Perhaps 10 failed attempts into quitting smoking, a friend of mine suggested that I look into vaping as an alternative to killing myself with Marlboros. I was skeptical. Around 2007 or so vaping was pretty new. There was no Juul or whatever, RJR didn't have their own products, they spent millions of dollars trying to BAN vaping because they did not want the competition. I was interested. Big Tobacco wants to shut it down? My co-worker friend continued. He had a long story about how his mom, who used to smoke 2 packs a day, and started vaping a couple years back was now nicotine free and stink free, and living the live of a smoker, but she wasn't one anymore. He detailed out for me a progression that his mom followed, that allowed her to get clean from nicotine and it all sounded wonderful to me. He explained in detail how she made her own 'vape juice' out of ingredients she sourced from online. She was making her own juice for a while... her son claimed it was all locally sourced and of 'top quality'.

If you are, or know an alcoholic that has tried to quit, this idea of vaping to quit.... it's called 'tapering off'. Basic concept. If you drink 8 drinks on Monday, you try to drink 7 on Tuesday. By the time you get to the next week, you're only drinking 1 a day or something... that is the concept. And at that point, you just stop. The goal is just to not be a flaming alcoholic anymore and to maybe get back to a reasonable 2 or 3 drinks per night on the weekends... I digress. Vaping- appeals to smokers because it feeds your adict brain, it gives you an excuse to continue using, and the justfication to do so because it's 'healthier' than killing yourself the old fasioned way with the Marlboro. Obviously, it's just an alternate method for introducing nicotine into your blood stream in a different way than you used when you got addicted to smoking X years ago. So... if the act of feeling that paper sucking the moisture out of your lips, the harsh throat hit and chemical flood that follows is at least partially what you are addicted to (it was for me) - vaping removes *some* of that and allows you to focus on weening yourself off the nicotine. That's the concept. This allows you to adjust to nicotine delivery in a different way, as you see fit. The result? For most people, you are now even more addicted. You no longer need the paper, the lighter, the combustible connection to earth, you can put this piece of steel in your mouth with a battery that can jump start a small gas motor into your mouth and get your fix that way instead and the bonus is you can do it almost everywhere now. I vaped on public busses, I vaped on United Airlines, I vaped in my car, my corporate office, elevators, bathrooms, I was getting my fix Everywhere, on demand.

To rewind for a second... My friend and co-worker continued... Hey Mark, my mom has been nicotine free now for over a year, you should try it!. I, of course asked for more information. Why is she still vaping I asked? Turns out (as you all know) there is more to vaping than just nicotine delivery - you can just smoke glycol, flavored with pop-corn and cinnamon flavored extract and smoke on santa's big ding-a-ling with no nicotine involved if you want, that's what my 'mom' does (he claimed).

I asked why would I ever want to do that. The obvious response was because it's not smoking, that's why. I had additional questions of course...mostly about the addiction side of things... I mean if I don't need the nicotine any longer, why would I smoke on Santa? Hard question to answer... the conclusion is usually... well... because it's better than smoking tobacco. Is it really? I failed to quit my nicotine addiction with vaping. I did experiment with making my own juices to smoke, I made my own at home. I fell into the trap and I vaped for a couple of years, ended up vaping 0% nicotine juice for a while and self destructed when a moment of stress hit my life and I realize I still had not come to terms with the fact that I am an addict. The moment my 'darth vader' vape contraption stopped working on me when I needed it most, I crumbled and was chain smoking cigarettes again. I'm not going to tell you, or anyone else that vaping can't help you quit smoking, but I am going to tell you that it's a horrible idea and your chances of success pretty much suck if that's the approach you are taking. Change my mind.