9. The Truth About Vaping, Smoking, and Nicotine

In this episode, Sam meets with Caroline Vasquez Huber and Hilary Dubin, the founders of Quit With Jones: a company designed to help you quit vaping by way of nicotine replacement therapy and cognitive behavioral support. They discuss what's actually inside a vape, how (in some ways) vaping can be worse than smoking cigarettes, and what's in it for you if you manage to quit. They also get to the root of nicotine itself—is it dangerous? How should it be used? What's up with ZYN? Listen to this episode if you vape, or also if you don't (Sam has never touched one, but had the time of her life making this episode lol). Key moments: 00:35 About the guests (our first duo!) 02:16 The current stats on vaping are SHOCKING 03:06 People are using cigarettes to quit vaping 04:57 How people get into vaping in the first place (+ personal stories) 07:00 Quick history lesson on vapes and vaping 07:52 Do vapes actually help you quit smoking? 09:33 The FDA’s stance on vapes and e-cigarettes 09:47 Which carcinogens are in your vape (terrifying!) 10:04 Scary fact about vaping vs. smoking cigarettes 10:38 Vape juice includes ingredients that are banned from cleaning products lol 12:34 The worst chemicals in vape juice 14:51 The actual (financial) cost of vaping 15:53 The impact of vaping on sexual and reproductive health (insane) 17:22 The impact of vaping on your skin and hair 18:56 Is nicotine dangerous on its own? 20:36 What nicotine does to your brain 21:47 Nicotine and the reward center in your brain (origin of tolerance and addiction) 23:33 The dangers of ZYN and other nicotine pouches 24:40 Why they decided to quit vaping (personal stories, so good) 25:20 How Caroline found out she was vaping the equivalent of 2 packs of cigarettes per day 30:33 The vaping fact that made Hilary quit for good 31:13 How to calculate how much nicotine you’re vaping 33:01 Why the existing cessation options weren’t working 35:25 Smoking, vaping, nicotine, and diet culture/weight loss 38:08 Why they started Quit With Jones 38:44 The psychological side of quitting or recovering from addiction 40:20 The Quit With Jones app (listen if you want to quit vaping) 42:01 How much money Hilary has saved this year by quitting vaping 43:18 Sam has a genius business idea (brag) 43:58 Data on how well Quit With Jones works 44:50 Eliminating the stigma around “relapsing” in smoking and vaping 47:39 The future of smoking, vaping, and nicotine use Thanks for listening! New episodes are released every Sunday at 8 AM EST, so if you liked this episode, subscribe or follow to get notified about the next one. And please leave me a rating or review, so I can continue to improve the show. Talk soon! Follow along: Instagram: www.instagram.com/lifeincapslock TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@lifeincapslock YouTube: www.youtube.com/@lifeincapslock Threads: www.threads.net/@lifeincapslock Resources for this episode can be found here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices