We are conducting a study on neural activity following substance use.
To participate, you must be right-handed, have used cigarettes and/or used e-cigarettes (e.g., a Juul or other nicotine vape) on a nondaily basis in the past month, and have no metal in your body. Evening/weekend scheduling and assistance with transportation are available.
If eligible based on a 20-minute pre-screening and 1 hour interview, participation will include two 5–6-hour visits to the lab, and 2 follow-up phone interviews. You may earn up to $400 for full completion of all study components.
Each visit will involve: • Tests and questionnaires to measure thinking abilities and decision making • An MRI at the OHSU Advanced Imaging Research Center • Before each MRI scan, you will consume a legal, non-prescription substance at a dosage proven safe for human consumption. For example, the substance may be a stimulant (like caffeine), a depressant (like alcohol), an analgesic (or painkiller, like aspirin), or placebo.
To see if you may qualify, please visit https://redcap.link/BRAINY
If you have any questions or concerns you can contact our laboratory at 503-494-4269 or [BRAINY@ohsu.edu](mailto:BRAINY@ohsu.edu). Please leave a message with the best phone number to reach you as well as your availability.
Principal Investigator: Angelica Morales, PhD
IRB#18483

So I just discovered that a 5% nicotine strength is a lot. I’m new to vaping and started with the Elf Bar Raya D1 (which tastes amazing)
— It’s advertised as having 18 ml of e-liquid — 5% nicotine is 50 mg / ml — Total Nictotine is 900 mg — Nicotine in a normal Cigarette is 1-2mg — Total Vape is equal to 450-900 cigarettes
That seems like A LOT ! I only used to smoke 10 cigarettes a day and this vape is definitely NOT going to last more than 20 days for me. So even at the lower end, it translates to about 23 cigarettes a day. Which is more than twice my previous intake.
I’m somewhat sad to realize this and am looking for some validation on this calculation.
I know that vapes contain far fewer carcinogens than cigarettes and nicotine in itself is not necessarily that bad. But it doesn’t look like there are there any other brands that offer a lower strength for a disposable in India. Is that right ? If not, can someone kindly illuminate me ? And what about the nicotine-free vapes ? Not available either ? Since I’m just starting, I want to stay with disposables at least for the first 6 months and avoid the hassle of coils and oils

A-to-Z Reasons For Not Smoking

Smoking damages almost every organ of the body, not just lungs. People are not aware of the extent of damage smoking causes. Following are 26 easy-to-remember reasons why smoking is so dangerous.

• A — Aging
  • Smoking speeds up one’s aging. Causes wrinkles prematurely.
• B — Bad keystone habit
  • Smokers are more likely to pick up other bad habits, like alcohol, hard drugs etc. They meet other smokers and might pick up their bad habits too.
• C — Cancer
  • Not just lung cancer. It can cause mouth cancer, throat cancer, and many other cancers.
• D — Diabetes Type 2
  • Smoking increases chances of getting Diabetes Type 2. Symptoms may include increased thirst, frequent urination, hunger, fatigue, blurred vision, poor wound healing.
• E — Erectile Dysfunction (ED)
  • Increases ED in males and infertility in both males and females.
• F — Fatigue
  • Smokers easily feel fatigued after a physical activity. They feel less energetic.
• G — Guilt
  • Smoking breeds guilt and shame. “What am I doing to my body? I have no control or what?”
• H — Heart diseases
  • Smoking can permanently damage your heart and blood vessels, leading to cardiovascular disease. Smoking can also cause coronary heart disease, which is the narrowing of blood vessels that carry blood to the heart.
• I — Immunity
  • Smoking reduces one’s immunity, making one more prone to falling ill to bacteria and viruses and other diseases easily.
• J — Jaw and TMJ problems
  • Smoking can lead to dental problems, including gum disease and tooth loss, which can contribute to jaw pain and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders.
• K — Kidney diseases
  • Leads to poor blood flow to the kidneys and causes kidney damage over time. Can also cause kidney cancer.
• L — Lungs problems
  • Diseases like Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and Emphysema. Above all, lung cancer.
• M — Memory and Cognitive Decline
  • Smoking can negatively impact memory and cognitive function. Smoking can lead to a decline in memory, cognitive flexibility, and global cognition. Smoking can also negatively impact attention, processing speed, and executive functions.
• N — Nicotine Addiction
  • Nicotine causes cravings and dependency. It reaches the brain within seconds, creating neurochemical hooks that lead to a strong addiction.
• O — Odour
  • Breath, clothes, car, house stink
• P — Passive/SecondHand smoking
  • A smoker is more likely to be with other smokers and thus inhale more secondhand smoke. As if first hand smoke wasn’t enough.
• Q — Quality of life deterioration
  • Smoking affects overall quality of life, leading to decreased physical health, mental well-being, and social interactions. Smokers often experience a lower quality of life compared to non-smokers.
• R — Restlessness
  • Smoking can cause restlessness and anxiety. Nicotine withdrawal symptoms include irritability and difficulty concentrating, leading to an overall sense of unease.
• S — Stroke
  • Smoking is a major risk factor for stroke, increasing the risk by three to four times. Smoking causes blood to thicken and clot in veins and arteries, which can block blood flow to the brain.
• T — Taste and smell
  • One’s sense of taste and smell deteriorates.
• U — Ulcers
  • Smoking can be a risk factor for peptic ulcer disease, which can cause stomach ulcers
• V — Vitamin absorption reduces
  • Smoking impairs the absorption of essential vitamins and nutrients, such as vitamin C and E, leading to deficiencies and associated health problems.
• W — Weakening of bones and muscles
  • Smoking contributes to osteoporosis and muscle degeneration. It reduces bone density and interferes with the body's ability to repair muscle tissue.
• X — eXtra effects
  • Smoking can cause negative cause-and-effects chain reactions in life. For example, somebody sees you smoking somewhere -> makes them see you in a bad light -> in turn causes them withholding a benefit in future. It’s like bad karma.
• Y — Yellowness and Discoloration
  • Smoking causes discoloration, leading to yellowing of teeth, nails, and skin. It also causes lips to darken and become discolored over time due to reduced blood flow and exposure to harmful chemicals.
• Z — Zzzz
  • Smoking affects Sleep quality.

I use disposable vapes for now , need to buy a 10k puffs vape every week , it costs me about 1850 per vape (I usually get the nasty ones ) , however this is very expensive in the long run
I don’t really have an addiction to the nicotine , like none at all and was planning on using e juice without nic to save money in the long run , I was planning to get a Cali burn v3 but my friend says he needs to replace the coils/pods almost every 2 weeks , is this true because then this doesn’t seem like a very viable option to me , currently for the last 3 weeks I’ve left vaping/cigarettes /weed cold turkey and have no problems , however rn I’m at home , but I need these when I go back to college , can you suggest something that I can do which is going to be financially reasonable, cause spending 8k a month on vapes kinda really eats into my pocket money budget
Thanks in advance

I am traveling to Bali from the United States and am currently dependent upon e-cigarettes. I understand that nicotine vapes are legal in both the United States and Bali, but I have a 5 hour layover in Qatar at the Doha Airport. I am wondering if I can bring a vape on this trip or if I will have to wait to buy another in Bali? Please let me know! Thank you.

Examining the Health Impacts of Nicotine Vaping versus Traditional Cigarette Smoking
Introduction:
The rise of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) or vaping devices as alternatives to traditional cigarettes has sparked discussions about their comparative health risks. Advocates argue that vaping nicotine is a safer option than smoking cigarettes. This paper delves into the comparative health risks, potential benefits, and emerging concerns related to nicotine vaping and traditional cigarette smoking, including the issue of lung inflammation from excessive vaping.

1. Nicotine Delivery Mechanisms:

Both vaping devices and cigarettes deliver nicotine, the addictive substance in tobacco. Traditional cigarettes burn tobacco, generating smoke laden with thousands of harmful chemicals. In contrast, e-cigarettes heat a liquid (e-liquid or vape juice) to create an aerosol, minimizing exposure to carcinogens produced by combustion.

1. Chemical Composition and Health Impact:

Cigarette smoke contains tar, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, and other toxins responsible for lung diseases, cardiovascular issues, and cancer. Vape liquids typically contain fewer harmful chemicals, but long-term effects remain under study. Overvaping, or excessive use of vaping devices, can lead to lung inflammation and respiratory symptoms, highlighting the importance of moderation in vaping habits.

1. Respiratory and Cardiovascular Health:

Smoking significantly increases the risk of respiratory conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer due to smoke-induced lung damage. Vaping, while potentially less harmful to the lungs, may still pose cardiovascular risks, especially for individuals with preexisting conditions. Studies on the long-term cardiovascular impact of vaping are ongoing.

1. Youth Initiation and Addiction:

The appeal of flavored vape products and marketing tactics has drawn youth to vaping, raising concerns about nicotine addiction and long-term health consequences. Efforts to curb youth initiation, such as flavor bans and stricter regulations, are crucial to prevent a new generation from becoming addicted to nicotine.

1. Potential Benefits and Risks of Nicotine:

Nicotine, while addictive, has potential benefits such as cognitive enhancement, mood regulation, and pain relief. However, these benefits must be balanced against its addictive nature and the risks associated with tobacco use disorders, emphasizing the need for responsible consumption and informed decision-making.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, while vaping nicotine appears to present fewer immediate health risks than smoking traditional cigarettes, it is not without concerns. Lung inflammation from overvaping underscores the importance of using vaping devices responsibly and avoiding excessive nicotine exposure. Regulatory measures should focus on harm reduction, youth prevention, and public education to promote informed choices regarding nicotine consumption. Continued research into the long-term effects of vaping and nicotine use is essential to guide evidence-based policies and interventions that prioritize public health. Ultimately, individuals should consider the complete picture of risks and benefits when making decisions about nicotine use, emphasizing moderation and informed health choices

i'm 23 years old, a transgender woman, and have been on HRT (patches) since the beginning of the year. i'm seriously considering starting smoking cigarettes instead of weed (my reasons are my own) but my biggest fear is suffering from DVT. is the risk of it happening significant enough for me to have to put down the idea of beginning to smoke? even while being on patches - not taking E orally - and being young?
as far as i know, nicotine doesn't affect the feminization effects if you're using patches, so i don't care about it. i don't plan on living beyond 37-39, so i don't care about voice getting deeper as i age or getting cancer in the future either. i'd care about aging faster but my sister is a smoker and looks way younger than she actually is, so i guess my genetics are fine. so yeah, my only actual worry is dying from DVT in my twenties. no need to say smoking is bad regardless of being on HRT, i'm well aware of the other risks :)

Link to My personal views on the idea of harm reduction
Video explains my personal views on the value of harm reduction strategies are so different than many in tobacco control and the public health communities.
I am posting this here because I think most people here joined a group named "quittingzyn" because, they realized they wanted to quit Zyn and in many cases realized they wanted to finally break free from nicotine.
Related resources:

• Our views on the need for harm reduction

The video E-Cigarettes and harm reduction was originally shot regarding harm reduction for cigarettes--and primarily focused on e-cigarettes that were being promoted at the time as the new breakthrough product to help with this the harm reduction goal in mine. Prior to that I had my 1990 article A safer way to smoke? talked about what people considered harm reduction before e-cigarettes and most of the other products developed before that time.
Pouches are now just one of the newer products out there being sold as harm reduction.

• Miracle aids for quitting smoking
• Looking and waiting for an easy way to quit smoking

