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

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