Do You Vape?

Vaping was supposed to be the safe alternative to cigarettes. A few years ago my wife and I thought this would be a good way to help her oldest son get off cigarettes. Yesterday we went to visit this 29 year old man in the hospital. He thought he had the flu. He went to the doctor, then urgent care and finally the hospital. He has been in the hospital since Wednesday. He spent a couple of days in ICU due to fluid in his lungs. They are weaning him off oxygen. He's hoping to be released by Monday. He has a long road to recovery.

The nurse was telling us how they are seeing many young people with serious lung issues. She said they had a 27 year old a week ago with a chest tube because his lung had collapsed.

This is becoming a serious problem these days. If he doesn't stop vaping he could die.

I post this in hopes it will make you think. We all need to work at being as healthy as we can. This is about living.

I said this very same thing back when vaping was becoming more and more popular. With no long-term studies done, there's simply no way to know what kind of effects vaping will have going forward.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery to your stepson.

First off - prayers for your step sons speedy recovery.

Supposedly - many of the "vape death" stories in the media lately - have (supposedly) been linked to the use of THC vapes.

Many of the vapers I see - expel HUGE CLOUDS of "smoke" (they call it fogging), which means they are "deep lunging" HUGE AMOUNTS of vaporized whatever-it-is they have in their stick.

As a smoker (OK - down to 2-3 a day and nicotine gum), the false notion that ANYTHING you inhale other than AIR (and even in some places the AIR isn't all that healthy) into your lungs is bound to do some harm - whether long or short.

As an "alternative" to cigarettes, it may (on paper at least) be "less harmful", than all the burnt chemicals with tobacco use - but ANYTHING you put in your lungs is going to put your lungs at increased risk for damage.

Now - the "psychological fix" of the act of putting something into your mouth and filling your lungs, may be satisfied with a vape (as well as the nicotine ingestion for the physical substance addiction/dependance portion) - again, you are still forcing a foreign substance into your lungs.

I have friends that vape - between the charging station, batteries, "juices" and all the other paraphernalia - it looks to be as expensive a habit as cigs. Then again, my weekly nicotine gum "habit", isn't radically less expensive than my tobacco habit was (another rip-off, as they should be way less expensive). The last time I "quit smoking", I was in the hospital for 5 days and was on the nico-gum. Figured when I got out, I was already on the gum - so what the hell. I still have a noon-er cig, and after dinner cig (the one I miss the most). I gave up drugs and alcohol decades ago - gotta at least do one harmful thing to myself, right?

Personally (even as a smoker), I find the vape smell to be just as annoying as tobacco smoke (which, as I smoker, I barely notice). It still leaves a "residual smell" in enclosed spaces. Non-smokers/vapers find it to be annoying as well (without even getting into the evidence/lack-of of potential harm from "second hand vape").

Friends encouraged me to take up vaping, to quit smoking - and I took a HARD PASS. I can only smoke American Spirit Organic "Gold" anyways - after decades of Marlboro Lights - I can't stand the chemical-ly taste of "regular brand" cigs.

Addiction is Addiction. Until one is good and ready to quit, and ready to go through the chemical withdrawal and lifestyle changes - they're not going to quit. I know CANCER PATIENTS THAT STILL SMOKE.

Hey - you only live once, right?

Again - best wishes to your stepson for a swift recovery.

Rick

Big Scott

As the others have said, I hope for a speedy recovery. I can't agree more with what else has been said. They absolutely mislead with advertising. What they have done is criminal, and I hope they pay for it.

Best of luck Chris

Big Scott

As the others have said, I hope for a speedy recovery. I can't agree more with what else has been said. They absolutely mislead with advertising. What they have done is criminal, and I hope they pay for it.

Best of luck Chris

As a former long-time smoker, I disagree. Don't start in the first place. Nobody forced anyone to vape, smoke, chew or dip.

I see, read or hear zillions of cool-sounding ads every year. Doesn't force me to sample everything I see.

That's my opinion. Yours may differ.

I hundred percent agree with you Packrat. Although, Army might beil referring to case like the company Juul who recieved a warning letter from the FDA to stop misleading youth. I passage from an article read:

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a warning letter to JUUL Labs Inc. for marketing unauthorized modified risk tobacco products by engaging in labeling, advertising, and/or other activities directed to consumers, including a presentation given to youth at a school.

Big Scott

As the others have said, I hope for a speedy recovery. I can't agree more with what else has been said. They absolutely mislead with advertising. What they have done is criminal, and I hope they pay for it.

Best of luck Chris

As a former long-time smoker, I disagree. Don't start in the first place. Nobody forced anyone to vape, smoke, chew or dip.

I see, read or hear zillions of cool-sounding ads every year. Doesn't force me to sample everything I see.

That's my opinion. Yours may differ.

Almost all ads are misleading. The beer commercials, the lottery ads, the lawyer commercials, the cereal ads, etc. Be stronger, faster, richer, better looking, healthier, etc.

I just think people should use their brain before they spend money to buy something, especially things that are unnatural and unnecessary. Definitely for things they will injest into their body. The makers know these are addictive. The consumers know these are addictive. Everyone should know these are bad for our health. I did not begin thinking this way after my heart transplant, either. It's been my feeling for at least 50 years.

Who's to blame? I am NOT singling out any one individual: friend, coworker, child, parent, spouse or acquaintance. I want people to be accountable for their own poor decisions.

Personally, I make poor decisions and use bad judgement daily, at a minimum. Who do I blame? Myself of course.

Done with this one.

But here is the thing. Big Scott made a decision off of the claims that these vaping companies were making. He made his decisions off of false or maybe rather premature facts given by these companies. Vaping or hookah for that matter is nothing new. But now teenagers and adults alike are ending up in the ER with particles in their lungs. Something is up. And when cities and states talk about outright banning it until more research is done. I support it. It's not about protecting you and me as much as it its protecting or youth. Who is the biggest target. I worked for a tobacco company I've seen how they operate. Their marketing goes far beyond commercials and any kind of advertising. It's going to places like sporting events and giving free packs of cigarettes to 18 yr olds. That to me should be damn near criminal.

Everyone of course has the right to smoke or vape. NEVER start any of it to start with! I took the plunge at 16 because my cousin was already smoking and tempted me to do it and my Dad also smoked for his entire life from about the age of 10 to 60. I did and smoked for 25 years and non-filtered Pall Mall to boot. Always the excuse of, "I only smoke a pack a day". I quit cold turkey after the wife and kids begged me to. It was hard but what a difference it made to breathing, the taste of food and the way your own mouth tasted.

Even if they were $20 a pack people will still smoke cigarettes or vape or even smoke dope. It takes the will power and a strong desire to rid yourself of these poisons. The air is bad enough to breathe into your lungs let alone anything else. Down the road you might have to deal with cancer or many other lung diseases.

To clarify, all 29 samples sent to the CDC contained vitamin E Acetate. This was also discovered at the site of injury. This is mostly coming from black market THC Vapes, but I suppose there are others out there that contain the harmful Vitamin E.

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