I run a small hedge fund based out of Raleigh, NC. Myself and my Fund are long $HAYPP. Please see the disclaimer at the bottom of the post. For more blog posts like this check out my Fund's blog at https://www.rogue-funds.com/blog
Also if you would like to see this blog post with pretty pictures you can also check out: https://www.rogue-funds.com/blog/haypp-group
All Financial Figures are in USD unless otherwise specified.
I think HAYPP Group, the biggest online retailer of nicotine pouches, can capture a huge chunk of the sales in what I believe will be the biggest form of nicotine intake growth over the next 10-15 years.
The future of nicotine consumption will be nicotine pouches and it is growing at an unprecedented rate. Here in the States the go to item for nicotine pouches are Zyn’s (owned by Philip Morris), in Europe it’s Velo (owned by British American Tobacco), but there are various other brands that all catching fire: ON! (Altria), Rogue, Juice Head, FRE, Lucy, and Sesh, among various others.
What is HAYPP?
Brief History
HAYPP is an online retailer and distributor of nicotine pouches and snus. The company was started by a couple of Swedish teenagers in 2009 and through mergers and acquisitions they no longer are in charge of the company as the current CEO joined in 2017/2018. The company bought Nicokick.com and northerner.com (northerner owns 9% of stock) which are now both of their main American brands. They switched from Snus to Nicotine Pouches 6 years ago and haven’t looked back.
HAYPP currently owns a roughly 85% online market share for their Nordic part of the business, which they refer to as their “core” business as well as a ~55% market share of the oral nicotine market (85% market share of the legal nicotine pouch e-commerce market) for their growth market which is considered the US, UK, Germany, and Swiss countries.
SEO Powerhouse
So how do they have such a grasp on what would obviously be a hyper competitive online industry? The main reason for their hyper success in the online market is that they have a death grip on the SEO landscape. Their mastery of SEO allows them to spend almost nothing on marketing and to keep pushing out their distribution system (which continues to drive costs down for them and consumers). This creates a positive feedback loop as they become even cheaper than their competitors, allowing them to lock in customers (over 90% of the customers becoming recurring customers).
If you google just about anything related to Nicotine pouches, there is probably a 95%+ chance that the top unpaid search result will be a HAYPP Group Domain. Even niche searches such as “what is an upper decky” (Gen. Z slang for nicotine pouches) or basic searches such as “what are the top nicotine pouches” you will see that HAYPP Group owns the top of the search.
This is huge when sites like Google severely limit the amount of advertising that addictive products can utilize on their search engine. HAYPP ends up barely spending anything on marketing due to 40% of new customers coming through word of mouth and the rest from SEO.
Data
Their other field of expertise is data collection and selling. Due to the large variety of pouches and being the number one online seller of nicotine pouches, they have created a major database which they sell to various nicotine pouch producers such as Philip Morris and Altria. Producers buy these on an annualized basis, and you can see the usage of their data among the investor relation reports/presentations/websites of various producers. As you can see from my beautiful pictures on this post, they compile plenty of data to help me understand the business better.
Lowest Cost Seller and Best E-Commerce Distribution
Due to their distribution network, HAYPP has become one of the cheapest (if not the cheapest) sellers of nicotine pouches in the world. You can buy Zyn’s cheaper from HAYPP websites than you can from the ZYN website. Haypp’s prices are 20-40% cheaper than grocery stores and 30-50% cheaper than convenience stores.
They have been integrating their distribution network so that most variable costs are being converted to vertical fixed costs creating operating leverage for them as they rapidly scale their revenue and are able to increase margins. They have implemented 2-day delivery across the US and close to implementing across Europe markets as well.
Leveraging Market Share for High Quality New Products
The last part of their business model is their ability to leverage their large consumer base to help new products capture market share, which allows them to capture higher margins on their products and it increases the variety of products which consumers would like to buy. In Nordic countries the variety of products is a benefit to them as consumers want to try various brands and flavors. When this competition trend hits the US it will only benefit them even more.
Why Haypp vs Pouch Companies
Currently in the US there are only a couple main brands with Zyn owning a huge chunk of the market. In Europe, Velo is the most popular brand but there are many Nordic brands that consistently attack margins and currently there is little competition in the US market which most likely won’t last much longer. As consumers search out the cheapest product and try to hunt for variety, HAYPP will be that future as convenience stores lag in variety and cost.
Products such as Zyn will definitely continue to grow (currently Zyn is growing at 70% y/y) but we could see margins shrink as competition becomes fiercer and consumers branch out away from the first movers, although Zyn continues to take up 70% of the US market. This only further benefits HAYPP as they are the go-to spot for a large amount of variety. Although they don’t benefit as much from less competition, they are still beneficiaries of an oligopoly esque market due to their cost and distribution networks.
Most large publicly traded pouch companies are also cigarette and chewing tobacco sellers who are rapidly seeing those segments get cannibalized by vaping and nicotine pouches combined with regulatory crackdown risk. Since HAYPP has no exposure to either one, you will not experience any cannibalization outside of snus cannibalization in the Nordics. This is the best pure play bet on nicotine pouch consumption.
Certain countries have limited the ability for consumers to have access to nicotine via retail stores which will allow them to take huge shares of the overall market in places like Germany or in California where they have banned flavored nicotine products in retail stores has led to windfall of customers to HAYPP’s e-commerce model.
Management
The current CEO of HAYPP group, Gavin O’Dowd, used to work for British American Tobacco (BAT) and was the driving force for the VELO acquisition. He currently owns 3.6% of the stock and various other PE firms and Family Offices own large chunks of HAYPP. Most executives have warrants that could give them the right to 200k-400k shares each (29m shares outstanding with no serious history of dilution).
Regulations
As many of you are aware, regulations are a huge part of the nicotine industry. Taxes are going to be huge risks, which are then combined with flavor bans. I think nicotine pouches are one of the products that are least likely to get hit with serious bans since their health risk is much lower than almost any other nicotine product.
The nicotine pouch industry as a whole has been behaving spectacularly well when it comes to ensuring they are not purposefully marketing to young people. They are trying to avoid having a Juul 2.0 fiasco which basically murdered that business and completely fragmented the vaping industry which is on the brink of regulatory crack down.
HAYPP does their part by ensuring age regulation across their whole site. They have age verification to order and deliver. They have a huge emphasis on ensuring that they abide by the law.
Financials
Core Segment (Nordic Countries)
The company is growing heavily in every segment that it operates in. Its core segment seems to be slowing down in growth due to heavy cannibalization from snus sales. This should only be temporary as nicotine pouch volume grows at 30%+ y/y. Once snus nears its cannibalization endpoint, I would expect revenue to begin growing again in its core market (although not at 30%). Current revenue is $250m USD and EBITDA is about $18m USD for just the core segment for the last twelve months. Management expects high single digit EBITDA margins for 2025.
Growth Segment (US, UK, Germany, Switzerland)
The growth segment is skyrocketing. Growth is over 46% y/y and this growth has been consistent and should continue to be consistent. EBITDA margin for the growth markets has begun to inflect positively which will cause a massive amount of leverage in their EBITDA to occur as their fixed cost model begins to do its job. As economies of scale drive forward, we should see this margin increase substantially over the coming years. Currently Revenue is at $77m USD for growth markets and EBITDA is at -$3.5m USD.
Let’s Talk about the Growth Segment a bit more.
This is where the real value from HAYPP will come into play. While it currently begins to inflect positive in terms of profitability, it should be noted that the Growth markets have a massive TAM compared to their core market and could cause the company to 5x in the next few years if they maintain or gain market share and continue to grow in these massive TAMs.
As they grow, their competitive advantage deepens due to sticky customers and cheaper products from economies of scale. The US has an even faster scale of 49%+ growth y/y and HAYPP is outpacing the US nicotine pouch growth at 57% y/y. As the US begins to approve various products and variety begins to flood the US market, a ton of US users want to try various Nordic brands that don’t have access which lends a very strong lean towards an online website such as HAYPP. The US is a very ripe environment along with the UK and Germany (where nicotine can only be sold online) for HAYPP to continue to outperform massively.
Emerging Segment
Their “emerging” segment is where they have begun to introduce vapes into their value chain. HAYPP is beginning to sell vapes to UK and Germany, but it is at the very beginning stages and has no current significant impact on their bottom or top line. The company says the growth they are experiencing in this segment has been very similar to the growth that they experienced when they introduced Nicotine Pouches in growth markets. This is the most likely segment to get hit with regulatory concerns, so for now I won’t even consider this in a to be a profitable unit and will just assume it will be a small drain on EBITDA for the foreseeable future.
Balance Sheet
The balance sheet is great with no large debt burden and good working capital management. As they hit profitability this yeaearly next year I would expect a cash build up until the company decides if they will be returning cash to shareholders or reinvesting in the business.
Valuation
HAYPP is extremely undervalued based on where they are from a profitability standpoint and their current inflection point. Due to their high growth, it will be hard to pinpoint an exact value on them so this will merely be an exercise in estimating their value among a range more than usual (anyone who claims they can perfectly value a high growth company is probably overvaluing due to unsound conviction).
First let’s look at how they are currently valued, which is roughly 14x their core EBITDA. Now let’s take a second and think about how insane that statement was. Their core market is the Nordic countries which will be hitting growth again as their snus cannibalization slows, the Nordic countries basically have no further regulation risk for nicotine pouches, and it is a noncyclical industry. I would argue that 14x their core EBITDA is probably an appropriate valuation based on only their core segment.
What this means is (if you haven’t noticed already) that you are getting their “growth” segment for free based on the valuation of the stock. The growth segment alone is probably worth multiples of the current stock price due to the massive TAM and extreme growth prospects. If we assume the emerging segment is worthless (which it isn’t and it will be profitable at some point) then that means all of the upside in the stock can be based on what the value of the growth segment. Based on TAM, growth, and lack of cyclicality then this leaves the only risk as regulation.
There will most likely be some sort of regulation, but we are very far from that as the Tobacco industry has been very careful in how they implement their new nicotine pouch momentum in a more appropriate way compared to vapes. The most likely regulations will probably be flavor bans of some sort or retail bans (which further benefits HAYPP). Regulations will most likely be limited in scope due to just the sheer lack of mortality risk associated with pouches vs any other form of common nicotine intake.
Based on their probable conservative revenue growth (40% average for the next 3 years, and 15% after that), EBITDA growth, the fact that they will have both core and growth markets at high single digit EBITDA margins in 2025, and their lack of cyclicality, then I would estimate that their Growth markets are worth a very conservative $400m-$500m USD. I am likely undershooting the valuation because they are driving profitability very fast and their revenue is growing closer to 40%-60% in growth markets right now. If they are able to keep up current growth figures and expand to double digit margins before the end of the decade then they could be worth 2x-3x this value (which is why valuing growth companies are so hard, because I can’t foresee the future). Again, I valued the emerging segment as worthless which is unlikely as well.
So, based on the value of $450m USD for the growth markets and the current value of $240 USD for the Nordic markets, that would create a sum of the parts equal to roughly $700m or nearly triple the current share price. This valuation leaves a ton of room for margin expansion and higher growth prospects because let’s face it, the US alone is probably worth at least 3x-5x more than the Nordic countries not including the UK, Germany, or Swiss. This is a very conservative valuation for the company, but it shows how great the risk/reward is based on the current price. Using a conservative valuation here also helps accommodate for regulation risk.
In SEK terms this would be 250 SEK/share or 7.35B SEK.
Conclusion
Even accommodating for regulation risk, a valuation of $700m seems appropriate as a starting point for the valuation for HAYPP Group. I think there is a very high likelihood that I could be off on this by a large margin, but I feel like the downside is very protected with this valuation. Management has been great in execution and I expect that to continue. In a more bullish case where every segment of the company fires on all cylinders we could see a valuation of $1.5B+, but that is not a scenario that I would like to bet my investors’ money on. For now, I will stay invested and keep watching them execute and adjust my valuation accordingly.
Disclaimer: The author of this idea and his Fund have a position in securities discussed at the time of posting and may trade in and out of this position without informing the reader.
Opinions expressed herein by the author are not an investment recommendation and are not meant to be relied upon in investment decisions. The author is not acting in an investment adviser capacity. This is not an investment research report. The author's opinions expressed herein address only select aspects of potential investment in securities of the companies mentioned and cannot be a substitute for comprehensive investment analysis. Any analysis presented herein is illustrative in nature, limited in scope, based on an incomplete set of information, and has limitations to its accuracy. The author recommends that potential and existing investors conduct thorough investment research of their own, including detailed review of the companies' SEC and CSA filings, and consult a qualified investment adviser. The information upon which this material is based was obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but has not been independently verified. Therefore, the author cannot guarantee its accuracy. Any opinions or estimates constitute the author's best judgment as of the date of publication and are subject to change without notice. The author and funds the author advises may buy or sell shares without any further notice. This article may contain certain opinions and “forward-looking statements,” which may be identified by the use of such words as “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “should,” “planned,” “estimated,” “potential,” “outlook,” “forecast,” “plan” and other similar terms. All such opinions and forward-looking statements are conditional and are subject to various factors, including, without limitation, general and local economic conditions, changing levels of competition within certain industries and markets, changes in legislation or regulation, and other economic, competitive, governmental, regulatory and technological factors, any or all of which could cause actual results to differ materially from projected results.

The transformation of chemical flavors in e-cigarettes through the process of pyrolysis reveals a complex and potentially hazardous chemical landscape. The use of artificial intelligence to predict these chemical transformations sheds light on the vast array of substances vapers are potentially inhaling, many of which carry classifications as acute toxins, health hazards, and irritants. This study’s findings are particularly concerning because they suggest that the act of vaping introduces the lungs to a plethora of unknown chemicals, the long-term effects of which remain largely uncharted. The identification of numerous pyrolysis products not typically associated with the combustion of traditional tobacco underscores the unique risks posed by vaping. Unlike tobacco smoke, which has been extensively studied over decades, the health implications of these new chemical entities are a step into the unknown, necessitating cautious evaluation and regulation.
In addition to identifying specific hazardous compounds, this research reveals the potential for vaping to lead to new forms of chronic diseases that may only become apparent after years of exposure. This insight calls for a proactive approach to public health policy and individual decision-making regarding e-cigarette use. For consumers, especially young adults attracted by the myriad flavors of e-liquids, this information serves as a critical reminder of the principle of precaution. The allure of flavors masks a potentially harmful concoction of chemicals, making it imperative that consumers are informed of the risks involved in vaping. For public health policymakers, the study’s revelations highlight the urgent need for regulations that address not only the nicotine content in e-cigarettes but also the chemical composition of the flavors and the resultant pyrolysis products.
Flavor Preferences, Sensation-Seeking, and Youth Vaping Trends
The study examining the relationship between sensation-seeking behavior and flavored e-cigarette use among Indonesian adolescents and young adults illuminates the psychological and social factors driving the popularity of these products. High sensation-seekers, drawn to novel and intense experiences, find the wide array of e-cigarette flavors particularly appealing. This phenomenon underscores the role of flavor diversity in attracting not just traditional smokers but also a new, younger audience to e-cigarette use. Flavors such as menthol and fruit not only mimic the taste profiles familiar and enticing to this demographic but also serve to dissociate the act of vaping from the negative health connotations of tobacco smoking.
The classification of users into primarily menthol flavor users, experimenters with a strong preference for fruit-flavored e-cigarettes, and multi-flavor users with higher sensation-seeking tendencies provides valuable insights into targeting public health interventions. These findings suggest that restricting access to flavored e-cigarettes could significantly reduce their appeal to adolescents and young adults, potentially curbing the initiation of vaping in this vulnerable age group. Public health policies that ban or limit the availability of these flavors could deter non-smokers from taking up vaping, thereby preventing the normalization of e-cigarette use among the youth. Moreover, these measures could also reduce the likelihood of dual use, where individuals use both traditional cigarettes and e-cigarettes, exacerbating their exposure to nicotine and other harmful substances.
Moving Forward: Recommendations for Consumers and Policymakers
For consumers, particularly young adults and parents, the message is clear: the risks associated with vaping, especially with flavored e-liquids, are real and potentially very serious. While the full spectrum of health implications is still being uncovered, the evidence points to the need for caution and informed decision-making. Individuals considering e-cigarettes as a safer alternative to smoking or as a means to quit should weigh the potential risks of exposure to unknown chemical byproducts against the benefits.
For policymakers, the findings from these studies underscore the necessity of enacting stricter regulations on the e-cigarette industry. This includes not only limiting the nicotine content in e-liquids but also regulating the chemical composition of flavors to prevent the formation of harmful pyrolysis products. Additionally, public health campaigns should aim to educate the public, especially youth, on the risks of vaping and the deceptive appeal of flavored e-cigarettes. By adopting a proactive and precautionary approach, it is possible to mitigate the public health risks associated with this relatively new mode of nicotine consumption.
Herbal Formula for Supporting Lung Health and Detoxification
Given the context provided by the research papers on vaping health risks and the complex interplay of chemical substances involved, it’s clear that any herbal formula recommended should aim at supporting lung health, detoxifying the body from chemical byproducts, and potentially mitigating the oxidative stress caused by inhaling pyrolysis products. It’s important to note, however, that while these herbs can support lung health and detoxification, they cannot counteract all the negative effects of vaping or replace the need for medical advice and cessation of vaping. Here’s a suggested herbal formula:

1. **Mullein (Verbascum thapsus)**: Mullein is renowned for its soothing effect on the bronchial tubes and lungs. It acts as an expectorant, facilitating the expulsion of mucus and easing coughs. This makes it potentially valuable for mitigating some effects of vaping on lung health.
2. **Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum)**: Milk thistle is a powerful liver detoxifier and supports liver health. Its active constituent, silymarin, has antioxidant properties that can help protect the liver from toxins and promote liver regeneration. Given the liver’s role in detoxifying chemicals from the body, milk thistle could be beneficial for individuals exposed to harmful byproducts of vaping.
3. **Turmeric (Curcuma longa)**: Turmeric, and specifically its active compound curcumin, has potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. It can help combat oxidative stress and inflammation in the body, potentially counteracting some of the systemic effects of vaping.
4. **Green Tea (Camellia sinensis)**: Rich in antioxidants, particularly epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), green tea can help neutralize free radicals and reduce oxidative stress. Its mild stimulant effect, due to caffeine, can also offer a healthier alternative to the stimulant effect of nicotine.
5. **N-Acetylcysteine (NAC)**: While not an herb, NAC is a supplement derived from the amino acid L-cysteine. It has been shown to support lung and liver health by boosting levels of glutathione, a critical antioxidant in the body. NAC can help break down mucus and detoxify harmful substances, making it particularly relevant for individuals exposed to vaping byproducts.
6. **Ginger (Zingiber officinale)**: Ginger has been used traditionally to support digestive health and reduce inflammation. Its inclusion in the formula can help mitigate nausea that some individuals might experience from detoxifying or as a side effect of quitting vaping.

This herbal formula is designed to offer supportive care for the lungs and liver, promote detoxification, and reduce oxidative stress. However, it’s crucial to approach vaping cessation holistically, including lifestyle changes and seeking professional support when necessary.
Conclusion
In conclusion, while e-cigarettes present an opportunity for harm reduction among traditional smokers, the emerging evidence on the health risks associated with vaping, particularly with flavored e-liquids, calls for a balanced and cautious approach. Ensuring that the public is well-informed and that regulations reflect the latest scientific findings will be key in safeguarding public health in the face of the evolving landscape of tobacco product use.
Sources:
https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-024-18626-3#Sec16
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-59619-x

Does anyone know where i can buy disposable e-cigarettes or nicotine pouches in Çorum?

With the Australian regulation bans on importation of disposable vapes on 1st of Jan 2024 and importation of reusable vapes on 1st of March 2024 in place, vapes in general are getting more difficult to come by outside of the prescription or pharmacy model.
New regulation of vapes starting January 2024 Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA)
Importation of vape liquid flavours, other than tobacco, mint and menthol are part of the regulatory ban on of 1st March 2024. So after stock imported before the ban, has run out, those flavours will be all that is available.
However, domestic manufacturing of 0% nicotine flavoured vape liquid is still legal, pending the outcome of voting on the bill to legislate a ban on domestic manufacture, advertisement, supply and commercial possession of non-therapeutic vapes in Australia, so that may change. If the ban becomes legislation, then DIY is an option (see further below).
This article outlines the steps to take and options to legally purchase vapes and nicotine liquid from an online pharmacy, with a prescription from an online prescriber. This will more than likely be an easier pathway than going to your local GP and pharmacy because many GPs are unfamiliar with vaping and many pharmacies don't stock vapes.
You will need to submit a script to see what is available, as they cannot legally show any vape products until your script is approved.
Getting a prescription and accessing an online pharmacy
There are online prescribers and online pharmacies that specialise in vaping products. Some are separate, others are one-stop-shops for both vape prescription and pharmacy services or partnered with each other.
You can get a script from online prescribers like quitrx.com.au or one-stop-shops like v-scripts.com.au, myduke.com.au and quithero.com.au, amongst others.
Generally, applying is an online questionnaire and the script is emailed to you, or access to an online pharmacy's products is granted.
Prices for prescriptions can vary. Some are free, but limited to their own products, for example myduke.com.au.
Quitmed.com.au and quithero.com.au have the biggest range of vape products, there are many others listed here. Some accept outside scripts, others from their partnered prescribers.
Nicotine vape liquid
You can buy ready-to-vape nicotine liquid, prefilled pods, or purchase nicotine concentrate from a pharmacy and mix it with 0% nicotine flavoured vape liquid.
0% nicotine flavoured liquid can be purchased without a script from vape stores like: vapoureyes.com.au, vapeking.com.au, vapelink.com.au, wickandwireco.com.au.
A more comprehensive list of online and 'bricks and mortar' vape stores in Australia is available here.
Nicotine liquid comes in freebase and salt forms. The difference between freebase and salt nicotine, is that freebase has a better 'throat hit' and is regularly used for vaping at lower levels of nicotine in a higher wattage device, although many use it at moderate levels with a lower wattage device too. Salt nicotine has an acid added, like benzoic acid, so is less irritating to the throat at higher nicotine levels and absorbs into the bloodstream quicker.
Note: disposable vapes generally contain around 50mg/ml (5%) of salt nicotine in Australia, even if there is no information on the label.
If you're coming off disposables, depending on the wattage of the device you decide to use (some are adjustable), 50mg/ml salt nicotine may be too much, so 25mg/ml (2.5%) to 30mg/ml (3%) may be enough. Freebase, at a lower dose, is also an alternative.
For freebase nicotine, the dose range is around 12mg/ml (1.2%) to 18mg/ml (1.8%), anything much above 18mg/ml tends to be irritating to the throat, so salt nicotine is recommended.
If you're coming off smoking, freebase maybe suitable in the transition to vaping because of the 'throat hit' that is similar to a cigarette. Otherwise, if a higher nicotine dose is needed or cravings aren't satisfied, salt nicotine is an alternative.
These nicotine levels are for low watt devices, not sub-ohm high powered vapes that are usually vaped with around 3-6mg/ml of freebase nicotine.
Nicotine concentrate
(Note: If you want things as simple as possible, skip this and go to 'ready to vape liquid' below).
100mg/ml freebase and salt nicotine concentrate are available to mix with 0% nicotine flavoured vape liquid. Quitmed.com.au and Quithero.com.au stock the best value salt or freebase concentrate at $32.90 for 100ml, at time of writing.
You can use a nicotine calculator to work out your desired nicotine level using 100mg/ml nicotine concentrate: Nicotine Calculator - Wick and Wire Co Australia.
If you want to add nicotine concentrate to 0% nicotine flavoured ready-to-vape liquid, you can remove the amount of mls from the bottle, to replace it with the same mls of your chosen mg/ml of concentrate, to get an accurate dose. It also provides enough of a gap in the bottle to do so. You can add the nicotine, without removing liquid to avoid wastage, as long as there's enough room. Just consider that it will be a less accurate dose, especially if a lot of concentrate is used. Alternatively, there are 'shortfill' 0% nicotine flavoured liquid bottles with a gap already.
Another option is a 0% nicotine flavoured liquid 'doubler' that is half filled with double concentration flavour, a bit like cordial. With a doubler, you replace the shortfall after adding nicotine concentrate with unflavoured PG/VG (more about PG/VG below).
With a doubler, you avoid flavour dilution that you would otherwise get adding nicotine concentrate to ready-to-vape liquid, especially when a lot of nicotine concentrate is required.
For example, if your desired nicotine level is 25mg/ml, you would be adding 30mls of 100mg/ml nicotine concentrate to a 60ml doubler. That would make 120mls of 25mg/ml juice when you add 30mls of unflavoured PG/VG.
Take precautions when dealing with nicotine concentrate: FAQ: "Spiking" 0mg e-liquid with your 100mg nicotine.
PG and VG
PG is Propylene glycol and VG is vegetable glycerin, they are the base of vape liquid that carries flavours and nicotine, making up the 4 ingredients of flavoured nicotine vape liquid. More about PG and VG here.
Vape liquid comes in a mix of PG and VG, usually around 50PG/50VG and 30PG/70VG, though there are other ratios.
When choosing vape liquid, 50PG/50VG liquid will carry flavour better and have more of a 'throat hit', being higher PG and is generally for lower wattage devices. 30PG/70VG liquid is smoother and produces more vapour because of the higher VG and tends to be used in higher wattage devices. 30PG/70VG can however, be used in lower wattage devices as well.
When mixing 100mg/ml nicotine concentrate, consider that it's usually PG based and can change the ratio of PG/VG in a 0% nicotine flavoured liquid quite a lot, depending on how much is added. 50PG/50VG together with a larger amount of nicotine PG concentrate might be irritating. In this case, using a 30PG/70VG 0% nicotine flavoured liquid, or a doubler and adding flavourless 30PG/70VG or 100% VG to the shortfall may be best.
DIY
Regardless of any bans, you can still make your own vape liquid. PG, VG and flavours will always be available as they are all used in food manufacturing. Stock of PG, VG and flavours can be sourced from basedrop.com.au and flavourworld.com.au. Recipes can be found at alltheflavors.com and advice on mixing vape liquid at .
Ready to vape liquid
You can buy ready-to-vape nicotine liquid in various strengths up to 50mg/ml (5%), however, you're limited to the brands and flavours on offer at pharmacies.
Prefilled pods
Devices with prefilled pods of flavoured nicotine liquid are also available. They are the most convenient, but also by far, the most expensive.
Flavour profile of disposable vapes vs reusable vapes
Many disposable vapers are looking to replicate the flavour of disposable vapes when they switch to refillable vapes. There is a lot more sweetener and menthol (AKA ice or ws-23 cooling agent) in disposables, so finding a vape liquid with a similar profile or adding sweetener and ws-23 might be an option. You can get advice about adding sweetener etc, at . However, higher levels of sweetener can potentially reduce the life of the coil in your refillable vape and you may get used to the flavour profile of vape juice for refillable vapes anyway.
Availability of vapes and coils/pods
There are plenty of vape devices available that are not approved by the TGA for sale in pharmacies, though stock of them and coils/pods will be an ongoing issue as importation of unapproved devices is banned.
The TGA has an approved list of notified vapes. Popular examples are the Uwell Caliburn G3, Vaporesso XROS 3, Vaporesso XROS 3 Mini and the Vaporesso Luxe X.
If you want to keep things simple, consider going for the XROS 3 Mini, it is a lower wattage 'mouth to lung' (MTL) pod device, with auto draw (inhale activated). It is similar to a disposable, and as similar as possible to a cigarette.
The XROS 3 differs from the XROS 3 Mini in that it has a fire button (with option of auto draw) and adjustable airflow so you can control the tightness of the draw and as such, it can be used for 'restricted direct lung' (RDL) as well as MTL.
The Caliburn G3 is also a MTL and RDL device with auto draw, adjustable airflow and wattage up to 25w (depending on the coil used), so you can control the amount of vapour produced.
The Luxe X is a higher wattage device (up to 40w), with adjustable airflow, that can be used for both (MTL) or 'direct lung' (DL) vaping and is the most versatile of the vapes above.
These devices, compatible coils/pods and others on the list can be found in pharmacies and vape stores (subject to availability).
Here is a link to vapem8.com.au, an Australian vape finder and comparison site to help find vapes, juice, pods, coils etc in stock, outside of pharmacies.
Any questions, ask on aussievapers.

This may be a silly question, but I’m very curious. I’ve been taking NP Thyroid for a few months (newly diagnosed with hashi’s this year) and can’t say I feel much different. My dr thinks it’s too soon to redo labs on my antibodies so just waiting for her direction on that.. My question is about the absorption of the pill. I always wait the 30-60 minutes after taking it to eat or drink BUT I do vape… I didn’t think anything of it since I’m not technically swallowing anything, but nicotine is definitely entering my system during that 30-60 minute window. Would this be affecting the pill?
Thoughts???

DAY: May 6 2024
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Hey there! Let me introduce you to the top quit-smoking apps worldwide for iPhone and iPad users.
These apps were designed to spur you in your journey. So, with loads of determination and your gadgets, you’d be on your way to a healthier lifestyle.
Yes, you have it tough in these difficult times. Smoking brings relief, euphoria, ecstasy, relaxation, warmth, and escape from anger and stress. But hey, it has been widely accepted to be deadly; you know that? Yes, you do.
In her viral video, Terrie Linn McNutt Hall, a former smoker, said, “I wish I’d never seen a cigarette in my entire life. I truly do. I wish I’d never seen one, much less picked it up and smoked it.” Two days later, after years of battle against cancer caused by smoking, she lost her life.
Don’t make it too late. You can save your lungs and health from years of pain and torture.
In this article, you’d get to know or recall why you began smoking, why you should quit it, and some of the best quit-smoking apps for your iPhone and iPad.

Why Do You Smoke?

As people are different, so are their needs, challenges, and way of life. Therefore, the list below does not nearly cover why people smoke.
It simply states a few of them. To help you stop, you need to get to the root of your addiction.

1. Nicotine Addiction

Nicotine, a highly addictive substance found in tobacco, is the primary reason you become hooked on smoking. Nicotine addiction develops over time as the body becomes dependent on the drug.
Continued smoking is often driven by the cravings and withdrawal symptoms associated with nicotine addiction.

2. Peer Pressure and Social Influence

You may recall starting or continuing smoking due to peer pressure or the desire to fit in with a particular social group.
Smoking can be seen as a social activity or a way to bond with friends or colleagues who smoke.

3. Stress Relief

You may have turned to smoking as a coping mechanism for stress, anxiety, or other negative emotions.
Smoking is often perceived as a way to relax or relieve tension, even though the long-term effects on stress management are adverse.

4. Habit and Ritual

Smoking can become a habit deeply ingrained in daily routines. It may be associated with specific activities or situations, such as taking a break, socializing, or complementing other behaviors. The ceremonial aspects of smoking can make it challenging to quit.

5. Emotional Regulation

Smoking may be used as a way to regulate emotions or alleviate boredom. Some individuals find that smoking provides a temporary distraction or a perceived comfort in certain situations.

6. Weight Control

Nicotine is known to suppress appetite and increase metabolism, leading you to make smoking replace food cravings and become a part of weight loss goals.

7. Perception and Image

Smoking has historically been associated with specific images, such as being rebellious, cool, or sophisticated.
You may have begun smoking to align yourself with these perceptions or to project a particular image.

Why Should You Quit Smoking?

For numerous reasons, quitting smoking benefits one's health and overall well-being. Here are some compelling reasons to consider;

1. Improved Overall Health

You may experience ragged or hoarse breathing, shortness of breath, persistent cough, chest pains, and pain in the hands, arms, and shoulders. These symptoms are associated with a smoker's lungs.
Quitting smoking reduces the risk of developing these severe health conditions, including lung cancer, heart disease, stroke, respiratory infections, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It also improves lung function and helps with better breathing.

2. Increased Life Expectancy

True, no one knows when death will come knocking, but studies have consistently shown that quitting smoking at any age increases life expectancy.
Stopping smoking significantly reduces the risk of premature death associated with smoking-related diseases.

3. Enhanced Cardiovascular Health

The impact of smoking includes damaged blood vessels, increased blood pressure, and the risk of blood clots.
When you quit smoking, your cardiovascular health improves, decreasing the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and other cardiovascular diseases.

4. Improved Respiratory Health

Smoking damages the lungs and leads to various respiratory problems, such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema.
Quitting smoking helps to reduce coughing, shortness of breath, and the risk of respiratory infections.

5. Better Physical Fitness

Smoking affects physical performance and endurance by reducing lung capacity and muscle oxygen supply.
When you quit smoking, you experience improved stamina, energy levels, and the ability to engage in physical activities without feeling breathless.

6. Enhanced Sense of Taste and Smell

You may notice a bland taste in your food and experience a decline in your sense of smell. Among other health conditions, smoking is a causative agent.
Smoking dulls the senses of taste and smell. However, these senses gradually improve when you trash smoking.
You, my friend, would be led back to a richer experience of flavors and aromas.

