"I realised I would rather vape than smoke." - Vaping Consumer
- Kim
- Jul 3
- 2 min read
I have become very passionate about vaping as harm reduction. I am Primary Teacher and have a background in Social Work, including in Acohol and Other Drugs settings.
I had my first cigarette when I was 11 years old and gradually became a regular smoker towards the end of my teens. I smoked for 30 years and tried to quit countless times using willpower as well as patches and gums that made me nauseous. I was unsuccessful with
prescription medications. By my late 30s my health was noticeably declining due to smoking. I coughed, wheezed and snored, had bleeding gums, was unable to run and would be out of breath climbing stairs. I was even told I already had emphysema in its early stages. Despite this, I was unable to stop smoking until years later in 2018 when I finally bought a starter kit intending to use it to reduce my smoking. After a couple of months I realised I would rather vape than smoke, and my dependance on cigarettes was broken.
I have no doubt that vaping saved my life and suspect I would already be dead if I had continued to smoke. I still vape and have no problem saying I am addicted to nicotine. It is
the thousands of other chemicals in cigarettes that I choose not to inhale. I do not pretend
that vaping is good for me, but the quality of life I now enjoy is evidence enough for me that
vaping is the far safer choice for my health. I don't stink, I don't cough, I almost never need
my Ventolin inhaler, I rarely snore and I don't get out of breath. I walk up the 3 flights of stairs
to my apartment with ease, I exercise every day and even go for a run sometimes. At last
check, my heart is fine and my lungs are clear.
The long term effects of vaping are unknown, but the long term effects of smoking are well
known and deadly. Along with other smokers who have made the decision to switch to vaping, I am evidence of the short and medium-term benefits of switching from deadly
cigarettes to vaping. This is why we are so passionately opposed to the current model that
dramatically reduces accessibility to, and choice of, vaping products and stigmatises and
criminalises adults who have made an informed choice to improve their health.
Submission To Therapeutic Goods and Other Legislation Amendment (Vaping Reforms) Bill 2024 Inquiry
*Please email us if this profile blog is about you and you wish to have any edits, additions or omissions created. Kind regards ALIVE Advocacy Movement Admin Team.
