FEATURE
DIARY OF A VAPER : Lucy Firkus , Liverpool . Musician . Words : Caroline Barry
I started smoking because I was always the designated driver . I didn ’ t drink , but I would take my mates out , so it was a way to feel included .
It wasn ’ t as easy to get information and learn the language back then , which meant I had to do a lot of research and learn what I could from my friend .
I was a bit naive thinking that I could take it or leave it whenever I wanted , but by then it had snowballed from a social activity to a full-time habit .
It was a chance encounter with a work colleague that led to me taking up vaping . I had started a new job and was working with a guy who had quit smoking using e-cigarettes . He showed me the website where he got all his stuff and what mods , tanks and e-liquids were . He even taught me about nicotine levels .
Because I was smoker , he suggested I start with a higher nicotine concentration before dropping down . My first device was a Hells Gate Mini mech mod .
I didn ’ t have a preconception of what vaping was when I started because it was all such an unknown back then . This would have been around 2015 . I got into cloud chasing and all that stuff as I ’ m a bit of a geek so the technical side like coil building appealed to me .
I didn ’ t know any of it when I started , so I would look at what Americans were doing and went into different vape shops .
There also weren ’ t a lot of YouTubers and online personalities , but I did watch RipTrippers for product reviews .
When I get really into something , I will research it as much as possible , but I was worried that some of the sites weren ’ t safe or legitimate – it was hard to tell sometimes .
I can get socially anxious , so I needed time to build myself up before going into physical shops and asking for advice .
We all know the risks of smoking - both to health and finances - but with vaping I smell better , I can taste things properly and my dental health is much better .
Vaping changed my life .
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