Vaping: The Fedora of Vices

I don't understand the hatred for vaping. Vaping means I don't smoke anymore, which is good for me and everyone around me. Plus, now I give off an aroma of cotton candy rather than burning plants. Much more pleasant.

I get frustrated when vaping isn't allowed indoors, since it's just water vapor that I'm exhaling rather than a cloud of carcinogens, but I get it. People are still conditioned to see a cloud of smoke and react badly. What I don't get is our housing compound's rule that we can't even vape outside in the pool area. That's just silly.

 

Focus: Gambling is a traditioinal vice and I play tournament Texas Hold'em several times a mointh, but I stopped playing cash games since I'm terrible at that format so I'm not sure how bad the vice is.

Women/sex. This is my real vice. Never too many or too much.

Alt Focus: Smoking drives me nuts. People can poison themselves all they like, but then they leave a trail of gag-inducing stench, their smoke makes me cough, and it just sucks all around. Fuck smokers. It's why I am glad vaping is a thing, it cuts down on a lot of that.

People who can't have fun without a drink. I am entirely over people whining about not having access to alcohol at all functions and times. Similarly, people who get sloppy ridiculous drunk constantly around me. Great, your rambling ass is now fucking up my evening.

Serious Focus: It's hard for me to think of a vice that I think should actually be illegal. Basically, does it hurt someone else? Fuck you. Does it not hurt someone else? Go for it.

 

I smoke. I've never smoked in my house or my newest truck. I smoke outside and in my 30 year old beater truck. I wear a jacket when I smoke to keep my arms from smelling like it. Wash my hands after every cigarette when I'm at home. We try our best not to expose our kid to even the smallest amount of smoke residue.

I try to treat all non smokers that way. I walk well away from people, doorways and such.

Even I can't stand it when I'm at a red light and the smell of smoke comes in my vents from a nearby car.

My mom went decades without a cigarette, she is now a habitual smoker again. I don't know why she started again. When we brought home all our Christmas presents we had to wash everything because of the stench of smoke. This why we don't smoke in our house, it will never smell like that.

 

My vice is booze. I've done stupid, stupid shit on it, but also some of my best memories revolve around a tipple. My intake now is pretty small, quality over quantity.

Alt. Focus: Smoking. I've ranted about this before. I was one of the few non-smokers and nobody made any dispensation for us. Since it is the new year people are trying to quit. Don't see it lasting. I have had allergic reactions because the bars everyone frequents (dives) are so thick with this shit. I love a good shithole too, but waking up with my eyes almost swollen shut isn't worth a few laughs.

My uncle was an asshole about it. He never smoked outside. In fact he only smoked indoors. In his old age he never even bothered to open a window. In 10 years, never once. I had to cut visit shorts because I, without exaggeration, could not breathe. Best part? Man was a fucking doctor. An internalist to boot.

The vapes are great. They smell nice, they don't cause searing hot pain in my eyes. What is peculiar is how much smokers hate vapers, get this, because of the smoke cloud. Rage.

Serious: Not one. Not a single one. My town has a heroin problem, causing a lot of theft, assaults, and an influx of derelicts, compounded by a for-profit rehab business literally shipping junkies in from all over America. I'm all for these people OD'ing, just get off my fucking street to do it. How to reconcile that? No idea. But it fucks up everyone else who would like to have some weed or mushrooms and not try to stab someone over it.

 

Gambling 100% I have an impulsive nature which often overrides my intelligence and good judgement when it comes to sports betting. When it comes to things like blackjack and craps, I'm not prone to wild swings, but its definitely something I love doing even though I know the EV is negative over time.

I'm not as much of a drinker as some people. Like Juice, I'm a hard liquor guy and that sort of precludes me from a lot of midweek drinking, especially living alone. I know a lot of friends who crack beers or bottles of wine as soon as they get home from work, or with dinner, and that's fine, its just never been me. Love drinking socially on the weekends and absolutely overindulge at times, but I think having a severely alcoholic grandfather prevented it from becoming too large a part of my life.

