I received an email from CASAA asking me to take part in a survey titled “The United States Vapers’ Survey“. I highly recommend that you take part too. It takes about 10-15 minutes.
The survey was put together by Dr. Christopher Russell, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Substance Use Research in the UK. The answers to this survey will be used to help show regulators the real life experiences of electronic cigarette users to help them better understand vaping before they make decisions on regulations.
I published my answers below just to give you an idea of what to expect from the survey before you take it.
I also wanted to give you a little insight into my thoughts about vaping, why I do it, and what my vaping preferences and habits are, if you care 😉
Ok, lets get into it.
The Survey Questions and My Answers
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as well as many other regulators around the world, are currently considering how to regulate nicotine vapor products. If you were to advise your legislators, what are the main things you would want them to know about your experience of using electronic cigarettes or other nicotine vapor products?
I quit smoking in 2010 thanks to electronic cigarettes. I had tried to quit many times before then and I was seriously scared that I’d never be able to quit smoking. I had heard about electronic cigarettes helping people quit so finally decided to give it a try. I felt like it was my last hope and much to my surprise, it worked. I smoked only 4-5 cigarettes in the following three months after having purchased the e-cig and then quit vaping and smoking entirely.
I haven’t smoked since.
I started vaping again in January 2015 for the benefits of nicotine after having done much research on the subject. For me, e-cigs were a truly life-saving product and I can’t begin to explain how grateful I am that I gave it a chance.
In the past 3 months, have you spent more or less than $70 on disposable e-cigarettes, pre-filled liquid cartridges, or e-liquid bottles for your personal use?
Less than $70 in total
About how many days in the last 30 days have you used an e-cigarette?
30
Now, do you use an e-cigarette
Every Day
About how many days has it been since you last took a puff of an e-cigarette? (If it was earlier today, enter 1).
1
About how long ago did you first purchase an e-cigarette for personal use?
5 to 6 years
What was the first e-cigarette you ever purchased
An e-cigarette kit (rechargeable with pre-filled cartridges)
Thinking back to when you first started using e-cigarettes, did you start with e-cigarettes/liquids flavored to taste like
Menthol or mint
When you first started using an e-cigarette, what concentration or strength of nicotine was in your e-cigarette, cartridge or liquid?
25+ mg/ml (2.5%+)
Is the e-cigarette you now use most often
An e-cigarette that is rechargeable with a refillable tank/reservoir
What size of e-liquid bottles do you normally buy?
30ml
About how many of these bottles do you consume in an average week?
0.25
About how long ago did you start regularly using e-cigarettes that you filled from a bottle?
1 year
What concentration or strength of nicotine do you tend to use in your e-cigarettes, cartridge or liquid?
6 mg/ml
What wattage do you normally vape at?
60 watts
What is the resistance of the coils you are currently using? (if known)
0.4
What flavors do you now use most often in your e-cigarettes, cartridge or liquid?
- Fruit or fruit beverage
- Candy, chocolate or sweets
- Dessert or pastry
Can you please tell us the names of the flavors you now use most often in your e-cigarette, cartridge or liquid?
Crystal Smurf from Vapergate, Donuts Ejuice, Milk Plus from Bonzai Vapers, Hedon’s Bite from Njoy
Is there anything else you’d like to say about your experiences of vaping flavors that we didn’t ask above?
No
About how many regular tobacco cigarettes, if any, have you smoked in your entire life?
100 or more cigarettes (5 or more packs)
Out of the past 30 days, on how many days did you smoke at least one cigarette?
0
Had you smoked tobacco cigarettes fairly regularly AT ANY TIME BEFORE you started using an e-cigarette?
Yes (at least one cigarette every 2-3 days)
Were you smoking tobacco cigarettes fairly regularly WHEN you first started using an e-cigarette?
Yes
Can you remember how many cigarettes were you smoking per day, on average, back when you first started using an e-cigarette?
5
Have you stopped smoking completely SINCE you started using an e-cigarette?
Yes
Have you smoked any cigarettes in the past 30 days?
No
About how long ago did you quit smoking completely? (i.e. when did you last smoke a cigarette)
6 years
Many cigarette smokers in the United States are curious about whether an e-cigarette can help them to quit smoking. As someone who has quit smoking since you started vaping, if you could speak directly to a person who currently smokes cigarettes but is is thinking about using an e-cigarette to help him/her to quit smoking, what would be the main things you would want this person to know?