7. Improved Appearance

You may have seen photos of individuals before and after they quit smoking. If not, try looking it up.
Smoking contributes to premature aging, wrinkles, yellowing of teeth, and skin damage.
Quitting smoking helps restore a healthier complexion, brighter teeth, and a more youthful appearance.

8. Financial Savings

Hey, smoking is an expensive habit to maintain. You'd end up having several quick fixes that'll consume your paycheck.
By quitting, you can save a significant amount of money that would otherwise be spent on cigarette consumption, allowing you to allocate those funds toward other priorities or enjoyable activities.

9. A Better Quality of Life

Freedom, yes. Quitting smoking can bring about a sense of freedom, control, and empowerment.
You'll no longer allow cigarettes to control your existence. Once you kick that stick to the curb, you'd most likely experience improved mental and emotional well-being.

10. Protecting Others

Smoking harms the individual who smokes and poses health risks to those around them through second-hand smoke.
Asthmatic patients and others may be seriously harmed. It may sound far-fetched, but smoking or the light from a cigarette can actually start a fire.
When you decide to quit, you'll surely contribute to a healthier environment for your loved ones and reduce their exposure to harmful toxins. Think about it.
Remember, quitting smoking can be challenging, but numerous resources and support systems can help you succeed.
Getting professional help, joining smoking cessation programs, or using nicotine replacement therapies can boost your chances of quitting.
Now let's look at one of the support systems. Below and some of the best quit-smoking apps for iPhone and iPad.

6 Best Quit-Smoking Apps for iPhone and iPad

Several smoking cessation applications for iPhone and iPad can assist you in developing excellent and steady quitting methods.
Here are some of the top-rated and popular quit-smoking apps you can consider and how they work:

1. Smoke-Free - Quit Smoking Now

Being one of the best quit-smoking apps for iPhone and iPad, Smoke-free app offers comprehensive features and tools to help you quit smoking and stay smoke-free.
Here are some key features of the Smoke-Free app:

a. Personalized Quit Plan

The app provides a personalized plan based on your smoking habits and goals. It guides you through the quitting process with tailored missions and milestones.

b. Progress Tracker

Smoke-Free tracks your progress over time and displays statistics such as the number of smoke-free days, cigarettes not smoked, and money saved.
This can serve as a visual representation of your accomplishments and motivates you to continue.

c. Health Improvements

The app showcases the positive health changes that occur after quitting smoking.
It provides information on how your body recovers over time, such as improved lung function, reduced risk of diseases, and enhanced sense of taste and smell.

d. Cravings Management

Smoke-Free helps you manage cravings by providing strategies and distraction techniques. It offers interactive games and exercises to redirect your focus when desires arise.

e. Financial Savings

The app calculates the amount of money saved since quitting smoking.
It presents this information in various formats, such as daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly savings, motivating you with the financial benefits of quitting.

f. Achievements and Badges

Smoke-Free rewards you with achievements and badges as you progress on your smoke-free journey.
These milestones provide a sense of accomplishment and further motivation.

g. Community Support

The app includes a supportive community forum where you can connect with other people who are quitting smoking or have successfully stopped. It allows you to share experiences, receive encouragement, and support others.

2. QuitNow! Quit Smoking

QuitNow! Quit Smoking is another popular support system and one of the best quit-smoking apps for iPhone and iPad.
It offers a range of features and tools to help you quit smoking and maintain a smoke-free lifestyle. Here are some key features of the QuitNow! App:

a. Tracking and Statistics

QuitNow! tracks your progress by displaying the number of smoke-free days, cigarettes not smoked, and the time since your last cigarette.
It provides real-time updates on your progress and helps you visualize the positive changes happening as you quit smoking.

b. Health Milestones

The app provides information on the health benefits you can experience while staying smoke-free.
It shows improvements in lung function, cardiovascular health, and overall well-being.

c. Craving Management

QuitNow! offers a craving tracker that helps you identify patterns and triggers for cravings.
It provides tools and techniques to manage and overcome cravings effectively.

d. Financial Savings

The app calculates and displays the money saved since quitting smoking.
It shows your savings daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly, giving you a clear picture of the financial benefits of quitting.

e. Achievements and Badges

QuitNow! rewards you with achievements and badges as you reach certain milestones to quit smoking.
These badges provide a sense of accomplishment and can serve as a source of motivation.

f. Community Support

The app features a community of users who are also quitting smoking or have successfully quit.
You can connect with others, share your experiences, receive support, and provide encouragement to fellow app users.

g. Health Information and Tips

QuitNow! provides educational resources, health information, and tips to help you stay motivated and informed about the benefits of quitting smoking.
It offers insights into the positive changes happening in your body as you become smoke-free.

3. MyQuit Coach

MyQuit Coach is an application developed by Livestrong to help individuals quit smoking. It provides personalized support and guidance throughout your quitting journey.
Here are some key features of the MyQuit Coach app:

a. Personalized Quit Plan

MyQuit Coach creates a customized quitting plan based on your smoking habits, motivations, and goals.
It considers the number of daily cigarette consumption, smoking triggers, and previous quit attempts.

b. Tracker and Progress Monitoring

The app allows you to track your progress and monitor your smoke-free days, non-smoked cigarettes, and money saved since quitting.
This tracking feature helps you stay motivated and visualize the positive changes occurring as you move forward.

c. Craving Management

MyQuit Coach provides strategies and techniques to manage cravings and overcome nicotine withdrawal symptoms.
It offers tips and guidance to navigate challenging situations and cope with triggers effectively.

d. Achievement Badges

The app offers achievement badges to celebrate milestones and progress.
These badges serve as a visual representation of your accomplishments and provide a sense of achievement and motivation.

e. Community Support

MyQuit Coach includes a supportive community forum where you can connect with other individuals who are also quitting smoking or have successfully stopped.
This allows you to share experiences, receive encouragement, and gain support from others going through a similar journey.

f. Educational Resources

The app provides educational resources and information about the benefits of quitting smoking.
It offers insights into the positive changes happening in your body and the health improvements you can expect.

g. Motivational Reminders

MyQuit Coach sends personalized reminders and messages to keep you motivated and on track with your quit plan.
These reminders can help you stay focused and committed to quitting smoking.

4. Kwit - Quit smoking

Kwit is a quit-smoking app that takes a gamified approach to help individuals quit smoking.
This has made it stand out even as one of the best quit-smoking apps for iPhone and iPad.
It offers a unique and interactive experience to make quitting more engaging and enjoyable.
Here are some key features of the Kwit - Quit Smoking app:

a. Gamified Experience

Kwit uses gamification techniques to make quitting smoking more fun and motivating.
It offers achievements, missions, and challenges you can complete as you progress on your smoke-free journey.
The app provides a sense of accomplishment and rewards your achievements, making the process feel like a game.

b. Craving Tracker

The app includes a craving tracker to identify and monitor your cravings. It provides tools and activities to distract yourself and overcome cravings effectively.
The interactive nature of the app helps you shift your focus away from smoking.

c. Health Benefits Tracking

Kwit highlights the health improvements you can experience as you quit smoking.
It displays information about your progress and showcases the positive changes in your body, such as improved lung function, reduced risk of diseases, and enhanced overall well-being.

d. Financial Savings

The app calculates and displays the amount of money saved since quitting smoking.
It shows your savings daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly, giving you a tangible representation of the financial benefits of quitting.

e. Inspirational Content

Kwit provides motivational quotes, facts, and messages to keep you inspired and focused on your goal to quit smoking. It offers positive reinforcement and encouragement throughout your journey.

f. Community Support

The app includes a community feature that creates a medium for the communication of users.
You can share your progress and experiences and support others in quitting. It makes a supportive environment and a sense of camaraderie.

g. Progress Tracking

Kwit tracks your progress and displays statistics such as the number of smoke-free days, the pack of cigarettes not smoked, and the time since your last cigarette.
It provides a visual representation of your achievements and motivates you to continue staying smoke-free.

5. Quit Tracker

The Quit Tracker app is a simple, user-friendly application designed to help individuals quit smoking.
It focuses on tracking your progress and providing motivation along your quit-smoking journey. Here are some key features of the Quit Tracker app:

a. Tracking Smoke-Free Days

Quit Tracker allows you to track the number of smoke-free days since your quit date.
It clearly and visually represents your progress, highlighting the time you have successfully refrained from smoking.

b. Cigarettes Not Smoked

The app calculates and displays the number of cigarettes you have not smoked since quitting.
This feature helps you visualize the positive impact of your decision to quit and provides a sense of accomplishment.

c. Financial Savings

Quit Tracker helps you estimate the amount of money saved since quitting smoking.
It calculates the money you would have spent on a pack of cigarettes and shows your daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly savings.
This can serve as a powerful motivator and highlight the financial benefits of quitting.

d. Goal Setting

The app allows you to set goals related to your quit-smoking journey. Whether aiming for a specific number of smoke-free days or milestones, setting goals can help you stay focused and motivated.

e. Reminders

Quit Tracker lets you set reminders and notifications to help you stay on track with your quit-smoking goals.
These reminders can prompt you to resist cravings or provide encouragement during challenging moments.

f. Widget Support

The app offers widget support, allowing you to view your progress directly from your device's home screen.
This provides quick access to your smoke-free days, cigarettes not smoked, and other statistics without opening the app.

g. Customization

Quit Tracker provides customization options, allowing you to personalize the app according to your preferences.
You can choose different themes and adjust settings to tailor the app to your liking.

6. Smoke-Free - Quit Smoking App

This app is a highly regarded and comprehensive application designed to assist individuals in quitting smoking.
It offers a range of features and resources to support, motivate and maintain steady communication with users throughout their smoke-free journey.
Here are some key features of the Smoke-Free app:

a. Personalized Quit Plan

The app helps you create a personalized quit plan based on your smoking habits, motivations, and goals.
It provides guidance tailored to your needs and offers strategies to overcome challenges.

b. Progress Tracking

Smoke-Free allows you to track your progress as you become smoke-free.
It records and displays the number of smoke-free days, cigarettes not smoked, and the time since your last cigarette.
This tracking feature visually represents your achievements and motivates you to stay on track.

c. Health Improvements

The app provides information on the health benefits of quitting smoking.
It highlights the positive changes in your body as you stay smoke-free, such as improved lung function, reduced risk of diseases, and increased energy levels.

d. Financial Savings

Smoke-Free calculates the amount of money saved since you quit smoking.
It tracks your savings daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly, giving you a tangible representation of the financial benefits of quitting.

e. Craving Management

The app offers tools and techniques to help manage cravings and nicotine withdrawal symptoms.
It provides distractions, activities, and tips for navigating through challenging moments and staying committed to your quit-smoking goals.

f. Achievement Badges and Virtual Rewards

Smoke-Free rewards your progress with achievement badges as you reach milestones and accomplish goals.
These badges provide a sense of accomplishment and serve as a source of motivation.

g. Community Support

The app includes a community forum to connect with a supportive community of individuals who are also quitting smoking or have successfully stopped.
This allows you to share experiences, seek advice, and receive encouragement.

h. Daily Missions and Tips

Smoke-Free provides daily missions and tips to keep you engaged and motivated.
These missions and tips offer guidance, inspiration, and strategies to overcome challenges throughout your quit-smoking journey.

Conclusion

Remember, these quit-smoking apps are meant to provide support and motivation, but ultimately, quitting smoking requires personal commitment and determination.
Terrie Hall left a message before her death. She said, “Don’t smoke, and if you do smoke, quit. Keep trying until you succeed.”
There you have it, folks, the 6 best quit-smoking apps for iPhone and iPad.

Hey there! Let me introduce you to the top quit-smoking apps worldwide for iPhone and iPad users.
These apps were designed to spur you in your journey. So, with loads of determination and your gadgets, you’d be on your way to a healthier lifestyle.
Yes, you have it tough in these difficult times. Smoking brings relief, euphoria, ecstasy, relaxation, warmth, and escape from anger and stress. But hey, it has been widely accepted to be deadly; you know that? Yes, you do.
In her viral video, Terrie Linn McNutt Hall, a former smoker, said, “I wish I’d never seen a cigarette in my entire life. I truly do. I wish I’d never seen one, much less picked it up and smoked it.” Two days later, after years of battle against cancer caused by smoking, she lost her life.
Don’t make it too late. You can save your lungs and health from years of pain and torture.
In this article, you’d get to know or recall why you began smoking, why you should quit it, and some of the best quit-smoking apps for your iPhone and iPad.

Why Do You Smoke?

As people are different, so are their needs, challenges, and way of life. Therefore, the list below does not nearly cover why people smoke.
It simply states a few of them. To help you stop, you need to get to the root of your addiction.

1. Nicotine Addiction

Nicotine, a highly addictive substance found in tobacco, is the primary reason you become hooked on smoking. Nicotine addiction develops over time as the body becomes dependent on the drug.
Continued smoking is often driven by the cravings and withdrawal symptoms associated with nicotine addiction.

2. Peer Pressure and Social Influence

You may recall starting or continuing smoking due to peer pressure or the desire to fit in with a particular social group.
Smoking can be seen as a social activity or a way to bond with friends or colleagues who smoke.

3. Stress Relief

You may have turned to smoking as a coping mechanism for stress, anxiety, or other negative emotions.
Smoking is often perceived as a way to relax or relieve tension, even though the long-term effects on stress management are adverse.

4. Habit and Ritual

Smoking can become a habit deeply ingrained in daily routines. It may be associated with specific activities or situations, such as taking a break, socializing, or complementing other behaviors. The ceremonial aspects of smoking can make it challenging to quit.

5. Emotional Regulation

Smoking may be used as a way to regulate emotions or alleviate boredom. Some individuals find that smoking provides a temporary distraction or a perceived comfort in certain situations.

6. Weight Control

Nicotine is known to suppress appetite and increase metabolism, leading you to make smoking replace food cravings and become a part of weight loss goals.

7. Perception and Image

Smoking has historically been associated with specific images, such as being rebellious, cool, or sophisticated.
You may have begun smoking to align yourself with these perceptions or to project a particular image.

Why Should You Quit Smoking?

For numerous reasons, quitting smoking benefits one's health and overall well-being. Here are some compelling reasons to consider;

1. Improved Overall Health

You may experience ragged or hoarse breathing, shortness of breath, persistent cough, chest pains, and pain in the hands, arms, and shoulders. These symptoms are associated with a smoker's lungs.
Quitting smoking reduces the risk of developing these severe health conditions, including lung cancer, heart disease, stroke, respiratory infections, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It also improves lung function and helps with better breathing.

2. Increased Life Expectancy

True, no one knows when death will come knocking, but studies have consistently shown that quitting smoking at any age increases life expectancy.
Stopping smoking significantly reduces the risk of premature death associated with smoking-related diseases.

