Misconceptions

[kibbster]

Just spoke to my Mum on the phone (folks live in France so don't speak to them very often) and she asked what this e-cig thing was all about.
I guess she has read my Facebook page

I told her and enthused about the joy of vaping rather than smoking.

"But you are still using nictotene..."

"Yes, I am, but I was anyway, just now I don't inhale anything that causes cancer etc, etc."

"But nicotine is dangerous"

"Only if you drink it"

"Still dangerous to smoke it"

"No it's not, it's addictive, it's a drug... that doesn't make it dangerous. It's the other chemicals in tobacco and the inhalation of the by-product of combustion that's dangerous."

Anyway, cut a long story short I think she finally decided to drop it rather than keep on but I still don't think she was convinced.
You'd think an ex-nurse would probably know better.
The she's never smoked in her life so probably views most things as dangerous that involves anything addictive.

How do vapers overcome the misconceptions over vaping and nicotine without sounding like they swallowed a science book or they are just being over-bearing obnoxious twats?

I guess she's my Mum so she'll always worry and there's not much I can do.

How were you're family and loved ones about you vaping, did they view it as giving up smoking but disappointed when you replaced smoking for vaping and thus continuing your nic addiction or did they accept what you said with open arms and act like they were pleased you would be around for longer to enrich their lives because you weren't smoking?

[dizzi]

My Mum, bless her, is just glad I've given up smoking. I've explained to her that vaping is just another way of getting nicotine but without all the nasty chemicals that are in smoke, and that nicotine in these doses is no worse than caffeine (and is not carcinogenic). She's quite happy for us to vape around her and even in her house. Dad wants me to vape licorice cos that's his favourite smell. Neither of them have ever smoked, they didn't approve of me smoking but never brow-beat me about it. I'm lucky to have such brilliant parents.

[kibbster]

You are lucky

I used to get the theatrical cough everytime I went out for a smoke lol

Not sure if they'll be ok with me vaping in the house when we go there for a holiday, they may come round after a bit.

[boo]

Dec 1, 2012 12:35:34 GMT kibbster said:

How do vapers overcome the misconceptions over vaping and nicotine without sounding like they swallowed a science book or they are just being over-bearing obnoxious twats?

I don't, I just leave 'em to think what they want about it. I'm not really a good advert for Esmoking to be honest, as I dislike talking about it even when asked

[alvoram]

Dec 1, 2012 12:35:34 GMT kibbster said:

How do vapers overcome the misconceptions over vaping and nicotine without sounding like they swallowed a science book or they are just being over-bearing obnoxious twats?

Answers:

1) Head butt them! certainly wouldn't look or sound like you've swallowed a science book.

2) Don't, someone has a sig on here that reads something like "Don't argue with an idiot, they will only drag you down to their level and beat you with experience," makes me chuckle every time I see it, but it's also true (and I'm usually the idiot lol)

3) Accept that unfortunately, despite what we'd like to believe, nicotine itself has been linked to causing cancer in the past, by professionals. And things like this stick, whether true or not.

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/1045229.stm
www.wisegeek.org/is-nicotine-dangerous.htm

4) forget what you look like, just share your knowledge.

5) Grab them by the ears, and snog their faces off, then say "maybe, but at least my breath doesn't smell any more." Although this one isn't advisable with family members, lol.

6) Say "Oh right, shall I go and have a cigarette instead then?" And flip it 180 styleee on them

[smudge]

I saw a comment somewhere - possibly here, that pretty much summed up the whole argument for me "People smoke for the nicotine, but die from the smoke". Any method of getting the nicotine fix WITHOUT setting tobacco on fire is surely going to be a lot safer. It's the smoke that kills, not the nicotine.

[dizzi]

Dec 1, 2012 12:58:23 GMT alvoram said:

3) Accept that unfortunately, despite what we'd like to believe, nicotine itself has been linked to causing cancer in the past, by professionals. And things like this stick, whether true or not.

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/1045229.stm

Headline Nicotine linked to lung cancer ... "This is speculative research - no-one has detected any cases of lung cancer from nicotine in humans," said Clive Bates, director of Action on Smoking and Health.

Which strongly suggests that this is scaremongering journalism at its worst. I would have expected better from the BBC, but sadly not anymore. They've been dumbing down for years, and I'm sure most of their journalists have attended the News of the World's School of Lowest Common Denominator Reporting.

[smudge]

Sad but true dizzi. When I first started researching into whether vaping might have its own dangers, the top result on google was a scaremongering story from the Daily Mail of course. Sad to see the beeb also going down the road of LCD journalism

[lobeydosser]

Most people who don't smoke will not understand the ins and outs of nicotine, chemicals, etc. in vaping.
But there is one part of vaping that they will understand and that is the price!

My OH has never smoked, so to her, the advantages are things like the smell in the house and the car. The lack of staining on the walls and furniture and the bigger purse she now needs for our new found wealth.
The advantages for me is that the dogs now prefer my lap to sit on rather than avoiding me like the plague like they used to when I smoked cigarettes.

[alvoram]

Yep I am almost certain nicotine is not classed as carcinogenic, but you can see, with headlines like that, why people think it is.

[Sandra (aka Chillax)]

I just say to them 'you know the nic in patches? Or chewing gum? Well thats the same stuff I have in my ecig, instead of obsorbing it through the skin I inhale it coz it works better for me'

[kibbster]

Dec 1, 2012 13:06:42 GMT dizzi said:

Dec 1, 2012 12:58:23 GMT alvoram said:

3) Accept that unfortunately, despite what we'd like to believe, nicotine itself has been linked to causing cancer in the past, by professionals. And things like this stick, whether true or not.

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/1045229.stm

Headline Nicotine linked to lung cancer ... "This is speculative research - no-one has detected any cases of lung cancer from nicotine in humans," said Clive Bates, director of Action on Smoking and Health.

Which strongly suggests that this is scaremongering journalism at its worst. I would have expected better from the BBC, but sadly not anymore. They've been dumbing down for years, and I'm sure most of their journalists have attended the News of the World's School of Lowest Common Denominator Reporting.

I guess very much like that idiot doctor that said the MMR vaccine causes autism.
I wonder how much damage his deluded bull**t has done to a generation.

I have to wonder how much damage is done to a nations health because some results are either incorrectly concluded or badly reported with e-cigs.
Bad journalism does tend to stick in people's minds and after believing it for long enough becomes gospel that they tell to others and so on.

[kibbster]

Dec 1, 2012 13:32:54 GMT Sandra (aka Chillax) said:

I just say to them 'you know the nic in patches? Or chewing gum? Well thats the same stuff I have in my ecig, instead of obsorbing it through the skin I inhale it coz it works better for me'

That's true, but I guess some people have it in their heads that Nicotine is a drug, drugs are bad (mmm'kay )

It's hard to overcome those misconceptions for me.
I could still hear the disappointment in my Mum's voice when I told her I was still a nic addict.

Still I'm proud of me not smoking even if my family aren't
Main thing is, my Mrs understands

[Sandra (aka Chillax)]

A few months back whilst making regular visits to the hospital, I had plenty of time in my hands waiting for ward opening hours etc, during these times I noticed the stop smoking clinics on the notice boards, it said on them that nicotine in itself isn't the danger, this was at Llanelli Prince Philip hospital.

[Deleted]

If people say that nicotine is dangerous ask them if they eat potatoes and tomatoes etc as they also contain nicotine, mmmm! perhaps thats why chips are adictive. Dave