Obviously the vocal majority here (including me) strongly believe that vaping is not a wise substitute for smoking. The aim of most of us here is to stop doing physical harm to ourselves AND eliminate the desperate need (that's what I personally call an addiction), not substitute it for another desperate need. Even if it's less harmful than cigarette smoking, one is still a slave to it. More and more vapers are joining the site because they don't want to be slaves any more (and they too are experiencing negative health effects.) You state: "The American Society for Addiction Medicine (ASAM) criteria for defining addiction boils down to "persistent use despite negative consequences'." They have joined the site because they ARE experiencing 'negative consequences.' We teach everybody here that we are "addicts." Physically and behaviorally. To me, that's one of the first keys to understanding and overcoming this nicotine addiction. And nicotine IS an addictive substance. Even the JUUL ads state that (to protect their asses.)
The ASAM also states:
Addiction is a primary, chronic disease of brain reward, motivation, memory and related circuitry. Dysfunction in these circuits leads to characteristic biological, psychological, social and spiritual manifestations. This is reflected in an individual pathologically pursuing reward and/or relief by substance use and other behaviors.
Addiction is characterized by2:
- Inability to consistently Abstain;
- Impairment in Behavioral control;
- Craving; or increased “hunger” for drugs or rewarding experiences;
- Diminished recognition of significant problems with one’s behaviors and interpersonal relationships; and
- A dysfunctional Emotional response. (ASAM Definition of Addiction )
Father Jack, you obviously enjoy vaping and want to continue to do so even though you state: "It is not good to vape. It is not safe." And that's your prerogative. You apparently don't have any negative consequences: you don't mind the cost, you don't have lung issues, you either don't mind being a slave to vaping or you can just stop vaping without craving. Good for you. I just wish you'd give equal time to those two sentences you wrote (why it's not good and why it's not safe) as you do to defending and promoting the usage of that very thing simply because it's "less harmful."
One would think the object of a quit site is to cease doing ANYTHING harmful to ourselves. NRTs are supposed to be used as weaning off aides. Not substitutes. Vaping may also help people quit smoking and that's obviously a GOOD thing, but.... our objection - no let me speak just for myself here - is that it becomes a substitute rather than a "temporary" method of quitting. When the weaning off aid, the temporary method turns into another addiction - then it's not fulfilling it's purpose nor is it ultimately (I think) helping the individual trying to become free of the addiction. That's MY problem with your heavy promotion and defense of vape as an aid.
For me, I want to help people stop doing what I believe is harmful to them. Not only physically but psychologically and spiritually. Inhaling anything other than air is perhaps not harmful - if you need to parse things - but it certainly isn't as good as just breathing naturally. It's not what our lungs were designed for. Another harm is the slavery of it all. I want to help them not be slaves to their addiction to nicotine. That's the psychological part. And finally the spiritual part comes in after the psychological. When you delve deep into yourself in order to overcome this addiction, (and for many of us, that kind of delving is what's necessary to BEST it) you gain something spiritually. You learn that YOU can change your behavior. That YOU have control over how you view life and it's consequences. Doesn't mean you can do it every day under every circumstance. But this quitting process DOES at least teach us that we CAN. That's an amazingly beautiful part (through pain, yes) of this journey. And it carries on through the rest of our journeys in life. It isn't limited to just quitting smoking. We understand, through the process, that we can deal with OTHER things in life the same way. And because we've conquered this - we can conquer anything.
I don't see you promoting that part of the journey. I just see you suggesting a possible way out that ultimately does nothing to help the psychological and spiritual end of things. And that's ok. But I want more than what you offer. And I choose to promote more than what you offer. Because to my mind you're not offering much at all, actually. Except another escape.