3. Enhanced Cardiovascular Health

The impact of smoking includes damaged blood vessels, increased blood pressure, and the risk of blood clots.
When you quit smoking, your cardiovascular health improves, decreasing the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and other cardiovascular diseases.

4. Improved Respiratory Health

Smoking damages the lungs and leads to various respiratory problems, such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema.
Quitting smoking helps to reduce coughing, shortness of breath, and the risk of respiratory infections.

5. Better Physical Fitness

Smoking affects physical performance and endurance by reducing lung capacity and muscle oxygen supply.
When you quit smoking, you experience improved stamina, energy levels, and the ability to engage in physical activities without feeling breathless.

6. Enhanced Sense of Taste and Smell

You may notice a bland taste in your food and experience a decline in your sense of smell. Among other health conditions, smoking is a causative agent.
Smoking dulls the senses of taste and smell. However, these senses gradually improve when you trash smoking.
You, my friend, would be led back to a richer experience of flavors and aromas.

7. Improved Appearance

You may have seen photos of individuals before and after they quit smoking. If not, try looking it up.
Smoking contributes to premature aging, wrinkles, yellowing of teeth, and skin damage.
Quitting smoking helps restore a healthier complexion, brighter teeth, and a more youthful appearance.

8. Financial Savings

Hey, smoking is an expensive habit to maintain. You'd end up having several quick fixes that'll consume your paycheck.
By quitting, you can save a significant amount of money that would otherwise be spent on cigarette consumption, allowing you to allocate those funds toward other priorities or enjoyable activities.

9. A Better Quality of Life

Freedom, yes. Quitting smoking can bring about a sense of freedom, control, and empowerment.
You'll no longer allow cigarettes to control your existence. Once you kick that stick to the curb, you'd most likely experience improved mental and emotional well-being.

10. Protecting Others

Smoking harms the individual who smokes and poses health risks to those around them through second-hand smoke.
Asthmatic patients and others may be seriously harmed. It may sound far-fetched, but smoking or the light from a cigarette can actually start a fire.
When you decide to quit, you'll surely contribute to a healthier environment for your loved ones and reduce their exposure to harmful toxins. Think about it.
Remember, quitting smoking can be challenging, but numerous resources and support systems can help you succeed.
Getting professional help, joining smoking cessation programs, or using nicotine replacement therapies can boost your chances of quitting.
Now let's look at one of the support systems. Below and some of the best quit-smoking apps for iPhone and iPad.

6 Best Quit-Smoking Apps for iPhone and iPad

Several smoking cessation applications for iPhone and iPad can assist you in developing excellent and steady quitting methods.
Here are some of the top-rated and popular quit-smoking apps you can consider and how they work:

1. Smoke-Free - Quit Smoking Now

Being one of the best quit-smoking apps for iPhone and iPad, Smoke-free app offers comprehensive features and tools to help you quit smoking and stay smoke-free.
Here are some key features of the Smoke-Free app:

a. Personalized Quit Plan

The app provides a personalized plan based on your smoking habits and goals. It guides you through the quitting process with tailored missions and milestones.

b. Progress Tracker

Smoke-Free tracks your progress over time and displays statistics such as the number of smoke-free days, cigarettes not smoked, and money saved.
This can serve as a visual representation of your accomplishments and motivates you to continue.

c. Health Improvements

The app showcases the positive health changes that occur after quitting smoking.
It provides information on how your body recovers over time, such as improved lung function, reduced risk of diseases, and enhanced sense of taste and smell.

d. Cravings Management

Smoke-Free helps you manage cravings by providing strategies and distraction techniques. It offers interactive games and exercises to redirect your focus when desires arise.

e. Financial Savings

The app calculates the amount of money saved since quitting smoking.
It presents this information in various formats, such as daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly savings, motivating you with the financial benefits of quitting.

f. Achievements and Badges

Smoke-Free rewards you with achievements and badges as you progress on your smoke-free journey.
These milestones provide a sense of accomplishment and further motivation.

g. Community Support

The app includes a supportive community forum where you can connect with other people who are quitting smoking or have successfully stopped. It allows you to share experiences, receive encouragement, and support others.

2. QuitNow! Quit Smoking

QuitNow! Quit Smoking is another popular support system and one of the best quit-smoking apps for iPhone and iPad.
It offers a range of features and tools to help you quit smoking and maintain a smoke-free lifestyle. Here are some key features of the QuitNow! App:

a. Tracking and Statistics

QuitNow! tracks your progress by displaying the number of smoke-free days, cigarettes not smoked, and the time since your last cigarette.
It provides real-time updates on your progress and helps you visualize the positive changes happening as you quit smoking.

b. Health Milestones

The app provides information on the health benefits you can experience while staying smoke-free.
It shows improvements in lung function, cardiovascular health, and overall well-being.

c. Craving Management

QuitNow! offers a craving tracker that helps you identify patterns and triggers for cravings.
It provides tools and techniques to manage and overcome cravings effectively.

d. Financial Savings

The app calculates and displays the money saved since quitting smoking.
It shows your savings daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly, giving you a clear picture of the financial benefits of quitting.

e. Achievements and Badges

QuitNow! rewards you with achievements and badges as you reach certain milestones to quit smoking.
These badges provide a sense of accomplishment and can serve as a source of motivation.

f. Community Support

The app features a community of users who are also quitting smoking or have successfully quit.
You can connect with others, share your experiences, receive support, and provide encouragement to fellow app users.

g. Health Information and Tips

QuitNow! provides educational resources, health information, and tips to help you stay motivated and informed about the benefits of quitting smoking.
It offers insights into the positive changes happening in your body as you become smoke-free.

3. MyQuit Coach

MyQuit Coach is an application developed by Livestrong to help individuals quit smoking. It provides personalized support and guidance throughout your quitting journey.
Here are some key features of the MyQuit Coach app:

a. Personalized Quit Plan

MyQuit Coach creates a customized quitting plan based on your smoking habits, motivations, and goals.
It considers the number of daily cigarette consumption, smoking triggers, and previous quit attempts.

b. Tracker and Progress Monitoring

The app allows you to track your progress and monitor your smoke-free days, non-smoked cigarettes, and money saved since quitting.
This tracking feature helps you stay motivated and visualize the positive changes occurring as you move forward.

c. Craving Management

MyQuit Coach provides strategies and techniques to manage cravings and overcome nicotine withdrawal symptoms.
It offers tips and guidance to navigate challenging situations and cope with triggers effectively.

d. Achievement Badges

The app offers achievement badges to celebrate milestones and progress.
These badges serve as a visual representation of your accomplishments and provide a sense of achievement and motivation.

e. Community Support

MyQuit Coach includes a supportive community forum where you can connect with other individuals who are also quitting smoking or have successfully stopped.
This allows you to share experiences, receive encouragement, and gain support from others going through a similar journey.

f. Educational Resources

The app provides educational resources and information about the benefits of quitting smoking.
It offers insights into the positive changes happening in your body and the health improvements you can expect.

g. Motivational Reminders

MyQuit Coach sends personalized reminders and messages to keep you motivated and on track with your quit plan.
These reminders can help you stay focused and committed to quitting smoking.

4. Kwit - Quit smoking

Kwit is a quit-smoking app that takes a gamified approach to help individuals quit smoking.
This has made it stand out even as one of the best quit-smoking apps for iPhone and iPad.
It offers a unique and interactive experience to make quitting more engaging and enjoyable.
Here are some key features of the Kwit - Quit Smoking app:

a. Gamified Experience

Kwit uses gamification techniques to make quitting smoking more fun and motivating.
It offers achievements, missions, and challenges you can complete as you progress on your smoke-free journey.
The app provides a sense of accomplishment and rewards your achievements, making the process feel like a game.

b. Craving Tracker

The app includes a craving tracker to identify and monitor your cravings. It provides tools and activities to distract yourself and overcome cravings effectively.
The interactive nature of the app helps you shift your focus away from smoking.

c. Health Benefits Tracking

Kwit highlights the health improvements you can experience as you quit smoking.
It displays information about your progress and showcases the positive changes in your body, such as improved lung function, reduced risk of diseases, and enhanced overall well-being.

d. Financial Savings

The app calculates and displays the amount of money saved since quitting smoking.
It shows your savings daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly, giving you a tangible representation of the financial benefits of quitting.

e. Inspirational Content

Kwit provides motivational quotes, facts, and messages to keep you inspired and focused on your goal to quit smoking. It offers positive reinforcement and encouragement throughout your journey.

f. Community Support

The app includes a community feature that creates a medium for the communication of users.
You can share your progress and experiences and support others in quitting. It makes a supportive environment and a sense of camaraderie.

g. Progress Tracking

Kwit tracks your progress and displays statistics such as the number of smoke-free days, the pack of cigarettes not smoked, and the time since your last cigarette.
It provides a visual representation of your achievements and motivates you to continue staying smoke-free.

5. Quit Tracker

The Quit Tracker app is a simple, user-friendly application designed to help individuals quit smoking.
It focuses on tracking your progress and providing motivation along your quit-smoking journey. Here are some key features of the Quit Tracker app:

a. Tracking Smoke-Free Days

Quit Tracker allows you to track the number of smoke-free days since your quit date.
It clearly and visually represents your progress, highlighting the time you have successfully refrained from smoking.

b. Cigarettes Not Smoked

The app calculates and displays the number of cigarettes you have not smoked since quitting.
This feature helps you visualize the positive impact of your decision to quit and provides a sense of accomplishment.

c. Financial Savings

Quit Tracker helps you estimate the amount of money saved since quitting smoking.
It calculates the money you would have spent on a pack of cigarettes and shows your daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly savings.
This can serve as a powerful motivator and highlight the financial benefits of quitting.

d. Goal Setting

The app allows you to set goals related to your quit-smoking journey. Whether aiming for a specific number of smoke-free days or milestones, setting goals can help you stay focused and motivated.

e. Reminders

Quit Tracker lets you set reminders and notifications to help you stay on track with your quit-smoking goals.
These reminders can prompt you to resist cravings or provide encouragement during challenging moments.

f. Widget Support

The app offers widget support, allowing you to view your progress directly from your device's home screen.
This provides quick access to your smoke-free days, cigarettes not smoked, and other statistics without opening the app.

g. Customization

Quit Tracker provides customization options, allowing you to personalize the app according to your preferences.
You can choose different themes and adjust settings to tailor the app to your liking.

6. Smoke-Free - Quit Smoking App

This app is a highly regarded and comprehensive application designed to assist individuals in quitting smoking.
It offers a range of features and resources to support, motivate and maintain steady communication with users throughout their smoke-free journey.
Here are some key features of the Smoke-Free app:

a. Personalized Quit Plan

The app helps you create a personalized quit plan based on your smoking habits, motivations, and goals.
It provides guidance tailored to your needs and offers strategies to overcome challenges.

b. Progress Tracking

Smoke-Free allows you to track your progress as you become smoke-free.
It records and displays the number of smoke-free days, cigarettes not smoked, and the time since your last cigarette.
This tracking feature visually represents your achievements and motivates you to stay on track.

c. Health Improvements

The app provides information on the health benefits of quitting smoking.
It highlights the positive changes in your body as you stay smoke-free, such as improved lung function, reduced risk of diseases, and increased energy levels.

d. Financial Savings

Smoke-Free calculates the amount of money saved since you quit smoking.
It tracks your savings daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly, giving you a tangible representation of the financial benefits of quitting.

e. Craving Management

The app offers tools and techniques to help manage cravings and nicotine withdrawal symptoms.
It provides distractions, activities, and tips for navigating through challenging moments and staying committed to your quit-smoking goals.

f. Achievement Badges and Virtual Rewards

Smoke-Free rewards your progress with achievement badges as you reach milestones and accomplish goals.
These badges provide a sense of accomplishment and serve as a source of motivation.

g. Community Support

The app includes a community forum to connect with a supportive community of individuals who are also quitting smoking or have successfully stopped.
This allows you to share experiences, seek advice, and receive encouragement.

h. Daily Missions and Tips

Smoke-Free provides daily missions and tips to keep you engaged and motivated.
These missions and tips offer guidance, inspiration, and strategies to overcome challenges throughout your quit-smoking journey.

Conclusion

Remember, these quit-smoking apps are meant to provide support and motivation, but ultimately, quitting smoking requires personal commitment and determination.
Terrie Hall left a message before her death. She said, “Don’t smoke, and if you do smoke, quit. Keep trying until you succeed.”
There you have it, folks, the 6 best quit-smoking apps for iPhone and iPad.

Hey everyone,
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Today, let's delve into the fascinating world of vaping! Whether you're a seasoned vaper or just curious about this trend, there's a lot to learn and explore. As someone who has been vaping for a while now, I'm excited to share some insights and personal experiences with you all.
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The Basics of Vaping:
Vaping involves inhaling and exhaling vapor produced by an electronic device called a vape. These devices work by heating a liquid (usually called e-liquid or vape juice) to create vapor, which is then inhaled by the user. There are several types of vapes available, including:
- Pod Systems: Compact and easy to use, perfect for beginners.
- Vape Pens: Sleek and portable, great for on-the-go vaping.
- Mods: Larger devices with customizable features, ideal for experienced vapers.
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Pros and Cons of Vaping:
Now, let's talk about the good and the bad when it comes to vaping.
​
Pros:
- Alternative to Smoking: Many people turn to vaping as a way to quit or reduce smoking traditional cigarettes.
- Flavor Variety: One of the most enjoyable aspects of vaping is the wide range of flavors available, from fruity to dessert-inspired.
- Customization: With different devices and e-liquids, vapers can customize their vaping experience to suit their preferences.
​
Cons:
- Health Risks: While vaping is generally considered less harmful than smoking, it's not without risks, particularly for non-smokers and young people.
- Addiction: Some e-liquids contain nicotine, which can lead to addiction, especially in young users.
- Regulatory Uncertainty: The vaping industry is still relatively new, and regulations vary by country, which can make it confusing for consumers.
​
Personal Experiences and Advice:
As for my personal journey with vaping, I started as a way to quit smoking, and it's been a game-changer for me. I've tried various devices and flavors over the years, and while it hasn't been without its challenges, I'm grateful for the support and community I've found within the vaping community.
​
If you're considering trying vaping, my advice is to do your research, start with a simple device, and experiment with different flavors until you find what works for you. And remember, vaping isn't for everyone, so listen to your body and make informed decisions.
​
Conclusion:
In conclusion, vaping can be an enjoyable and potentially beneficial activity for many, but it's essential to weigh the pros and cons and make educated choices. Whether you're a veteran vaper or a curious newcomer, I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences with vaping. Feel free to share in the comments below!
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Let's keep the conversation going and learn from each other's experiences. Happy vaping, everyone! 💨✨

Not sure how to phrase it properly, sorry for the dumb title?
Germany has made smoking marijuana legal since April 1st this year. I've never been interested in smoking but I have zero issues with the legalization. Only thing is, I don't know much about it. Nicotine cigarettes aren't healthy when you're exposed to someone else smoking (a lot). I'd assume someone who's sensitive to smoke will not like being close to someone having weed either.. That's how far I get.
However, I don't know what I'd be inhaling. While smoking is legal, it is not legal to be high e.g. at work or while driving. If I'm surrounded by people smoking e.g. at an outside event like a concert, does any of the drug get to me? Am I risking anything driving home afterwards? Can you basically be 2nd hand high?