You have to really want to quit smoking. Parts of vaping is similar to smoking, such as the act of inhaling and exhaling, but you won’t get the exact same throat hit or flavor. You have to understand that it’s a different experience that will eventually take over the desire of tobacco smoking. There are also many different styles of vaping and it may take some time to figure out what’s right for you. And don’t be embarrassed about what other people might think about you vaping. You’re doing it to save your life and that’s what’s important.
Out of every 100 people who ONLY SMOKE REGULAR TOBACCO CIGARETTES and DO NOT vape e-cigarettes, how many people do you think will experience a serious smoking-related health problem in the future?
95
Out of every 100 people who ONLY VAPE E-CIGARETTES and DO NOT SMOKE REGULAR TOBACCO CIGARETTES, how many people do you think will experience a serious vaping-related health problem in the future?
0
How many times per day do you usually use your e-cigarette/vaporizer? (assume that one “time” consists of around 15 puffs or lasts around 10 minutes)
5-9 times per day
On days that you vape your e-cigarette freely, how soon after you wake up do you first use your e-cigarette/vaporizer?
1-2 hours
Do you sometimes awaken at night to use your e-cigarette/vaporizer?
No
Do you use an e-cigarette/vaporizer now because it is really hard to quit?
No
Do you ever have strong cravings to use your e-cigarette/vaporizer?
No
Over the past week, how strong have the urges to use your e-cigarette/vaporizer been?
None/Slight
Is it hard to keep from using your e-cigarette/vaporizer in places where you’re not supposed/allowed to vape?
No
When you haven’t used your e-cigarette/vaporizer for a while, or when you’ve tried to stop using it, did you feel more irritable when you weren’t using it?
No
When you haven’t used your e-cigarette/vaporizer for a while, or when you’ve tried to stop using it, did you feel nervous, restless, or anxious when you weren’t using it?
No
How has your interest in smoking regular cigarettes changed since you started vaping?
Now less interested in smoking regular cigarettes
Do you plan to stop using e-cigarettes/vaporizers in the future?
No
Thinking back to when you first started using an e-cigarette/vaporizer, can you remember how you planned to use it?
- I planned to use e-cigarettes as a complete replacement for regular cigarettes
- I planned to gradually switch from smoking regular cigarettes to only vaping e-cigarettes
- I planned to use e-cigarettes to help me quit smoking completely
Which of the following, if any, are reasons why you first decided to try using an e-cigarette/vaporizer?
- I was concerned about the effect of cigarette smoking on my future health
- I knew smokers who have become ill or died because of smoking
- I was concerned about the effect of my smoke on the people around me
- Society in general disapproves of smoking
- Cigarettes were costing too much
- I was fed up smelling like cigarette smoke
- I believed my health would improve if I switched from cigarettes to e-cigarettes
Have you noticed any of the following changes in your health since you started using an e-cigarette fairly regularly THAT YOU ATTRIBUTE to using an e-cigarette?
- Coughing – A Lot Better
- Wheezing – A Lot Better
- Coughing Up Phlegm – A Lot Better
- Breathing – A Lot Better
- Sleep Quality – A Lot Better
- Stamina – A Lot Better
- Stress – A Lot Better
- Energy – A Lot Better
Thank you so much for taking the time to complete our survey, we really do appreciate it! Before you go, is there anything else you’d like to tell us about vaping/e-cigarettes that we didn’t ask you about?
I vape now for the benefits of nicotine and because I enjoy it. I think people also need to understand that there’s nothing wrong with nicotine and that some people even use nicotine in a similar way as coffee.
Could you please tell us how you heard about this survey?
CASAA
Are you a member of CASAA?
Yes
Submit Your Success Story!
NicotineSurveys.org will feature vapers from around the world who have quit smoking by using an e-cigarette, and now want to pass on information and advice to smokers who are thinking about using an e-cigarette to help them quit smoking. If YOU would be interested in making a short (1-2 minutes) video about your experiences of vaping and your advice to smokers, please send an email to Christopher Russell at [email protected], and he will be in touch with details about how to create and submit your video. We look forward to featuring you on our channel!
Very similar to my survey. I thought my juice consumption was good,but yours is way down there. I do 6ml a day times 7=42ml which is about 1.5 a wk vaping @ 7.1w. I know some people go through 30ml of juice a day, or even more. This just goes to show how diverse the vaping community is. We all vape, but we all don’t vape the same. Thanks for showing.
Very diverse. I really don’t vape all that often. I vape several times throughout the day, but only a few drags and I’m good. I probably don’t even go through 10 ml in a week and some weeks I might not even go through 5ml, lol. But when I get a really awesome flavor, I might do a lot more.