Aspie needs help about daily smoking, lungs, vaps!

[Shad0w]

Hi there,

I'm diagnosed with Asperger's - which is pretty much mild/moderate autism without the language problem. I'm 25. I was introduced to weed only a few months ago - November 2011. I have been smoking every day since November. I still don't own a pipe yet. This girl owns a small glass pipe. She takes the hit from the pipe and pass it to me ( like mouth to mouth/kiss ) This is the only way I have been smoking. I go through 7 to 8 hits at a time. Sometimes we smoke multiple times a day.

I want to protect my lungs. I'm told vaporizer is the way to go. Someone at another forum suggested to come here. I'm told you guys here know everything about vaporizers. The most recommended one was Volcano. I'm trying to learn more about them but I have to take breaks every few mins. My brain can't swallow too much information without feeling overwhelmed.

I read some concerns about smoking out of a plastic bag. Toxins? I don't have a budget I would like to get the best one with the least health concerns as possible. Silver Surfer was the other one that got mentioned a lot.

Is it true that vaporizers remove all the other bad stuff and just let you inhale THC? I also read this process is affected by temperature? Between Volcano and Silver Surfer - is one better or worse at removing harmfull stuff? Or should I get something else?

Should I stop smoking daily even with vaporizers? I'm not saying weed is a magic cure but it makes me not care about things that otherwise would consume me. It makes the world tolerable.

Thank you

 

[JoeKickass]

Hi there,

I'm diagnosed with Asperger's - which is pretty much mild/moderate autism without the language problem. I'm 25. I was introduced to weed only a few months ago - November 2011. I have been smoking every day since November. I still don't own a pipe yet. This girl owns a small glass pipe. She takes the hit from the pipe and pass it to me ( like mouth to mouth/kiss ) This is the only way I have been smoking. I go through 7 to 8 hits at a time. Sometimes we smoke multiple times a day.

I want to protect my lungs. I'm told vaporizer is the way to go. Someone at another forum suggested to come here. I'm told you guys here know everything about vaporizers. The most recommended one was Volcano. I'm trying to learn more about them but I have to take breaks every few mins. My brain can't swallow too much information without feeling overwhelmed.

I read some concerns about smoking out of a plastic bag. Toxins? I don't have a budget I would like to get the best one with the least health concerns as possible. Silver Surfer was the other one that got mentioned a lot.

Is it true that vaporizers remove all the other bad stuff and just let you inhale THC? I also read this process is affected by temperature? Between Volcano and Silver Surfer - is one better or worse at removing harmfull stuff? Or should I get something else?

Should I stop smoking daily even with vaporizers? I'm not saying weed is a magic cure but it makes me not care about things that otherwise would consume me. It makes the world tolerable.

Thank you

Try posting here: http://www.fuckcombustion.com/forums/ask-fc.9/

But there are many types of vapes to chose from, and there are many portable options available now too. All of which will be much healthier than smoking. Try posting in the "Ask FC" section with some of your needs in a vape, like potency, size, weight, effeciency, etc.

 

[talley]

Since you haven't mastered taking hits, this may be a little advanced for you, but I think the VapeXhale Cloud might be the vape you're looking for. It's known to be made with safe materials, and it's meant for water filtration. If you're really worried about the state of your lungs, water filtration is a must have. Vapor can be very dry, and can also have little particles of bud, and neither of those things are good for your lungs.

The downside is that it's a little trickier than hitting a conventional whip vape, but if you try smoking out of a bong for a day or two you'll get the hang of it enough that the cloud shouldn't be a problem.

 

[WatTyler]

The other downsides are that it's not available to new customers yet, we don't know when it will be, and it hasn't had mass market, longer term testing yet. I think this will stop me short of recommending it to newcomers, for a little while at least.

There's such a lot of information for the OP to digest I can see how it's easy to be overwhelmed. There are a lot of models to choose from. I'd maybe suggest taking it slowly over a couple of days to get an idea of the market. As well as whip and bag designs you've already heard of you might want to look at the popular 'log' vapes (RockZap, Underdog, HI, Toasty Top).

Regarding health concerns, I would suggest that you're pretty safe with any of the models discussed at length here on FC- one of the key concerns is material safety and anything questionable gets called out pretty quickly. There's no evidence whatsoever to my knowledge of any harm coming from using Volcano bags. You can consider them safe IMO.