If you're constantly tired and lacking energy, it's high time to start combating it. You won't be able to adhere to the entire list of things I'm presenting below. The idea is to try all of them and see which ones yield the best results and suit you the most.
If you consistently incorporate several things from the list below for a period of time, I guarantee you'll have more energy every day. Read the following ways to beat fatigue and gain energy for the whole day.

1. Work with your biological clock

Our bodies have a natural ebb and flow of energy throughout the day. We start with a slow flow of energy right after waking up (even after a full 8 hours of sleep). The peak of energy hits at 9 a.m. It's completely natural to feel the need to rest around noon. At this time, we need a nap and rest. The second energy spike is felt in the early evening. That's when energy starts gradually leaving us, ending in exhaustion right before sleep. Once we understand this natural energy flow, we can more effectively match actions and tasks to the time of day.

2. Sing out loud

Whether you're working alone or with someone, a quick rock song is a great way to overcome fatigue. The key here is to choose a song whose lyrics everyone knows. Just 3 minutes of loud singing to an upbeat song and you'll feel a sudden rush of adrenaline.

3. Drink Yerba Mate

Yerba energizes both body and mind. It doesn't contain caffeine but rather mateine, so it doesn't cause heart palpitations or irritability. After drinking Yerba, you'll feel a great boost of energy. Now you'll easily handle all the duties and tasks that await you that day.

4. Clear your stuffy nose

Blocked sinuses cause feelings of tiredness and irritability. Sinus decongestant tablets will help clear them, giving you clarity of mind and thought.

5. Change socks during the day

This is an incredible trick. Take a clean pair of socks to work and change them halfway through the day. You'll be surprised by how refreshed you'll feel. Feeling fresh will give you more energy.

6. Eat a piece of chocolate

Not too much, just a few squares. Chocolate gives us an endorphin boost (not to mention the energy provided by the caffeine in chocolate). Dark chocolate contains more caffeine than milk chocolate.

7. Have an energetic afternoon snack

A small, healthy snack with low sugar and protein content a few hours after lunch will help sustain your energy until the end of the day. You can have, for example: a mix of nuts/dried fruits, low-fat yogurt, apple with peanut butter, fruit smoothie, granola bar.

8. Take a short nap

Nap, but do it in a chair. Don't lie down on the bed because you won't feel like getting up later. The nap should be short - 5-10 minutes maximum. Longer sleep will have the opposite effect and you'll feel tired for the rest of the day.

9. Wear bright colors

This trick is related to how people perceive colors. People dressed in dark colors are perceived as boring, gloomy, and introverted. Wearing bright and colorful colors will make people see you as cheerful and open, which will improve your mood and energy levels.

10. Eat plenty of berries

Red, blue, and purple berries contain a lot of anthocyanins. Anthocyanins are powerful antioxidants that, besides a range of positive properties, will also boost your energy levels.

11. Afternoon gossip

A bit of afternoon gossip with friends or teasing with colleagues will liven up your mind. It works because you give your brain a break and detach yourself from stressful thoughts for a while. A few minutes of mental break refreshes and adds energy.

12. Flirt

Flirting is fun, harmless (if innocent), and very effective in boosting energy. Nothing speeds up heart rate and improves blood flow like a good flirt.

13. Wake up at the same time every day

Every day, even on weekends, wake up at the same time. Otherwise, you'll have trouble falling asleep late in the evening or worse, you'll be sleepy when you should be fully awake and energetic. The most important thing is to go to bed and get up at the same time every day. If you want to feel refreshed and reset at a specific time, don't eat for 12-16 hours. For example, if you want to feel refreshed at 2 p.m., have your last meal between 10 p.m. and midnight. At 2 p.m., have your first meal, and your body will consider this moment as the start of a new day.

14. Lavender aromatherapy

Studies have shown that the scent of lavender increases our alertness and mental agility. Lavender aroma was administered to a portion of the group, for 3 minutes before the study began, and then everyone was asked to complete math tests. The aromatherapy group completed the tests faster and more accurately.

15. Drink plenty of water

Dehydration is one of the causes of fatigue. Drinking less than 8 glasses of water a day can lead to fatigue and lack of energy. Every day, you need to drink at least 2 liters of water (more during hot weather). From today, drink the recommended amount of water daily and see if your energy level increases.

16. Eat low glycemic index foods (low-carb foods)

Carbohydrates with a high glycemic index are more easily absorbed by the body. This leads to large fluctuations in blood sugar levels and thus large energy spikes - rapid increase as well as rapid decrease.
High glycemic index foods to avoid include: white bread, potatoes, sugar, breakfast cereals. Low glycemic index foods include: fruits, vegetables, whole grain bread, pasta, and other low-carb foods.

17. Avoid energy drinks

Energy drinks almost instantly increase energy levels after consumption, but this is a short-term effect. Energy drinks act like a credit card - you take now, but in the future, you have to pay off the debt. After the drink wears off, there is an energy deficit, which will make your fatigue even greater than before you drank it.

18. Eat more soluble fiber

Soluble fiber slows down the rate of sugar absorption. It evens out the energy level and prevents fluctuations. (Consuming fiber is also recommended for people suffering from constipation.) Foods containing fiber include: nuts, grains, fruits, vegetables, beans, and oats.

19. Drink coffee but in moderation

Coffee and caffeinated beverages increase energy levels, but excessive use can harm you immensely. Drink coffee only in the morning to avoid having trouble falling asleep in the evening, and consequently, feeling even worse the next day.

20. Don't forget about ascorbic acid (=vitamin C)

Remember your daily dose of citrus fruits (e.g. Drink orange juice every day) or vitamin C in tablets. Research shows a relationship between vitamin C deficiency and chronic fatigue. Vitamin C also aids in the absorption of nutrients from food.

21. Vitamin B complex

B vitamins exhibit many different properties, but most of them are involved in the process of converting blood sugars into energy. To ensure an adequate intake of B vitamins, start following a balanced diet.

22. Play games to relax

Games stimulate the mind while simultaneously relaxing it. When we play, we forget about problems and everyday matters. A short break will positively affect your energy level . Instead of focusing solely on a project and trying not to fall asleep, play an online game for a while and relax. Just remember not to overdo it with the time - you wouldn't want your boss to give you a reprimand. 5 minutes of gaming is enough to find the energy needed for the next hour.

23. Cold water on the face

Splashing your face with cold water will wash away the fatigue and stress from the entire day. Jumping into a pool or taking a cold shower will have the same effect. A shower stimulates metabolism and the entire circulatory system. Just a bit of water is enough to feel energized.

24. Quit smoking

People who quit smoking have 2-3 times more energy than before. Nicotine disrupts sleep quality, so smokers sleep worse than non-smokers. This often makes smokers feel tired, frustrated, and lacking in zest for life.

25. Smell citrus

Scents of citrus fruits (orange, lemon, lime) stimulate us to act and make us feel more refreshed. Instead of regular balm, use a lemon-scented balm, and use orange-scented shower gel.

26. Eat smaller meals but more frequently

Eat small meals but more often. This way, your energy will remain at a steady level. However, avoid snacking on low-nutrient, empty-calorie foods. Such products only cause a short-term energy boost followed by a total drop.

27. Stand up, stretch, and take a few deep breaths

Stretch your arms, back, legs, and neck. Take a few deep breaths through your nose, hold the air, and exhale slowly. Repeat the exercise several times. It will take you 30 seconds, and you'll immediately feel better. When you sit down, you'll have a clear mind and the strength needed to tackle difficult and boring tasks.

28. Drink tea

Recent studies by University College London (UCL) have shown that drinking 4-6 cups of tea a day lowers the level of stress hormone and increases vitality.

29. Look on the bright side

An optimistic approach to life helps maintain a high level of energy. Of course, the worst things in life can happen, regardless of how much you worry. Look for the positive aspects of every event and stop being constantly tired.

30. Take a mini vacation

Take one day off and do whatever you feel like doing. A day without work and obligations. Use this day only for pleasure. The next day, you'll return to work motivated and full of energy.

31. Have a big breakfast but a light lunch

A heavy lunch, especially one consisting of a large amount of carbohydrates (e.g., a hamburger with fries), eaten at midday during work, will drain all your energy and make you sluggish for the rest of the day. Instead, have a substantial breakfast at home in the morning. It will provide you with the energy you need for the whole day. A big breakfast not only helps you avoid midday sluggishness but also makes you more productive in the morning. It's a double win.

32. Add ginseng to your diet

Ginseng is a well-known stimulant and energy booster. Ginseng is an adaptogen, meaning it helps to adapt to stressful situations, strengthens the immune system, and increases energy levels.

33. Walk on tiptoes

While walking or even sitting, try rolling your toes on the ground. This stimulates the circulatory system, which in turn provides extra oxygen and fuel (glucose) to the whole body. You'll have more energy and regain clarity of thinking. You can do this right now.

34. Get organized

When everything around you is tidy and organized, you won't have to waste valuable energy thinking about millions of little things.

35. Eliminate stress

Sometimes stress is necessary, e.g., it helps us finish a project on time, motivates us to keep going, but most of the time it's just an energy drain. Try to differentiate and eliminate the stress that has a destructive impact on you, and use the saved energy in a more productive way.

36. Love more often

Maintain a regular flow of endorphins (happiness hormones) and you'll have more energy, a better mood, and a clearer mind.

37. Start exercising

If you lead a sedentary lifestyle, the mere thought of intense physical exercise probably exhausts you. However, if you start moving, gradually increasing the intensity of the exercises, you'll feel a huge surge of energy and well-being.

38. Clear your to-do list of unimportant tasks

If you have an absurdly long to-do list, impossible to complete in a set time, you'll feel immense fatigue just thinking about what you have to do. Remove from the list all the things you don't want or don't necessarily need to do. Try to delegate each of these tasks to someone else or move them to a list of things you might do in the future. Limiting the to-do list to the most urgent and important matters will give you the energy to act.

39. Take a walk

Go outside for some fresh air and take a brisk walk to increase blood flow. The sight of sunlight will signal your body that it's not yet time for sleep.

40. Opt for lean protein without fats and carbohydrates

Eating lean protein will provide you with a longer feeling of fullness. It will also prevent spikes in blood sugar levels and thus maintain your energy level at a steady pace. Lean protein options include: fish, seafood, lean pork, or chicken breast ("white meat").

41. Get enough sleep at night

Each of us needs about 7-8 hours of sleep per day to feel fully rested. Sleeping less than 6 hours per day creates a "sleep debt" that is extremely difficult to recover from. If you sleep long enough, it should take you about 30 minutes to fall asleep. However, if you fall asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow, it means you suffer from sleep deprivation.

42. Listen to the radio while working

It has long been known that music stimulates our pleasure center located in the brain. Put on headphones and listen to your favorite music while working - this will make you feel energized and increase your productivity.

43. Lose a few kilograms

To lose weight, exercise, drink plenty of water, and avoid simple sugars - these are also actions that have a positive impact on energy levels. Losing excess fat will simultaneously generate additional energy. You'll feel lighter, and everything will seem easier. Weight loss will make you feel bursting with energy.
However, be cautious of all short-term, miracle diets. Not consuming enough calories per day will make you feel even more tired and exhausted. Instead, try to take small steps and change your lifestyle permanently.

44. Go to the gym in the morning

Many people go to the gym after work. Try going there in the morning, and you'll gain energy that will last you through the day. Of course, you'll have to wake up an hour or even two earlier, but you'll be able to go to bed earlier than usual. Working out at the gym will induce the release of endorphins, which, being happiness hormones, will make you feel good and more efficient throughout the day. In summary - you'll spend the same amount of time at the gym, but you'll get a bonus in the form of additional energy.

45. Avoid drinking alcohol in the middle of the day

If you need energy for the entire day, steer clear of alcohol consumption until dinner, even if it's just a glass of wine or one beer. Alcohol heavily sedates, leaving you with little energy to tackle afternoon tasks.

46. Don't drink alcohol before bedtime

Alcohol disrupts deep and restful sleep, so even if you get the same amount of hours as usual, you'll feel more tired. Never consume alcohol before going to bed, and you'll wake up more refreshed.

47. Laugh

Laughter is a great remedy for fatigue. Laugh regularly to maintain a good mood throughout the day. Surround yourself with funny people or visit satirical websites daily or subscribe to a joke of the day.

48. Eat eggs

People who eat eggs for breakfast (as opposed to those who eat bread or other carbohydrates) have more energy and consume less during the next meal.

49. Get your thyroid checked

Chronic fatigue can be a symptom of hypothyroidism. This condition is caused by a deficiency of thyroid hormones, leading to a slowdown in metabolic processes. If you constantly lack strength and energy, see a doctor and request thyroid tests.

50. Dress nicely

The better you dress and the better you look, the better you'll feel, and consequently, the more energy you'll have. Put some effort into choosing your work attire, wait for compliments from coworkers, and become the most energetic employee in the company.

51. Practice yoga

Stretching, slow, controlled movements, and focus on breath reduce tension and alleviate stress. With yoga, you'll sleep better, feel more relaxed, and maintain good mental health.

52. Add yogurt to your diet

Yogurt with live bacterial cultures will help maintain a healthy digestive system and better absorb all the nutrients from food. This will make you feel better and have more energy. Yogurts are also a wonderful low-fat snack.

53. Do aerobic and cardio exercises

Aerobic exercises increase blood flow, delivering more oxygen to all organs (including the brain). They will increase your endurance and stamina – even in performing duties and mundane work. Regular cardio exercises will give you more energy every day.

54. Lower your blood pressure

Besides being one of the causes of heart attacks, high blood pressure also makes us feel tired. If you haven't seen your family doctor in a while, go and ask for your blood pressure to be measured.

55. Treat yourself to a massage

A massage will relax tense muscles, making you feel more relaxed. Being more relaxed means being happier and more productive. A quick back massage at work, done by a colleague, will give you energy for the rest of the day.

56. Socialize

Turn off the internet and go meet your friends. People are social beings. To be healthy and have lots of energy, we need regular social interactions.

