Vaping Confidential

This is one of those subjects I've avoided writing about on this blog because too many people fucking read this blog who really shouldn't... but who fucking cares.

I haven't had an actual smoke in a few months now. Some people may not even realize that I smoked because I wouldn't smoke in front of them, but I had a steady habit, especially when writing. I didn't really intend to quit smoking. I just switched from smoking to vaping.

That's what they call it in the e-cigarette community. Vaping. Doesn't really have a ring to it. "Vapor" is nowhere near as cool as "Smoke". But it is a lot healthier -- which is to say, less unhealthy -- than smoking. And, more importantly, it's absurdly cheaper.

For the uninitiated, there are e-cigarettes that closely resemble regular cigarettes ("analogs") that you can buy over-the-counter at any 7-11. I started out with those because they're dead simple to use out of the box. But I immediately switched to a more serious vaping rig which looks nothing like an analog. It's got a bigger battery -- lasts longer and produces a stronger vapor. You fill it with e-cig juices that you can buy from various mail-order shops. Finding one you like can be trial and error but I've found one that does the job. You can choose the percentage of nicotine and gradually ween yourself off nicotine altogether. Right now, what I'm using is generally a similar amount of nicotine that you'd find in other smoking cessation products, like gums or patches.

What's stranger is that I've vaped in front of non-smoker friends who haven't even asked me about it. Even though my current e-cig looks NOTHING like an analog. I don't know if they've just assumed it was a different kind of cigarette or what. Perhaps just a sheer lack of curiosity. Smoking, vaping, same thing.

In any case, it's better. And if I weren't so fucking run down by the hours and nature of this godforsaken gig I've been on for the past slaughter of months, I bet I'd feel a lot better right now.

Mid-February. Mid-February, this gig ends. We'll see if I can get something better set up before then...