VAPING IS DANGEROUS
I’m posting this to help others out there who are struggling with this addiction. I am no stranger to the addiction topic… quit drinking alcohol over 1 year ago after several years of allowing that substance to destroy my life… around that same I began smoking cigarettes after being nicotine free for almost a decade… I picked up vaping to kick the cigs (such a disgusting habit) Vaping was convenient and smelled and tasted WAY better so I thought, “Well this is a good trade off” And I can do it in the house ! No more trudging outside in the bitter cold to get my fix.
I can tell you Vaping is WAY more addictive than cigarettes Hindsight is 20/20. When I started getting some weird physical side effects ( discomfort in my abdomen, Extreme tinnitus, circulation issues-numbness & tingling in my extremities) I started doing some research to see if others were experiencing these issues… honestly not much was found… the majority of the reviews I found were in favor of vaping and so I allowed the addiction to convince me that my symptoms were just me getting older. But my concerns kept haunting me…
After about 4 months I could see my vaping addiction had replaced my former alcohol addiction and that’s when I started to realize I need to stop. I reached out to the smoker’s quit line in my area and got some patches, which at first seemed to help, but nicotine addiction is insidious, and before long I was back to vaping. When I wasn’t at work or asleep I was chain vaping. The concerns were still there but I kept telling myself I needed it to help manage the stress in my life. RED FLAG #1.
Fast forward 4 more months and this issue slapped me square in the face. All the work I’d put into staying away from alcohol and here I was, struggling once again with substance abuse. I was not finding healthy ways to manage stress in my life and that’s what got me in trouble with the alcohol…
Fast forward to today…almost like perfect timing a sickness has been going around my work, and usually I don’t catch, but this time I did and it’s like a wake up call for me… I quit vaping once and for all… I can feel the lingering side effects in my weakened muscles and in my lungs, and I am very concerned that I’ve caused permanent damage to my body.
What stands out is I smoked for decades, and when I gave it up, I felt better-no apparent physical issues. I only vaped for 8 months and the evidence is screaming that I may very well have caused some permanent damage to my body by allowing myself to believe vaping is safe.
VAPING IS DANGEROUS. I threw all my vapes in the trash! Including new ones I’d not opened yet. If there is any advice I can offer it’s JUST DO IT! QUIT !!! That’s been my stance all along when it comes to addiction… You have to be strong. I AM MY OWN HIGHER POWER… no one is going to come save me from the demons I struggle with every day… It all starts and ends with me…
Ive put my principles at the forefront. My determination & resilience have carried me through all these years… I am no longer allowing addiction to run the show.
There really is not enough scientific evidence about vaping because it is so new and because big tobacco has their hand in it… Greed is the great destroyer of our existence. I have started looking around the internet, determined to find some information and evidence to strengthen my resolve and to help others who are struggling. I found a PBS special on YouTube filmed in Idaho that really did a great job of bringing to light the dangers of vaping. You can find it here… https://youtu.be/l5Pu-H6YS6Y?si=cIE4LyVFynKmOGMd.