As Napalm
It felt frustrating in Chongqing. I was rather stuck in Hechuan. I got accustomed to lajiao (spice) there. I was a Midwesterner at the age of 22. I was raised in Illinois. I became a manic—a Ferris wheel on fire—I was hiding under a bed in a hotel. Bold like napalm. Sometimes I can never stop. Even when I was 18 in a ward arguing with staff. Always want to fight things. That’s why I refused the meds and went on a plane from America to China. I was going to be an English teacher. And like a light switch, the change and SSRIs turned me into a mess. It would be my first time experiencing psychosis. My biggest issue. I never imagined I would be stuck illegally in a country suffering a psychotic episode in my early twenties.
Transplanted as pollen. I was left with a backpack and a cellphone. With a downloaded app called WeChat. I had arrogantly quit a university job in a fit. Spent the past months full of energy and not sleeping and neglecting myself, including not eating, to work on a novel. Not considering myself normally religious, I had obsessed over occult ideas during that time. Spending nights reading Aleister Crowley—haven taken a rusty pocket knife to carve a pentagram on my chest for spiritual protection.
I did not have funds to fly home. My visa was connected to my previous job, which meant I had now made it void. I was an illegal resident now in China.
I used a nifty app called WeChat as a messaging app, it allows users to find people near them that are also looking for others. It was like a virtual pond. All kinds of people, including sex workers trying to make things happen.
It could with luck be used to find people looking for people in terms of other kinds of work. It was helpful on many occasions for finding gigs working at English training schools and also finding work as a private tutor for people.
WeChat also works as a digital wallet.
Mania makes me irritable. Enough to tell a boss to fuck off. Thoughts ricochet within me. Bumper cars collide.
Being stuck and angry sucks. I scrolled and scrolled on a Huawei phone.
Absolutely pissed off at this world.
Pissed at the times police wanted to take me away for being a mess.
Sometimes women get pissed. Scrolling through their phones. Angry at their cheating husbands. It really is not that hard to have flair—be a damn white oddity. Like moths to a porchlight. Particles of sand through hands. This is when I first started the habit of it…
I rather go by a rather empty name of Taishen… with further explanation needed but now is not convenient. But I assure it is interesting enough and has some importance.
Habits are various in nature in how they attach to and eat at marrow—like atom bombs flashing as rays evaporating DNA—sets in a way less than human as putting myself in the cage of bad things taken up—my time as a former heroin addict is left as stretch marks on me in various ways. The same goes for the first time I found myself making arrangements with middle aged married women while desperation of waves whiplashed me like sandpaper hands coming at me to leave me in a tiring state of abrasion.
I had spent a night snuck away into a hotel. Found someone on a business trip. Instead of registering I waited to sneak along into the hotel elevator amongst a group of others attending the hotel, as I had no card. I headed to a designated room number. Originally I was sitting in a park. Playing on WeChat and found someone in their mid-thirties. Pictures were exchanged and I said no. She brought up paying for the hotel if I arrived. I agreed and went along.
When I met I washed up after her and we used our phones to awkwardly translate what we would do.
Room service knocked. I found myself hidden under a bed as I was not registered to be there.
It seems unusual that it was around this time I had started working on a story of my life as a heroin addict when I got caught up in my worse manic episode ever experienced during my age of 22. Finished half that story before never going back to it after my manic episode had ended. Now I am here writing about it and wondering if the same can happen again in the process of this work.
It feels extremely cliché I would write a novel about struggles with heroin addiction. It has been done many times. It’s just lame of me.
I feel like my thoughts are bit off. I left the hotel the next morning with the little money I did have on a debit card. Turns out the woman was from Taiyuan. It is a city in the northern part of China in the province of Shanxi—coal country with the worst air pollution in China. She has a colleague in Taiyuan that takes courses at an English training center. I was able to contact this place in the morning via a shared contact on WeChat given to me by the stranger I met that night.
Before I knew it I was sending my information and documents in my backpack at an internet café in a fax—with the intent that the woman agreed to share my information to the training center as she shared my contact to its hiring manager. It would land me a job that day that would help me out of my situation. Things turned not quite out as I expected though. I was shifted like a ball to somebody else to contact for a training center geared to teaching children.
I took what I had and ran off to a train station after taking the public transit. Unfortunately I was shit for money and could not afford a high speed rail pass. The slow train would take thirty-two hours to get to my destination. I would have taken a room with a bed but all I could afford was a hard seat for the travel.
Things were getting better for me in the circumstance considering I had found someone willing to take me for work despite my visa situation.
The thirty-two hour train ride was horrendous in some ways, but mostly I was in excitement despite the circumstances. I’m always giddy when disappointed. I moved up and down the aisle of the train. I could not speak mandarin, but it did not stop me from trying to interact with everyone. I talked many ears off during the train ride. I went up and down the aisle trying to interact as a moth to porchlights—I could not stop even if I had wanted to. I found great enjoyment the times I did get to sit across a table from somebody my age heading to Taiyuan from Chongqing. They were a university student returning to their hometown. Another passenger who sat beside me was an elderly man with hard boiled eggs, he was eating one after another one. I highly enjoyed each and every conversation that I had. It was like my head was a lightbulb wanting June bugs to bang against it with the intensity of Roman candles shot at my mouth of nicotine tinged teeth.
“If you find someone in Shanxi it is practice to pay the family money before you can get married. You would also have to already own a home and a car,” told my new friend across in their seat from me—a university passenger friend named David.
“Not necessarily what I was looking for. When is the next stop for snacks?” When the train stops I am able to get out and to have a walk onto the platform to buy various goods from the vendors to take back with me to eat along the ride to Taiyuan.
I had all my important documents tucked in my bag. This included my health clearance and obviously I made no mention of my mental health diagnosis or history to the doctor who had to evaluate me. My diploma and TEFL certificate were tucked away securely. A TEFL is a certificate that stands for Teaching English as a Foreign Language, it qualifies me to teach English as a second language abroad—it had only took a few months of taking a course online that I had paid for to obtain.
It is easy to be happy when you can trick yourself as your own con artist. Mania can make you deceive yourself. One can be doused in napalm and still not fully recognize what is actually going on. Same goes the flicking of psychosis. Even when I have nothing I find myself in my radiating irritation the most qualified of things—the velocity of my rhythm sets me out of an orbit.
The pressure cooker keeps me moving like a propeller at times. I finally arrived at Taiyuan. I arrived at the station to be greeted by Ryan my manager and his assistant Jennifer. We had our hello and introduction and they helped me get to a taxi that would bring me to my new apartment. I finally had a residence again. Apparently they were desperate for a teacher. The last teacher was from New Mexico and apparently they pulled a midnight run—that is when a teacher in the middle of the night disappears onto a plane back home without any notification of it.
The apartment was okay. On the fourth floor with no elevator, so it was a bit of a climb up a dark stairwell not lit correctly.
My job was a training center that had a location near Yingze Park in the center of the city. I was to be paid in cash via envelopes. I would assist in teaching kindergarten all the way up to high school aged students there in private lessons paid by their parents. I would also be assigned by my company to various primary schools in the city. I would take public buses to various schools paid by the company I worked for to give English lessons as I bounced around to various classrooms and schools in the city. Often I would receive a phone call to avoid going to work that day if my boss got inside input that officials would be doing raids to check foreigners’ visas that day.
A taxi ride would always be a thrill. Caused me nerves at first, but I came to love the flying in dangerous ways along a busy road. I remember a driver beeping their horn away as they drove onto the sidewalk to pass people. They treated the pedestrians as if they were in the wrong. I came flying in front of a primary school at its front gates. I was going to start teaching a first grade classroom and a kindergarten classroom. The way schools are set up is with a wall around the entirety of the exterior of the school. There is a gate at the front where one or two security will be waiting to let people in and out of the complex of the school.
I walked in front of the gate to greet the security. It was my first time with an assignment at this school. The guard said they had never seen me before and wouldn’t let me in. Not a big nuisance while I called my boss who then called the school to sort out the situation.
I miss the classroom so much. I ended up teaching in China for five years at various training schools. After returning to Illinois, I still taught as a primary school teacher in a public school.
I often feel extremely ugly from inside to my outside, but something is attractive there. This does not come just in terms of flirting and relationships—mania makes me a genuine lightbulb that flickers in a way that encourages the insects to me—everyone looks like a June bug—this is what I have come to understand about life. But that ugly does kind of stay like rot in a cavity that leaves a bad taste in the mouth that smells foul—hoping nobody catches the smell near me—it must tie into my struggles with bulimia over the years.
The same goes for my years as a teacher—in relation to the whole lightbulb phenomenon—I’m positive it is tied to mania and hypomania. The younger students always were fixated on the information I was teaching to them. I kept over the years methods taught to me and self-taught that I found extremely effective with younger students when it comes to teaching.
Everything was physical in learning in terms of intensity and ambition. When teaching my first grade classroom I would create flashcards for the vocab we would work on and implement in creating new sentences with. We would chant these words together in a way that made me a clown while teaching. Students would yell out the word that I presented with intense enthusiasm. As I walked by students it was expected that while they yelled out the word they would also physically hit the card. Later I would also work on physical gestures and acting out of vocab words and they would follow the actions and phrases with me.
I would often eventually turn the class into two teams. When students got an answer right I would behave comically and full of energy—I would give them a high five and pretend they were so strong with it that it hurt my hand in the process with much exaggeration—the students always seemed to never get tired of this act.
One game I would play involved drawing two stick figures with happy faces on them. Each figure would represent one of the teams for the classroom. I would draw a hungry alligator under the figures. Their faces would also be comical in appearance and full of exaggerations. Each figure had a parachute placed over them and four strings attached. During the game the students would race to say the word correctly represented on the flashcard or the correct word for the gesture I was making. The team that was not the slowest would lose a string on the parachute. If a team lost all four strings they would fall to the alligator who would eat them. The students found it hilarious with my actions involved in it. I would also draw tears and a person praying to represent anticipation and worry of falling down each time they lost a string.
I had a tooth game too. I would draw too large faces for each team. The team that could answer the flashcards and gestures the quickest would have a tooth drawn in their mouth. The team with the most teeth would win and it would look rather funny as the mouth grew and grew with an abnormal and extreme amount of teeth.
I often did other physical and interactive games like having students run to the word I showed a card to or gestured—each word would be attached to a point in the classroom on a wall.
I know it sounds grandiose, but the parents always seemed to think I was great at my job.
The word vulnerable means so many things to me. That word is like the coal to form the generator that makes the guiding energy for the ethics I follow in my life—I hold very strongly to these values that have developed on how to live—I can express it more later but I greatly attach a kind of Christian value system to it, which makes sense considering I was raised in a Lutheran household and always went to church, Sunday school, and went to my courses and went through my confirmation—everyone is a bit of a mop—some pick up clean water and others dirty or a mix of it—waiting to find the people to drain them voluntarily or involuntarily. I was born vulnerable. I walk pigeon-toed and grew up tripping on my feet—I speak with a soft feminine voice. Bipolar disorder makes somebody vulnerable. There was much vulnerability in being eighteen and hospitalized involuntarily for my first manic episode—tied to a stretcher. I have almost a sense of us vs them—the vulnerable and those that harm the vulnerable—take advantage of the vulnerable—I feel this is a very much Christian in the idea of the unfortunate are more holy than the rest of the bunch—children are like that in terms of being born into a cruel existence—a cruel existence I felt at times in my life and so many do—making sure harm does not come to those in need gives the light of purpose to go bright inside like a Christmas tree in my brain—this light of happiness and warmth. I never expected I would fall in love for teaching due to the antidepressant effect provided. It would become my career for a decade. Some grow up wanting to be a teacher, I became one by accident, desperation, and being saved.
Sometimes I inflate on self-hate like a helium balloon that needs to be tied to a wrist. The vulnerability equation is imprinted on my brain.
In my early teens I started struggling with bulimia and image. I remember when my mother caught me in the act. I was not offered help but criticized. I was called a girl for my problems and threatened to be taken somewhere to be fixed of my confusion. I don’t identify as transgender. I identify as a man that struggles with bulimia and happens to have feminine qualities.
I attribute it to circumstances that happened to me—a justification for the pain at times—an attack on aspects of bisexuality.
After a long day of work I did what my young self often did. I went clubbing with friends. I feel like even if I hide aspects of myself such as being bisexual, people can spot it regardless. I’m extremely secretive about it and not comfortable displaying that vulnerable aspect of myself.
My friend from England went with me. He was about six years my senior. Big guy. Tall. The clubs name was Maoye.
I always enjoyed the free drinks available to foreigners—it was done to attract Chinese clients, as the idea was foreigners being there would attract people.
Amongst the hot and sweltering crowd a man grabbed ahold of me. I felt stuck. I was taken off guard. Pushed and cornered. While on me I managed to push him off. But it all serves as a reminder of the vulnerability of my life.
A nail was placed into my hand—a constant burn and reminder of that vulnerability.
Part 2
From self-hate I can also be so grandiose. I am like a Christmas tree that is lit up. Sparklers so pretty that you cannot let go of them, even if it burns your fingertips and hurts.
From heroin to sex, you can smother the pain. You drain the ocean to fill a void in these times. It ties to mania as well. That restlessness and irritability is extinguished by the paradox of throwing kerosene to everything burning. I’m so grandiose to hide my insecurities, I mistake my misfortune as a mark of something ugly virtuous—the neon of vulnerability pulsating like a star within me. Swelling on a pain.
Bad habits. I want you to judge me and tell me what’s wrong with me. Give me a verdict.
Stress a trigger for mania, and I was stressed from the incident I had experienced at the club. I bloated like a tick to distract from locusts of thoughts that could not shut up with their commotion.
I had been sleeping around more than before. My brain was Christmas tree lights. I accelerated on a generator—I made a mixed episode worse.
Tease a disaster when you are heightened like a blimp. Full of hydrogen. Hoping to burn up ad rain down like napalm.
When the pretty candles on the Christmas tree are left untouched—not looked at like a kettle on burner that has been forgotten—the dry neglected tree will into a house fire.
I’ve had four attempts in my life so far.
When I attempt I don’t cry for help. I feel too vulnerable. I’m afraid.
Hate police and wards.
Downing pills.
My past failed attempts made me aware of everything done wrong before. The sleeping pills alone might not do what I was looking for at that time. I bought an electrical cable. This way if it failed I would still be unconscious and choked out by the cord—fail safe plan to end my life.
The words coming out of my mouth slowed down. I started getting second thoughts. Stuck my face towards the toilet bowl while on my knees. Sticking my fingers down my throat. Leaving blood vessels bursting in my eyes.
Went stumbling outside and waved a taxi down and asked to be taken to the local hospital.
Never expected finding myself checked into a psych ward in a foreign country.
