This reply is going to be long, because I have thoughts, and some free time. So I'm going to spew my BS.
Firstly, of all the regulations the FDA is putting in place, the one that bugs me the least is that the vape industry can't claim vaping is a smoking cessation. Or that vape shop employees can't dispense medical advice, or claim vaping is a way to stop smoking. I don't think it's been studied or proven enough to make those claims. As for the medical advice? That's a no brainer. I've met some great vape shop employees. I've also run into a lot of terrible ones. I'm not getting my medical advice from any of them.
Personally, I think if you WANT to quit, you'll quit, and vaping is a substitute that can lessen the discomfort of quitting. Personally, I don't think nicotine has much to do with it. I think it's more about having something suitable to take your mind off the fact you're not smoking when you'd like to be.
Addiction is different for everyone. For me, it's strong. I'm an addictive personality type. I believe I was (am) addicted to the nic, but also to the fidgeting with my hands. I guess it's an addiction and a habit, if that makes sense.
This is a very timely thread as my wife and I JUST quit smoking, and while I've been vaping since the tea bags in the carto days, it never got me to quit. My personal take on why vaping works for us now, but not before? Mostly, money. (I didn't strike it rich, I just mean the willingness to spend money) See, I made a long slow progression, and I see my wife doing it much quicker because I bazed the trail. When I first started, I was sure I needed a device as much like a cigarette as possible, had to taste as much like a camel as possible. Even when other flavors became available, I was convinced I wouldn't like blueberry, or ice cream. I tried Mountain Dew, or Cola, but flavors we're bad in those days. I needed it to be as much like smoking as possible. (I thought) When the Ego's came out, I reluctantly got one, eventually, but still stuck with tobacco juice. It was gross, and it didn't work. I assumed vaping wasn't ready for me.
Fast forward a few years of off and on vaping, and constant smoking. I'd buy new gear once in a while, on a whim. Countless no-name cig-a-likes, blu, vuse, Ego twist. The old school Tesla that looked like Darth Vaders dildo. The Ego One Mega. I bought vape gear like I buy video games. Once or twice a year, get a new one, play it for a while, then forget I have an Xbox (or Playstation, can't remember which I have now) for another year. A few months ago, I was in a neighborhood with a nice vape shop with some time to kill. Walked in, and tried some flavors. Here's where a good shop employee is key (pay attention shop owners). I told the kid I was an on and off vaper. He asked me what I was vaping, then told me about all the advances that had been made since the last time I was in a store. I shared with him my trouble finding a tobacco flavor I liked. He prodded me to try a few flavors outside my comfort zone. Holy cow!
I spent $300 or so in the shop that day on a mod, tanks, juices, etc. Came home, explain to my wife that I was ready to really try quitting smoking again. She was too and started vaping my old EgoOne Mega. She immediately assumed she wanted a juice as much like Camel Menthol as possible. (See a pattern?) She also wanted to find a smaller mod than the mega, because she wanted vaping to be as much like smoking as possible. (Pattern!) Then, a few weeks back VCCPA came to Pittsburgh. Here I was, a new vaper, and my wife, and reluctant vaper, and I'm at a vape expo. She spent an hour asking every damn juice vendor for a camel menthol juice. It was like she was asking these kids for an 8 track tape player. Dudes we like "People don't really do cigarette juices as much these days." Then it happened. (Again, shop owners, listen) a girl who really had in interest in helping my wife, said, here, try this, it's like a peppermint patty. She loved it. (And spend a shit ton of money, because a girl took the time to listen and make a suggestion) She's now on a box mod and looking at several others. All of the sudden, it wasn't about not smoking. It was about vaping because we enjoyed it.
The reason vaping helped us quit this time is because we got interested. It wasn't a whim. We found the stuff that we were really excited about, and got it. if you go into vaping thinking it will make quitting easy, or that you can just vape and not want to smoke, it won't work. You have to know, quitting sucks. It's not fun or comfortable. Vaping can help take the edge off. But you're still quitting an addiction and a habit. I'm 3 or 4 days in, and I still want a cig, often. But I vape. So does the wife. And we enjoy it. And so far, it's working.
tl;dr version: Vaping can help quitting suck less, if you're ready to quit (in our experience). It worked better for us than other methods. (Or were we just more willing to quit now?) Also, and I can't stress this enough: If you own a shop, hire good people. They don't need to offer me medical advice, or convince me that vaping will help me quit. But if someone like me walks in, and a good employee provides the right guidance, you stand to make some money, in the short term and in the long run. I was in lots of shops before I walked into one where a good guy behind a counter took an interest in really helping. My wife talked to 5 dudes at VCCPA before a nice girl took the time to make suggestions rather than just roll her eyes and say, no to Camel Menthol.
This is all just personal opinion and experience, in no way meant to sound as if I believe I'm an authority.
His mother bought my old iStick30 for him, *because* his mech had done the autofiring thing and basically melted down, so he's *personally* well aware of the dangers, and the care that needs to be taken. He's pretty sharp, for 16, I must say. And he's a perfect case in point for why young kids should never smoke -- he's male and 16, and at that age, my son was already several inches taller than my 5'7"; this boy is barely over 5 ft tall. But he's no dummy.
