# Does anybody vape nicotine-free? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 15, 2014, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-vape-nicotine-free/688524 "2014-05-15T14:03:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Michael\_Winters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e8c25b/32.png) [@Michael\_Winters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Winters)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2014, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-vape-nicotine-free/688524/1 "2014-05-15T14:03:04Z")
I used to use Blu electronic cigarettes. I’m thinking of starting again. I liked the way it looked and felt and it seemed to have a calming effect on me. Thing is, I used non-nicotine cartridges. Has anybod else done this? Vape for the sake of vaping? Oh, also, I write noir style stuff, and it sorta helped me get into the head of my characters. ---
**Author:** ![yoyodyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a9a28c/32.png) [@yoyodyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yoyodyne)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2014, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-vape-nicotine-free/688524/2 "2014-05-15T14:25:32Z")
My sister does. She’s a long-time smoker who switched to an e-cig and gradually reduced the nicotine to zero. She still can’t stop using it though. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2014, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-vape-nicotine-free/688524/3 "2014-05-15T14:54:05Z")
I do. I quit smoking then about a year or two later while I was going through some stressful times, I bought an NJoy and it was glorious. Then I found myself buying them kind of regularly. Then I borrowed my dad’s refillable e-cig and was putting nicotine juice in it and having a grand time. Then I realized “hey I am getting addicted to nicotine again” and first switched to a mix of nicotine + nicotine-free, then just went straight nicotine-free. I also got myself a nice new vaper. When I started doing just nicotine-free I drastically cut down on vaping. I guess cuz I’m not addicted anymore 🙂 But I keep it here at my desk and I hit it every so often and it’s still nice. I’d probably take it to a concert or something, because I like smoking between sets and stuff. On a long car ride, too. But otherwise it doesn’t really leave my office (which is where my stress is anyway!) ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Winters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e8c25b/32.png) [@Michael\_Winters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Winters)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2014, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-vape-nicotine-free/688524/4 "2014-05-15T14:57:38Z")
There’s just something therapeutic about it. What brand do you use? I use Blu because I love the way it looks like a normal cigarette and even has a cigarette-box-like case. It feels authentic. I’ve never been a fan of the oversized vapes. I’ve had a look at greensmoke but just prefer blu. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2014, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-vape-nicotine-free/688524/5 "2014-05-15T15:24:46Z")
I use a brand called VapeMate because that’s what they sell at the shop on the corner of my neighborhood. And VapeMate happens to be a local company. I used to use a little black one that looked like a cig and I did enjoy it. But the battery and the juice didn’t last too long (and I was using it more) so I switched to one that is bigger. The battery lasts forever and so does the juice but it does look silly. ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Winters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e8c25b/32.png) [@Michael\_Winters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Winters)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2014, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-vape-nicotine-free/688524/6 "2014-05-15T15:27:45Z")
Oh, right, the juice. What’s it like to refill? Another benefit if Blu is that I buy pre-loaded cartridges. Very nice and easy. Only problem is that a $12 pack of 5 cartridges costs $40 to ship to Australia, so when I re-stock I have to make it count. ---
**Author:** ![HipGnosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/76d3ee/32.png) [@HipGnosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HipGnosis)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2014, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-vape-nicotine-free/688524/7 "2014-05-15T15:28:46Z")
Since they sell non-nicotine cartridges (which I didn’t know until I read your post), you’ve pretty much answered your question. What I REALLY do NOT get is “I like how it looks”. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2014, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-vape-nicotine-free/688524/8 "2014-05-15T15:39:08Z")
It’s a psychological addiction as well as a physiological one. When someone smokes, they feel comforted by the act of lifting a little stick to their mouth, and by puffing on that little stick… And their mental image of themselves is of a person holding one of those little sticks. If keeping those little superficial things makes it easier to get rid of the poison, go for it. ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Winters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e8c25b/32.png) [@Michael\_Winters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Winters)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2014, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-vape-nicotine-free/688524/9 "2014-05-15T15:40:41Z")
I meant do any of you lot use 'em. What I mean is that I like the way vaping looks. It helps me to get into a particular mind frame, play out scenes in my mind before I write them down. There’s also something about releasing the vapour and watching it swirl, catch on the wind and get carried off. There’s a meditative aspect of it. And when I’m writing, sitting at my desk, if I can get the vapour to hang just right in the still air, I can immerse myself in the fantasy of it. Furthermore, I like how it sounds. The crackle of juice being atomised, the air coming in through the vaporiser, the silence of my workspace being broken only by the sound of the unit producing the vapour and the soft exhale that follows. I like the smell of it. Rich tobacco without the smoke, the junk that clings to your clothes and becomes a part of you. It’s a deep sort of smell, sweet but sophisticated. Last of all, I like the way it tastes. The hint of coffee, maybe a note of chocolate in the tobacco juice. It’s really a sensory experience that has to be experienced to be understood. ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Winters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e8c25b/32.png) [@Michael\_Winters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Winters)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2014, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-vape-nicotine-free/688524/10 "2014-05-15T15:41:54Z")
Having said that, I’m not recommending it. Too much is still unknown for me to be comfortable recommending anyone do anything.