Both the vaporizers you're looking at are good examples and better than many get as their first vape. The Volcano is probably the easiest to use, whilst the SSV is the most similar feel to the smoking experience (on your throat and lungs in terms of 'bite', but it's still more mild).

 

[J.R.R.Tokin']

Hey Shad0w. Welcome to FC - you're definitely in the right place to get help.

IMO your on the right track with a vaporizer. Not only is it less harmful than smoking but it also extracts more essential oils from herbs than smoking (ime) so you need less to feel the effects. I wouldn't worry about the bags as they are made from food safe materials.

A few questions to help get the right model for you.
1) Price range you can afford?
2) Does it need to be portable?
3) How do you plan on using (ie. One puff every now and then; bigger sessions a few times a day?)
3) Does complicated technology frustrate you?

This will help as a starting point to further the discussion. All the best with your search.

If you feel like it, I'm quite interested in how the mj is affecting your Aspi. I have two friends who have it but aren't mj users. I'm sure they would be very interested in your experience. The 'Medical' section is the place to post that kind of experience.

 

[kewpcer]

One thing I do find with vapes, is that they can irritate your throat just as much as smoking, although still not delivering all those toxic/mutagenic combustion products. Log vapes and the MFLB fall into the extreme end of this category. The short vapor path delivers amazing flavor, but the vapor is quite hot. Some of the log vape manufacturers are offering glassware adapters which make them very smooth and efficient vape devices. Aromazap has even brought a dedicated bubbler stem to market this week.

In my experience, the Volcano is the easiest on the throat. The bag cools the vapor down and gives you a really fresh tasting hit. I believe that the Herbal Aire is bag ready, substantially cheaper, and shrewd minds claim it's remarkably efficient. I've personally never tried that model, but it can interconvert easily between bag and whip configurations. This a very convenient feature.

 

[Elluzion]

I would say that if you are switching to vaporizing, it will take a bit of getting used to if you are used to combusting. Sometimes a lot of people cough a lot at first, but this is TEMPORARY, and once you cleanse your lungs out of any nasties, you should be able to take monster hits and not worry about it.

I would recommend starting with a pretty basic vaporizer like a log type vape (ceramic rock zap, underdog, heat island, etc). I feel that log vapes are very safe, easy to use, reliable, conserve herb, and are a pleasant experience to use, and reasonably priced!

 

[Adobewan]

Welcome Shadow.

I've tried a number of vaporizers, below are some personal recommends(in order of preference) that I couldn't be happier with and I think you'll find them all fairly reasonably priced. Hope that helps.

If you don't mind sharing your findings using cannabis to help your Asperger', it's very close to my heart and would love to hear positive findings regarding it. Please feel free to email me if you'd prefer to.

Vaping is the way to go and FC is full of smart, considerate, experienced people eager to help. A real community.
Best of luck!

----------------------

For Flowers:
Desktop units:

Arizer Extreme Q Tower (approx $175 on Amazon)
http://arizer.com/

Underdog Log Vape (approx $250)
www.underdogvapes.com

Portable units:

Arizer Solo ($189)
puffitup.com
Use "ArizerSolo90" for a coupon
code. That brings the price down to $189.

Iolite (approx $150)
http://www.amazon.com/Iolite-012780090-iolite-Portable-Vaporizer/dp/B002HIEES2

For Concentrates:

Omicron
delta9vapes.com

Persei
delta9vapes.com

 

[Shad0w]

Thank you all for a warm welcome and your replies!

Since you haven't mastered taking hits, this may be a little advanced for you, but I think the VapeXhale Cloud might be the vape you're looking for.

It looks great but it sucks that we don't know when it will be available for purchase. Anything similar to the VapeXhale on the current market?

There's such a lot of information for the OP to digest I can see how it's easy to be overwhelmed. There are a lot of models to choose from. I'd maybe suggest taking it slowly over a couple of days to get an idea of the market

I have no choice but to take a few days to digest it all. I can't read huge amounts of information all at once. I have to take frequent breaks and come back and continue. So there is a serious lack of continuity. Too many options and I get so overwhelmed. I will try my best though!

1) Price range you can afford?
2) Does it need to be portable?
3) How do you plan on using (ie. One puff every now and then; bigger sessions a few times a day?)
3) Does complicated technology frustrate you?

1) I don't have a set budget - hard to put a value on your lungs - I will pay whatever I need to get the healthiest option available.

2) I don't need it to be portable.

3) No real preference here - maybe one good session per day. Weed seems to have a different impact on me and the effects last much longer.

