This is a true addiction. I’ve had to give up certain things in the past, but I still can’t beat the vape. I recently went just over a week without it, thinking that might help ease the cravings. Nope — the urge was as strong as ever. This isn’t just something I’ve taken up casually; I’ve been puffing on my vape for about four years now, and it’s woven into so many parts of my day.
I don’t have too many concerns about it. There is simply no comparison when you put it up against cigarettes or tobacco. I used to feel dreadful when I was smoking: coughing all day and night, bringing up that lovely brown gunk, and always smelling of smoke. All the chemicals I was inhaling were terrible for me. And the prices were ridiculous — the last pack of fifties I bought cost me close to a hundred dollars, and that was some time ago; I hate to think what they charge now. With vaping, I can’t remember the last time I coughed or had chest pains, and I can puff in my room because all I’m exhaling is vapor. The vapes I’ve been buying lately cost about thirty-five dollars and last longer than a pack of darts; I used to go through two packs a week. Recently I bought a premium vape with twice the hits, but it was finished after only a week when it ran out of juice. I threw it away and opened a new packet — nothing; it didn’t work. I noticed it had a USB port for recharging, so I thought I’d try that. Well, it worked for a while until it decided to catch fire while plugged into the socket. These devices cost seventy bucks. It was early in the morning, so I had to wait until the tobacconist opened. I went in today and bought four of the original ones I used to smoke. I’d be real surprised if at least one of them doesn’t fail — more of my money wasted. The things addicts will do. I’m not kidding myself; I know vapes have health consequences too, but they are definitely the lesser of two evils compared with cigarettes.
Has anyone noticed how the number of cigarette smokers has dwindled? I can’t remember the last time I actually saw someone smoking in public. They’ve become prohibitively dear for many people to buy. It’s said that eighty percent of the cigarettes smoked today are illegal, and the government is increasingly cracking down on those supplies and on vapes as well. Every vape transaction I make now carries a sense of secrecy; the shop owners know me well enough at this point, so there usually isn’t much of a problem. They’re noticeably more careful when it comes to new people. A lot of stores have been raided, but my local is still in full swing… for now.
There was news a few years back suggesting vapes might be removed from the market, so I did what seemed like a sensible move at the time and stocked up. I spent about a thousand dollars to secure what I estimated would be roughly a year's supply. In the end, vapes never disappeared, and while I did save a bit of money, it really wasn’t worth the upfront cost and the worry. If they were to become illegal today and suddenly impossible to find, I would be forced into withdrawal. Under no circumstances would I go back to traditional cigarettes.