Alt-focus: I guess smoking, but I'm not as stringently against it as some. I think because of the banning of smoking in bars and restaurants, I just don't come into contact with it the most. If I had to choose, it would be shitty or overindulgent eating. Definitely a vice for some and I have no time for that bullshit.

Funny vaping story. My friend's wife has a younger half-sister from her Dad's second marriage. She's 15-16 now. Got huge boobs before everyone else and became a wild child. At their wedding back in October, she was bragging to one of the bridesmaids how she's been sleeping with a married man and how she's done acid at least 5 times. At the reception, she was flirting with all the pervy immigrant busboys and getting drinks from them, hell, probably throwing HJs in the hallways. She's a mess. Anyways, she was recently sent to a military style boarding school by her parents because the final straw was her being so pissed that her Dad didn't get her a vape for Christmas that she threw a fit, broke a vase, and said she felt constantly disrespected before disappearing for 18 hours. Fucking vapers

 

I read an article recently calling a vape a mouth fedora. The issue with vaping isn't the smell, or vapor it's self. It is the culture built around it, and the air of superiority. I don't care about the box the you built, the shop you hang out in, or the custom flavors you are investing in. In the end you are still a nicotine addict, and no better than anyone else. You just happen to smell like little kids perfume instead of camp fire. I've read some articles saying it's no better than smoking. Kind of like church. No one cares what you do with your Sunday morning. You shouldn't looks down on me because I don't partake. And you don't need to annoy me by trying to get me to partake.

The same goes for marijuana and craft beer. But I don't have to explain those to you. I love craft beer but I hate the culture so much that I don't engage with the community much any more. I used to travel to volunteer at beer festivals a few times a year and attend beer tastings several times a week. A few years ago I made friends with the beer manager at a nice grocery store just so he would set bottles back for me. No more of that any more. The others made it unbearable. It helps that craft beer is everywhere now, and I don't have to plan my night around trying to find something better than Guiness on tap.

The vices I love are 80s music, craft beer, good cheeses and smoked meat. I love gambling. It doesn't matter if I win or lose. I can sit at a black jack table for hours.

Alt. Focus- Church, specifically the one in Cincinnati the stands on street corners with megaphones yelling at me about why I'm going to hell.

Much like Silway, I don't think any vices should be illegal as long as you aren't harming someone.

 

I rode on the fuck anyone bandwagon once, and I think that's why it burns when I pee.

 

That's a false equivalency. Smoking is obnoxious because it subjects the people around you to the smell and smoke.

If all it did was kill you, have a day.

 

When I was in high school we had to write a computer program to book seats on an airplane and one of the stipulations was smoking or non-smoking, this country has gone down hill since you can't fire up heaters in the back of the plane.

As far as my vices go the list is long and distinguished alcohol, drugs, smoking, chewing, older blonde women with multiple divorces and children and gambling.
Due to things like having a wife and jobs and other responsibilities the women, smoking, chewing and most of the drugs have been shelved, I only go to Vegas once a year because I will sit and play blackjack for hours and drink and go to bed at 7am. After a stint of being sober for 4 years from 2006 to 2010 I now drink redwine or whiskey.

 

That's luxury. screw first class and their crappy free drinks.

 

Anyone heard of the term popcorn lung? My Safety guy said he is getting bulletins about Vaping, saying it causes popcorn lung? He has been told by corporate to start including this in toolbox talks.

 

The 'science' in that cracked video was awesome. It's got formaldehyde! They use that to embalm dead bodies! Shit will kill you man. Good God, has that site gone to shit.

 

You remember when all restaurants were nonsmoking because they hadn't invented fire yet.

My rule of thumb for smokers is: I should not be able to tell you're a smoker. If I can, you're smoking at a time or place you shouldn't be and you need to fuck your addict ass off down the road.