4) Actually it does. While my brain can understand the theoretical side of things - it struggles to convert that into practical use. This shouldn't be a problem as the girl I smoke with will help me.

If you feel like it, I'm quite interested in how the mj is affecting your Aspi. I have two friends who have it but aren't mj users. I'm sure they would be very interested in your experience.

If you don't mind sharing your findings using cannabis to help your Asperger', it's very close to my heart and would love to hear positive findings regarding it.

Every aspie is different. What works for one might not work for others.

The best way to describe my brain would be - living in an inescapble maze of routine and rituals. The rituals can be very time consuming and mostly have no logic behind them - even though I realize this - I cannot escape from them. These rituals take up a very good part of my life. I didn't know a different world until I smoked weed for the first time. Almost everything that I do and think is controlled by fear. Fear is the dominant emotion in my brain. Sometimes it feels like it's the only one there.

I'm also diagnosed with Sensory Integration Disorder. I also have subtle vision problems - for instance - my eyes don't automatically adjust to the changing lights. My brain thinks every sound is relevant so I have to pay attention to every little sound - forcing me to use ear plugs or noise cancelling headphones. I have to notice everything visually. Everything bothers me. Every sense is too sensitive. I feel like I have to control my environment all the time. It is so incredibly exhausting. I didn't know there was another way to be until I smoked weed. I remember my first time. I didn't feel anything. So I kept taking hits after hits and after a while - it was like somebody came in and just turned my brain off. It was amazing. I didn't care about anything. Everything had it's volume turned down. I felt like I escaped my brain and was experiencing the world from another one. I felt free. It just makes me not care about things. I can go outside without being worried about panic attacks.

I wouldn't recommend weed to your friends if they have emotional outburst issues. During the initial months of smoking daily - while I didn't care about things under weed - it made me care about things more when I wasn't on weed - made me extremely irritable and quick to anger. This was really bad. It feels like that phase is over though.

I have to talked to the girl extensively about the different effects weed on us. She describes weed - like it makes everything more interesting to her and that she notice things she didn't notice before. It has the exact opposite effect on me. It makes me not care about anything.

I hope I wasn't too long. Sometimes I don't know when to stop. I will look into all the models everyone mentioned. It will take me a few days!

Thank you

 

[J.R.R.Tokin']

Really interesting shadow and well explained. With this kind of information there is no such thing as 'too much' so write away

The great thing about this forum is that we have people from all different walks of life who are all seeking to learn and share knowledge on a largely anecdotal field. So each persons knowledge and experience helps to build up a bigger and more complete picture.

One of my 2 friends with Aspi does suffer from acute emotional problems so I won't even mention the prospect to him, however my other friend's case sound quite similar to yours so I will show him your post and see if it gets his interest. I wont push anything just show him the post and help him if he wants to know/learn more.

About a vape choice for you. Because you are so new to the using mj medically and you are still 'finding-your-feet' as to usage and control I really feel you would benefit from a period of experimentation. What I mean by that is I believe you need to find how you get the most benefit from the mj in relation to temperatures of vaporization, frequency and delivery method. For this I really think an adjustable machine with easily measured and repeatable results is required.

I seriously think that the EQ is a great vape for just that reason. Aside from the adaptability and versatility of use (whip/ bag/ water connections) it has a digital temperature control that gives consistent results so anything is easily repeatable. It's also quite straight forward to use and in the mid price range of vapes.

I think that a lot of people that discover vaporizers end up trying out a few different types and styles of vaporizer before they settle on one that really 'hits the spot' for their use and lifestyle. You may find the same for yourself. You might decide that bags are the end-all-and-be-all for you or the complete opposite - the EQ will let you find that out without shelling out mega bucks. You can always then upgrade once you have a better idea about the whole vaporization thing

 

[momofthegoons]

J.R.R., you've given some very solid, objective advice in this thread.

ShadOw, IMO, it is also important for you to find a vape that you will be able to use on your own, should the need arise. It's always good to be as independent as possible, even when surrounded by help.

 

[NotPotRelated]

Hello, it seems like your cannabis use is really helping you! I hope everything works out in the future! Might i suggest you applying for medical marijuana? Depending on the state you live in you can get medical marijuana and get strains specifically constructed to give you high amounts of whatever chemical cannabis consists of. The people that work at the dispensaries will help you a great deal on finding whats best for you!


