bit for you to completely progress into vaping: some people make the move in a matter of days, some in a matter of months - the longer the progression, typically the more one has their mind set into "quitting" gear, not into "progression" gear.
Most importantly, remember that during your progression into vaping, and specifically into the E-pipe, this is a pretty close-knit community, and everyone here will more than happily help in any way possible.
/K
(c) 2018/ this article may only be reprinted/ reused with appropriate reference to PipeSmith, and/or Ken's Corner/ The PipeSmith Forum
Let's talk about some differences -
First and foremost - No, vaping WILL NOT be the same as smoking. Not ever. Period. The simple physics of the two define the distinct characteristics respective of each; smoking is the inhalation of the byproduct of combustion (smoke), whereas vaping is the inhalation of the byproduct of heating a liquid (or solid) to a point that said liquid (or the moisture contained within the solid) reaches the point of vaporization. In the simplest of terms, we are creating steam by heating the product (solid or liquid) within our vaping atomizer, and this is achieved at a much lower temperature than that which is required for combustion and consumption of a solid (tobacco).
When we are smoking our tobacco, we experience the richness, depth, and variety of flavor notes of our chosen tobacco, but part of this experience also includes the actual "smoke", or the byproduct of combustion and ultimately consumption by fire. This means that a portion of the consumed tobacco is carried away in the smoke in addition to the various tars created by the combustion process. This is what creates the "ashtray" overtones that are accepted as part of the smoking experience, and these can contribute to a "full" sensation of the smoke. These "ashtray" overtones also tend to detract from the inherent flavor notes of our chosen tobacco as we burn through a bowl. Over time, these "ashtray" overtones begin to become not only accepted, but also expected as part of the satisfying pipe experience.
This is important to understand, as often when a long-term smoker first begins vaping, they tend to feel as though the vapor is not as full and/ or satisfying. We'll assume they are not using the poor quality over-the-counter pens from the local convenience store, and leaving the fruity, desert, candy, or umbrella drink flavors aside; a lot of what the new vaper is missing in their early vaping experience is the generated tars and the taste of the ashtray.
Kicking the habit -
Probably the greatest concern voiced is "I don't know if I can quit...". This is the flawed line of thinking that we have been programmed to fall into. When we begin to concern ourselves with "I have to quit...", or "I can't have...", or "I have to stop..." we initiate an involuntary response of opposition reflex in our brain. This is why people often try to quit smoking on numerous occasions and fail - the moment we engage the "have to quit/ can't have/ have to stop" mindset, our brain begins to rush in a tizzy out of a perception of imminent loss being at hand, motivating us to acquire more and more of the very thing we just settled on giving up.
Let's be clear here - this is not the fault of the smoker. This does not imply weakness, shallowness, or any other silly label often applied to those who have attempted to quit smoking and have failed. This is an involuntary response initiated when the breaker in our brain trips as it believes we will be left without certain factors.
More specifically, this is in response to our addiction. Our addiction to nicotine, fair enough, but more so to the seven thousand plus (7,000+) chemicals that are added into our beloved tobacco. Some are added for flavor, some specifically to fuel the addictive nature, some for burn rate, some for shelf life, and some for the Fire Safe Cigarettes (FSC) that are supposed to no longer continue to burn/ smolder like our smokes of just a number of years ago would. Regardless the reason they are added, these chemicals also become part of our smoking equation, thereby adding to the already existing addiction.
With all of this in mind, we are left with three (3) means that have historically been used to stop smoking.
1.) Cold turkey - a complete, immediate walking away from tobacco in any way, shape or form. Many people break their smoking chains in this manner - a very large percentage return to smoking within time.
2.) Weening off - this is a very structured process to slowly decrease the amount of tobacco use in a determined and disciplined manner until the user achieves the use and dependency level desired.
3.) Replacement/ Substitution - as the name implies, this is the replacement or substitution of tobacco with something else. Commonly, this can be seen with gum, mints, or even smokeless tobacco. I personally went this route about twenty five years ago, dropping smoking for snuff. I loved my Copenhagen, but it wasn't uncommon that I would also have an occasional smoke. Eventually, I was back to buying smokes along with my snuff (big win for big tobacco), and the environment of the day being the primary dictator of which I used.
Quite often, the Replacement/ Substitution used is food. Many users who believe they are quitting "cold turkey", then gain a good bit of weight, have actually been practicing Replacement/ Substitution, using snacking in place of smoking. While this does provide some replacement of the physical behaviors entailed by repetitiously raising the hand to the mouth, it does not address the nicotine or other chemical additions that stem from modern tobacco use, nor does it mimic the rolling of the smoke in the mouth/ throat, or the exhalation of smoke. In short, these users end up worse off - they are now (more) overweight, possibly have additional medical issues from the additional snacking, and eventually still return to smoking.
Replacement/ Substitution also entails the use of nicotine gums, nicotine patches, and the host of chemical pharmaceuticals - each with their own horrific potential for side effects.
Progression -
In light of the above three (3) historical means of quitting smoking, vaping now provides a fourth option - Progression. While no one can yet definitively say vapiing is completely and entirely "Safe", it is, without question "Safer". To me, this progression is the easiest, most logical,, and in out current time - the most intelligent means of walking away from smoking for good.
What we retain: With the proper atomizer selection & build, juice choice, and nicotine level choice, we can retain the most important attributes that we enjoy of our tobacco. A fulfillment similar to and approaching that of swirling the smoke in the mouth and throat, the exhalation, the hand-to-mouth habit, the association of handling the device (particularly for pipe smokers), and the flavor(s) of tobacco - with NETs, we can even expand on this, with the juice maceration of our favored pipe tobaccos.
What we gain: A potential increase in flavor of tobacco, since we've eliminated the "ashtray" overtones from combustion/ consumption; the ability to dictate the exact nicotine level of our pipe experience, diminishing to 0 mg/ml if one chooses; a return of taste and smell; and the greatest amount of control that a user has in their tobacco use EVER to be experienced - even before our tobacco was polluted with chemicals. Anecdotal references (subject to each individual user) are users experiencing greater breathing ability, lower blood pressure, better breath, no tobacco staining if used inside the home or car, and, of course the comforting knowledge that while you're still enjoying tobacco and the nicotine level of your choosing - you're kicking the habit of the 7k+ chemicals that have polluted our tobaccos.
What we lose: With vaping, we obviously lose the 7k+ chemicals in our tobacco previously mentioned, but we also lose the inhalation of the combustion/ consumption byproducts. We loose the "ashtray" overtones, allowing our pipe experience to be as rich at the end of the tank as it is at the beginning, often even picking up new/ additional flavor notes that have otherwise been masked by these overtones. We also lose the tars associated with smoking, meaning clearer lungs and less staining of the teeth.
In closing, the greatest bit of advice I can offer the long-term smoker that is considering the progression to vaping - beware of falling into the "Quitting" mindset as defined above, but wrap your mind around "I am still enjoying my tobacco, but by better means of delivery". Yes, the vapor will initially seem somewhat lighter than the smoke you're accustomed to - remind yourself that what's missing are the byproducts of the combustion/ consumption that do not exist with vaporization. Yes, it may take a bit for you to completely progress into vaping: some people make the move in a matter of days, some in a matter of months - the longer the progression, typically the more one has their mind set into "quitting" gear, not into "progression" gear.
Most importantly, remember that during your progression into vaping, and specifically into the E-pipe, this is a pretty close-knit community, and everyone here will more than happily help in any way possible.
/K
(c) 2018/ this article may only be reprinted/ reused with appropriate reference to PipeSmith, and/or Ken's Corner/ The PipeSmith Forum