Nietzsche has a quote in reference to chaos in life and how it is needed to create a star—this reference holds so much value to me. Sometimes stars hit together just right to create fate out of the worst of things. The ward lead me to meet the woman made of paper. She would one day become my wife. I would have two daughters with her. Forge together as soldiers to face the obstacles in life. Someone who would save my life during a future attempt when I was found unconscious from an overdose. The smartest and toughest woman I have ever known. Someone to build trenches with.
I liked it when she stuck that needle in me for an IV. It must correlate to being a heroin addict. The pushing of something in my vein correlates to happiness and purity.
The woman made out of paper was my nurse in the ward I was stuck in. What attracted her to the mess that is me I will never understand fully.
The woman made out of paper is named Lilu. She was one year older than me and one of my nurses at that ward in Taiyuan. She was from Zhengzhou—a city in the province of Henan that is based in the center of China. I am sure as the reader it would be nice to know why I call her the woman made of paper.
She struggled with her own demons. She also deserves much praise for her resilience and brains. When she was born she was raised by a family that adopted her and often neglected and abused her growing up. Her biological family is distant from her, even though she has an identical twin—they felt too poor to take care of her and made the choice that they needed to be less of one child as she also has an older sister—her twin got to stay with that family but she was given up and adopted. I am sure this must bother her even if she never will talk about it to anyone in her life—as she is one to refuse ever discussing emotions and feelings, as this is not her personality type—she is very much a fighter. I think most would struggle with wondering why they were the one let go of—it also must hurt her knowing that the family would have a son and keep him.
Despite all these circumstances, she graduated top of her class of four thousand students—Chinese high schools can be quite large serving a large region—they often serve as boarding schools. She was a smart and hardworking student. Circumstances never made her stop trying to be the best and moving forward and she never made excuses for herself. In university she also did well and got accepted at the most studious and hard to obtain nursing position at the number one hospital in Shanxi.
I have already ranted and gone on about my affection and feelings tied to heroin. Drinking of entire oceans to fill voids.
Paper is a void. It asks for calligraphy to be written on it to make braille. This way when fingers run over skin, it tells worth—the reason for troubles—it forms connection through those words of declaration—the whining for why things are the way they are—the filling of a void like a heroin addict needing a cure—two papers come together to write upon one another—as a paper I am her typo—I stand as a falling mess with nerves like tripwire, I keep failing and losing my composer, while she stands stronger as a declaration that has been written on—when I was chased I listened to her and joined as one. I wish and intend to always serve the woman made out of paper who has saved my life and has always been there for me, being so strong despite circumstances—amongst the wind of turmoil in life I follow along her path.
It was love at first sight for her but not for me. I had no interest in dating her at the time. I worked across the street of that hospital in an office building for a training center as a part time job. I would teach adults English who paid for private lessons near to Yingze park in the center of Taiyuan. She signed up for classes for me to teach her and brought me food on almost every other day that she had prepared. Eventually we found ourselves coupled fully.
In a pit. I get to burn as paper amongst another’s paper. Eternally. With a life that will keep reoccurring.
Part 3 Liu
A woman like Chang’e lived on a moon. Far away.
You can refer to me as Liu.
At the age of 19 I was diagnosed with a severe nerve pain condition. It is called trigeminal neuralgia but you can call it TN for ease.
I was frustrated. I had completed a degree in international finances from Chongqing University of Business and Technology. The boom of the economy was not the same. There was an urge to “lay flat”—to not try as a form of opposition to everything going on in a waning economy in China.
All are elephants chained for an audience. People love to peek and stare as though they are glass doors without hinges—to be made feel useless.
I developed TN at the age of 19, and was now 22. It came as an arrow, and quite literally to the face. It’s a rare nerve pain disorder often considered one of the most painful conditions known.
The illness involves intense nerve pain throughout the left side of my face. It felt like someone was trying to pull all of the teeth on the left side of my face without anesthesia. The pain can leave me falling to the floor unable to speak or move while screaming profanities while choked by pain. A feeling of a knife to my face over and over again. It leaves me in absolute shock. Like Roman candles to the face. An absolute hindrance. The anticipation of not knowing when it will happen again is a nightmare at times.
The disease is often called the suicide disease, apparently up to 26% try to take their lives. In a state of panic during one of the nerve attacks I began swallowing any pill near to me. I went to the hospital to have my stomach pumped when I was found comatose by my mother.
I want to be Chang’e and on the moon and away from a world I have had enough of.
Gossip spread around the workplace that I attempted suicide over an affair with a married man. There was too much guilt to return to the workplace. COVID did have an impact to the economy. I still remember my hometown having dirt and trees piled onto the exits and entrances to the city keep people in their places.
The work I did find felt beneath me. China has what is called the great firewall that keeps something in and out of the country’s networks. A VPN was necessary to access American TikTok as it was used as opposed to the Chinese version.
Feels humiliating the nature of the outcome for me—I gave up in many ways like so many Chinese youth. For work I would go to a local office building. Amongst a long hall would be a room for live stream performers. I would entertain with watchers while trying to obtain virtual gifts for actual money. I despised it—sometimes the conversation could be funny or interesting but it felt hollow.
I would paint flowers on my face and wear hanfu clothing while doing ASMR.
I had a mind of sparklers burning until it burnt and stung like wax—like I had the option to stop and cry and those tears stuck as wax and burnt or I soldiered on and grew accustomed to the pain. I was an elephant chained. The audience watched and interacted with me on the live. I was a chained elephant when it was found out about my previous attempt and when the rumors spread.
Too many thorns in life. Nails hitting at the wrong points like an equation for something terrible to eventually happen.
My favorite dish was Henan noodles. I often cooked it with my mom. It provides great memories of childhood. I hadn’t talked to my mother as much as before. She moved to a job in Taiyuan.
Sometimes I would go up to visit her. But it was harder as she worked more and more hours. Sometimes voids build even when going through extreme nerve pain. And with trigeminal neuralgia, the pain was so intense that I would freeze and scream in pain. It cannot always be hid. It made me an elephant tethered.
Life can be like a pressure like no other. Too much stress. Makes one feel irritable with a mouth like a sprinkler of napalm when someone is too close. Life feels like a lit fire cracker held—in the end it would tear my hand up. Things kept building while the other side of my face began to hurt too recently. This was rare and not so common. My eyesight was becoming blurry too and it seemed I might have multiple sclerosis as the pain was on both side, it was not common for my age, and the blurry eyesight. An appointment was scheduled and I felt terrified to know what was going on and wondered if it was best to not even know my health.
I walked out of the studio and had a cigarette. My boss came out and joined to talk. He was concerned about view count and wanted me to do things to increase it that made me feel uncomfortable. He made a few comments I found incentive.
The boss sure liked to criticize and apply pressure. He was not impressed with my work and thought I could do something different. In China an application is used called WeChat. This application has many uses. People can display and share moments like a Facebook wall, message each other, send money, video chat, and even has a feature to find people near to you who are also looking for people near to them. I was to attract people onto dates. The idea was they would be lured in and the men would go to a set destination to a planned tea house that served snacks. When the men arrived (they had no knowledge of the setup) the bill would be at an absurd rate and if the men refused to pay larger men would use their size to force them to pay up.
I was not sure at the time yet if I wanted the job. Being worried about ethics and safety. It was something I would have to think about.
My medical expenses were growing and I knew the nerve disease could be expensive to treat with surgery. All I had was thoughts while looking at the moon.
Part 4 Taishen
My former roommate in the ward I shared a room with had paranoid schizophrenia. I was stuck in the same place due to mania, and just had gotten my diagnosis of bipolar disorder.
I was so pissed being stuck there and felt I had no business being there. I found my diagnosis to be an insult to me. I was only 18 at the time—taken in on a stretcher. Made me feel very vulnerable and irritated.
My roommate was having delusions related to Christianity and could not stop waking me up in the middle of the night to ask and talk about Jesus. Left me beyond frustrated.
He was drifting from his wife and would go on and on about intending to leave her. Felt he was spied and plotted against by her. So we were both frustrated with being there.
The toilets were special. They would flush what needed to be flushed but not certain things like pills—it helped to keep people from hiding they were not taking their medications.
He had tried to flush his wedding ring down the toilet but he did not realized it didn’t flush. I went to use the restroom later and saw the ring. I told him. He took it out. He found it to be a sign form God that he is to stay with his wife, and there was immense happiness in his eyes.
Part 5 Liu
I’m a missile from Zhengzhou
Where my face is printed with flowers
Left university with hope
A blimp
To be ripped
Abrasion and termites
Eat me whole until I undo
Caught to the wires around me
Laying flat
Hoping for something new.
My name is Michelle. I had been at the local foreigner bar. I was raided in Zhengzhou. I lost my job recently. I’m 22 and wanted to work in business, but it will not do. Lost
Now I was working at a TikTok farm. I’m a busy ant.
I can’t remember much. My anti-convulsion meds make my mind feel muddy. I spend nights playing with my tarot cards wondering what I got to do to get to a place better.
Driving me crazy taking meds because my face started to hurt me. Feels like a bolt to my face—absolute torture!—suicide disease—that is what the doctors told me.
So I had an attempt and all my coworkers thought I had an affair.
All the gossip was like blitzkrieg so I ran away—I quit. And I need to make money because I’m sick and don’t want the nerve pain. Hoping surgery can save me. So I found myself working making money on live streams doing ASMR. I put on beautiful hanfu and paint flowers on my face. I’m waiting for gifts. But my boss hates me. Maybe because I don’t fit the picture. It’s not in my character to lay flat.
I speak English fluently. So my boss thinks I’m perfect for something new. I go on WeChat waiting for strangers to go on the social app looking for affairs. Foreigners that are easy to pull likes moths to lights. I flirt with them. Ask them to me in the middle of the night. We go to predestined positions. Guys thinking they are getting something that night. A couple larger men come to force the unexpected men to pay an astronomical bill that is not just for the snacks served.
This became my routine. But onetime it really bad. A Canadian I met in the street did not act right. He appeared to be bouncing and deranged. Like he was on some kind of upper. Offered me white powder. My sensors went off. I’m a missile. I know when something is off. Ready to do what I have to. He came close. I shoved him. I was near the location for the setup. My colleagues heard the commotion. Hands went. The crazed Canadian fell to the ground and never woke up again. Not knowing what to do. I went off like a missile and ran. The fear…
Part 6
I thought of it as I got lost. I’m a butterfly from Zhengzhou. From the center of Henan in China. I float off. Cause I’m stuck. No symmetry in my fate. Came under the ground as a Cicada. Went looking for something great but I’m not far. Just stuck, like a sun that won’t rise up. Call me Liu.
I developed the suicide disease when I was 19. It leaves my facing in tremendous pain on the left side. Makes me fall down and want to die. 26% will commit suicide. I often painted flowers on the side to grant some beauty to what happens to me. This disease caused all my teeth, gums, and entire left side to turn to intense electrical stabbing pain. There would be no warning before an attack. Paranoia of not knowing when the next one will come.
Had a decent job that seemed to be fit and good for me. The attacks brought me to my knees and made me eat carpet. Brought me to a frantic spell that caused me to overdose. Rumors spread at work that it was due to shame I had for having an affair with a married man.
I left the career devastated. I was shamed out of it.
I had temporarily found myself stranded into a career on a TikTok farm in Zhengzhou performing ASMR.
I was transplanted to a new career after a horrible incident. I had ran off to Guangzhou to where my cousin lives.
I want symmetry in my life. There is none. Just instability and pain.
Do you believe in the transplantation of thoughts? I do.
Do you believe in the transplanting of thoughts? I do. Learned about it before in a book. My friend beside me nodded after having taken their fentanyl based medicine earlier. Tiring doing odd jobs to pull off getting ahold of things.
I walked by and entered my workplace. I walked into the studio that was based in Guangzhou. I was handed my flyers. I headed to the street and began passing them out to advertise for a local KTV with women wearing little to no clothing on them.
A man walked by on the sidewalk. Some man looked like someone I must know before. Ever ad that feeling? But I could not know for sure or remember exactly. I awkwardly stared him up and down.
The man I had a hard time recognizing started to feel all too familiar. It was like I could read his thoughts. I have a projector head. Sometimes I can see everything. I feel it like rays of the sun on my skin—so natural and calling. Like Chang’e on the moon so far away looking down on a lover she misses—this man was sending radio signal signals from his marrow. A special type of attraction. Need attention like the world has been cruel to me. A world that has abandoned me.
The books were right that I had been reading. He must of noticing my odd staring. He took a flyer from me. Stumbled a bit while trying to understand what was going on. I pointed at the establishment I worked and told him he should visit. He gave a smile before departing it. I’m sure heaven can talk—gave orders to lift the anchors to provide transportation to a new fate.
It was exciting to know I might get to meet him, but I had concerns. In the evening I would work within the KTV. Depending on the occasion I would sometimes get to dress in hanfu, which I enjoyed. I sometimes search for distraction as there is something wrong with the way my thoughts transfer. When you live a life under threats and violence—feelings of being trapped in life—you naturally see people with masks. They either pose a threat or are safe and you must view them in black and white. There is no time to see things in grey—too much danger in doing that. I must have a negative perspective on the world around me like a cocoon to stay safe. Like a butterfly I go to faces to see if they bite or have pollen. I believe the man today had pollen. I truly can read minds.
Part 7
Black and white thinking originates like an atom bomb. It tears a mind into a black hole of horrible events. Leaves craters like hole as cheese in the brain—provides the surface to create something that absorbs like a sponge. Pain that radiates through to create the velocity of irritated atomic steam engine that can send signals out. It burns. Cheese head with holes right through like a particle accelerator went right through. Fox holes in the brain when it feels in danger. A life of a perpetual civil war. It is painful.
Such thinking with holes causes one to be prone to have memories fall through black holes and be forgotten. Never can be found. Blanks.
The man that thoughts transpired to earlier in the day went by the name of Muchen. It was like seppuku in attraction. Fusion. We met at the designated room he had gotten with his friends to rent out to have there to host. Drinks are bought as a form of payment. Transplanting of thoughts wears the brain like sandpaper waves of abrasion.
I don't trust you as the reader. You been holding for a long time And I feel attachment with you that makes me very unsafe. I don’t trust you anymore. I rather you stop putting eyes on me. It makes me run off very fast. I’m uncomfortable. The most benign things come across as dangerous to me. And I want you to step away.
Part 8
I like this man I met. He makes me whole. He is the light for everything dark around me. My boss made me feel what I never felt before. He is so nice! Not like the other guys who talk with words that split my insides. I can do the same. Like a cycle hate goes around in love.
He get so lonely at night. But I have the right company.
I’m feeling so nice
Everything just so happy
Tapping away on my phone
Writing poetry
Because my heart grows
Swell like a balloon
Don’t you want to pop it?
Simmer
Like acne to pop.
I kept writing poetry about my feelings of this man. I could not get him out of my head. The strength of transplanted thoughts. I keep going forever. Like a phony I feel. My boss was the man I transplanted thoughts with. He worked at a local host club. For where women and gay men could go and pay drinks for male hosts to sit with them and keep them feeling loved and entertained. I fused to him like atoms in the sun. He was a host at this club. I would host at my location and meet him. We were each other’s. Eating ourselves together.
to be continued..