Now onto vaporizers

If health & simplicity are big factors i think you should purchase a zephyr ion. They are hard to get but do enough searching and you may find a deal! the zephyr ion is a bag vape that is quite simple to use. A large digital screen, Red and green indicating colors to tell you when your temperatures are set etc. I also believe there is a preset you can do so all you have to do is load it with bud and hit a button and the bag will fill up. Since its a bag vape, it will feel easy on the throat and lungs because of the coolness of the vapor


Let us know how your mj experience is!

Hope i can help

 

[OhTheAgony]

I've never been diagnosed Asperger syndrome, but I do recognize myself somewhat in your description of the sensation of being able to turn off your mind with marijuana. It's one of the reasons I've grown so fond of marijuana myself.

I can't argue with J.R.(R.)'s advice, but his reasoning when recommending you the EQ just made me think of the Arizer Solo. I really can't think of a vape that's easier to use, and it is quit capable of medicating. It only has 2 buttons and 7 preset temperatures. You just load it up, turn it on, push the 'up' button to select your favorite setting, and inhale.

But, even though it has the restriction of fixed temps (easy to fix with a variabvle power supply), I think log vapes are perhaps even simpler and convenient to use if that is your objective.

I also recommend to look in to some form of water filtration to keep your vapor cool and moisturized and your lungs clean, healthy and comfortable.

 

[sublimationpurist]

You might want to try vaping before buying a vaporizer, as the effects are somewhat different from smoking. IMO, baking/eating is more similar to smoking, but lays me out more. There's lots of debate around exactly how much healthier vaping is than smoking for people, but eating doesn't have any health concerns. I really enjoy vaping, but some people prefer eating.

 

[Shad0w]

Thanks for all your help. I have been reading as much as I can on all the models.I have some questions if you guys don't mind.

I read that the airpath on the EQ goes through the electronics. Is that bad? Is that healthy?
I found this picture posted by someone here on the forum -

About a vape choice for you. Because you are so new to the using mj medically and you are still 'finding-your-feet' as to usage and control I really feel you would benefit from a period of experimentation.

I think you are absolutely right about that. Instead of worrying about finding the best one - I should get something decent now and experiment - find what works for me - and upgrade down the road. It could be the cloud but I will wait till I have some hands on experience before making decisions on that. For right now - I notice that you own the Vapolution. I was reading the thread - Cleanest/Healthiest Vape and people mentioned it's all glass path. What are your thoughts on this unit? How efficient is it?

I read that bags tend to have putrid taste over time. Is this true all the time or only certain type of bags? My taste of smell and taste is very extreme but I can handle it for a few seconds if I have to. If I have the choice, I would choose to have a pure clean vap hit. With a bag system - If I don't use up the whole bag at once - how long can it stay in the bag before I have to use it again. Does it go bad?

Might i suggest you applying for medical marijuana? Depending on the state you live in you can get medical marijuana and get strains specifically constructed to give you high amounts of whatever chemical cannabis consists of.

Yea. I don't think I'm getting good quality stuff right now. The problem is I recently told my therapist that I have been smoking every day since November - Everybody was pretty shocked at this and felt "alarmed". So I'm not sure if she would help me get a card. I will bring this up on our next visit though. Any advice as to what to say? Another thing that works against me is that I'm not very good at verbal communcation compared to writing. The difference is actually a huge drop! That's a common Aspie thing. An Aspie can come across as normal or gifted on particular areas but there will be huge drops in other areas that prevents them from being a complete person or even fully utilizing the areas they are good at. Weed is not going to help with that. Nothing will. You can't escape your wiring. It is what it is.

I also recommend to look in to some form of water filtration to keep your vapor cool and moisturized and your lungs clean, healthy and comfortable.

If this is a stupid question, I apologize. What exactly is water filtration and how does it work with vaporizers?

I also wanted to say that FC is a great community. I asked this question on other forums but I feel most welcomed and most helped and most comfortable here.

Thank you

 

[OhTheAgony]

I almost forgot about this one, and no, it's not a stupid question at all mate.

You can use most bongs, bubblers and waterpipes as a water filtration device, how you do it usually depends mostly on the vaporizer.

It's just an example, but with my SSV I just stuck the whip tubing in the GonG connection where normally the waterpipes bowl would go, like this:

With the Solo I just stick the glass tube that comes out of the Solo directly in the GonG connection of the bong. I don't have a picture where I'm actually doing that, but perhaps you'll get it when you look at this photo:

If you'd like more visual aids perhaps it's best to check out some of the vids posted in the corresponding threads of vapes you're looking at or on youtube.

