HJNO Jan/Feb 2023

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS  I  JAN / FEB 2023 57 ly neurotic. I was increasingly nervous while vaping throughout the day. I would regularly drop things I was carrying, I had difficulty focusing (not good for a person who is challenged by multitasking to begin with), and I felt rushed. As time passed, I realized that I was in fight or flight mode most of the time. I vaped in the middle of the night when I’d wake up craving a “hit.” Like a 300-pound defensive lineman inmy path, it hit me that I was a slave to nicotine. I had lived with the negative effects be- cause what I experienced simultaneously was a suppressed appetite and enhanced focus and increased attention (when I was able to maintain lower doses throughout the day). But this level of use could only be categorized as addiction. Quitting vaping became my primary focus. I thought educating myself on how harmful vaping is would supply all the mo- tivation necessary … hardly the case. This was easily one of the biggest challenges of my life. The incessant urge to take a “hit” from my vaping device was all-encom- passing — when I woke, after brushing my teeth, after working out, before breakfast ... literally throughout the day, the thought of vaping was churning in my mind. I expe- rienced little relief for the first two weeks (I did cheat occasionally but committed to decreasing the amount of puffs per day), but activities and generally staying busy did help as time passed. Vaping has been compared to smoking crack in terms of how addictive it can be. I can understand now why vaping addiction has increased so rapidly over its brief life span. It’s estimated that between 250 and 500 million people are addicted to vaping, compared to 1 billion who are addicted to cigarette smoking (which has been around much longer). I need not go into what makes nicotine so powerfully addictive, as statistics verify its potency. But with all of the information out there revealing the destruction gener- ated by certain nicotine delivery systems, it is alarming that, as consumers, we con- tinue to operate in ignorance or cognitive dissonance in order to pick up a cigarette, vaping device, or smokeless tobacco. The amount of toxins and carcinogens present in most tobacco products is in the thou- sands, and yet it is a weak motivation for someone who is already addicted to nic- otine to quit. That speaks to the powerful reinforcing effects of nicotine itself. To sum it up, I have been without any vaping for eight weeks now. It took longer for the cravings to subside than I had an- ticipated. In fact, the strength of cravings early on were insidious — I felt a literal skin-crawling urge to pick it up again. I re- searched quitting and discovered that sup- plementing with gum or patches (which is a much safer delivery system of nicotine) could aid in withdrawals. I alternated be- tween the two, but it took time for my brain to adjust to losing the instant gratification that comes from vaping. The cravings did decrease in intensity and frequency; how- ever, the “thought” of using again does come up occasionally. My hope is that my experience will offer some motivation if you think you want or need to quit. What results is nothing short of life changing … it’s freedom. n Jerry Fontenot Special Correspondent becoming a man to an adolescent who was looking for validation from his peers that he was tougher than most. Whatever my experience was with that first “pinch,”I can tell you that it was the toughest addiction I ever kicked. I rationalized chewing tobacco by be- lieving since I was not taking smoke into my lungs, it would not affect my cardio- vascular conditioning. I managed to cast out the thought that I would ever get mouth cancer. After all, I had made myself invincible through superior training and weightlifting! I did manage to quit chewing tobacco on two separate occasions: once while I was playing, and the second time while coaching football in the NFL. Both times required the assistance of Chantix, a drug that works by interrupting the nic- otine receptors in the brain, according to the American Cancer Society. The latter was eight years ago, and I have not had a chew since. My story does not end there, however. Some years later, I found myself smoking a few cigars a day, which led to vaping, be- cause it didn’t make my clothes smell and I could do it indoors. As with any introduc- tory period, I started slowly then acceler- ated to a cartridge (roughly equivalent to a pack of cigarettes) a day. My brand of choice was Juul. Rationalizations I used in- cluded: this is “cleaner” than smoking and chewing, I’m not hurting anyone with my consumption, and I can work out intensely regardless of what it may be doing to my lungs. What I did notice after four years of continuous use was that I felt complete-