You can use special adapters to make a better connection between your vape/whip and bong too btw, but I'll safe those for another time..

 

[djonkoman]

for me it's also interesting to read your experience with aspergers, some people have suggested to me that I may have aspergers, I myself don't agree with this, but I think my mother does, she sometimes makes remarks about it. I agree that I seemed like an asperger as a kid tough
ironically, she herself seems more asperger than me, she always has her shedule/planning, while I'm more chaotic, I do have had some weird tics like always turning back the other direction if I had turned around, but I quit that long ago since I found it illogical/senseless, for me weed has made me see the point of irrational/emotional things, and it also makes it easier to endure stupid rules(in elementary I was in frequent conflict with teachers, and I'm also very stubborn and punishment doesn't work on me, only makes me rebel more, but since I started with weed halfway trough highschool it's been way easier to tolerate it, so weed makes me more balanced and makes me able to tolerate society/civilisation)

I think you could really benefit from a logvape, since you probably don't have a high tolerance, seeing as you just started and only get indirect hits.
and with a logvape you can load very small amounts

but J.R.R. also has a very valid point that a vaporizer with a lot of different options would be a good choice, and you don't get that with a logvape

 

[J.R.R.Tokin']

I read that the airpath on the EQ goes through the electronics. Is that bad? Is that healthy?

This is something you will have to decide for yourself whether it bothers you. I personally don't have too many gripes with it because, I believe, the air passing over the wires is cool till it hits the ceramic heater. So cool air running over a wire in mind seems fine.

For right now - I notice that you own the Vapolution. I was reading the thread - Cleanest/Healthiest Vape and people mentioned it's all glass path. What are your thoughts on this unit? How efficient is it?

Here is my review of the Vapolution. For an entry level vape at around $100 I think it's great. It can delivery very clean vapor due to the all glass path when using the All-in-Wonder-Bowl. It's not quite as user-friendly as the EQ imo but the learning curve isn't too hard.

I read that bags tend to have putrid taste over time. Is this true all the time or only certain type of bags? My taste of smell and taste is very extreme but I can handle it for a few seconds if I have to. If I have the choice, I would choose to have a pure clean vap hit. With a bag system - If I don't use up the whole bag at once - how long can it stay in the bag before I have to use it again. Does it go bad?

It's widely believed by FC'ers that 30mins is the limit to leave vapor in a bag. They do get gunked up and taste a bit funky over time, but they are relatively cheap to replace if you use turkey basting bags which many people have had success with. Personally I don't like bags, but there are people that prefer bag delivery so till you get to experiment a bit it'll be hard to tell.

Yea. I don't think I'm getting good quality stuff right now. The problem is I recently told my therapist that I have been smoking every day since November - Everybody was pretty shocked at this and felt "alarmed". So I'm not sure if she would help me get a card. I will bring this up on our next visit though. Any advice as to what to say? Another thing that works against me is that I'm not very good at verbal communcation compared to writing. The difference is actually a huge drop! That's a common Aspie thing. An Aspie can come across as normal or gifted on particular areas but there will be huge drops in other areas that prevents them from being a complete person or even fully utilizing the areas they are good at. Weed is not going to help with that. Nothing will. You can't escape your wiring. It is what it is.

My advice for this situation is to write down your feeling about mj and how it has helped you before you go in to your next session. Hand it to your therapist at the beginning of the session and get them to read. The more details you can offer your therapist as a personal case study the more likely they are going to understand.

If this is a stupid question, I apologize. What exactly is water filtration and how does it work with vaporizers?

Basically it's putting your vapor through a bong allowing the vapor to pass through water and hydrate. People can find vapor a bit dry and the filtration helps reduce this.

I also wanted to say that FC is a great community. I asked this question on other forums but I feel most welcomed and most helped and most comfortable here.

What can I say - our parents raised us right But seriously I know what you mean. People genuinely want to help here and have a real interest in how mj affects us all in different ways and are willing to share in the hope of helping others. If only everyone shared that ethos we'd be living in a much nicer world!

 

[Bouldorado]

I think a log vape would be perfect for you. Leave it plugged it in so it's always hot, and when you want to vape, just load up a stem or two.

-easiest vape style to use
-durable
-clean airpath
-attractive fit and finish
-can be left on 24/7
-can be easily adapted to a water pipe (most log vape stems fit a 14mm joint)
-easy to clean

 

[max]

The OP hasn't been on the forum since April 10th- 5 weeks ago. Thread closed.