Experts are alarmed
Me, a non-expert: also alarmed
this post was submitted on 30 May 2026
314 points (98.2% liked)
World News
56312 readers
2430 users here now
A community for discussing events around the World
Rules:
-
Rule 1: posts have the following requirements:
- Post news articles only
- Video links are NOT articles and will be removed.
- Title must match the article headline
- Not United States Internal News
- Recent (Past 30 Days)
- Screenshots/links to other social media sites (Twitter/X/Facebook/Youtube/reddit, etc.) are explicitly forbidden, as are link shorteners.
-
Rule 2: Do not copy the entire article into your post. The key points in 1-2 paragraphs is allowed (even encouraged!), but large segments of articles posted in the body will result in the post being removed. If you have to stop and think "Is this fair use?", it probably isn't. Archive links, especially the ones created on link submission, are absolutely allowed but those that avoid paywalls are not.
-
Rule 3: Opinions articles, or Articles based on misinformation/propaganda may be removed.
-
Rule 4: Posts or comments that are homophobic, transphobic, racist, sexist, anti-religious, or ableist will be removed. “Ironic” prejudice is just prejudiced.
-
Posts and comments must abide by the lemmy.world terms of service UPDATED AS OF OCTOBER 19 2025
-
Rule 5: Keep it civil. It's OK to say the subject of an article is behaving like a (pejorative, pejorative). It's NOT OK to say another USER is (pejorative). Strong language is fine, just not directed at other members. Engage in good-faith and with respect! This includes accusing another user of being a bot or paid actor. Trolling is uncivil and is grounds for removal and/or a community ban.
Similarly, if you see posts along these lines, do not engage. Report them, block them, and live a happier life than they do. We see too many slapfights that boil down to "Mom! He's bugging me!" and "I'm not touching you!" Going forward, slapfights will result in removed comments and temp bans to cool off.
-
Rule 6: Memes, spam, other low effort posting, reposts, misinformation, advocating violence, off-topic, trolling, offensive, regarding the moderators or meta in content may be removed at any time.
-
Rule 7: We didn't USED to need a rule about how many posts one could make in a day, then someone posted NINETEEN articles in a single day. Not comments, FULL ARTICLES. If you're posting more than say, 10 or so, consider going outside and touching grass. We reserve the right to limit over-posting so a single user does not dominate the front page.
We ask that the users report any comment or post that violate the rules, to use critical thinking when reading, posting or commenting. Users that post off-topic spam, advocate violence, have multiple comments or posts removed, weaponize reports or violate the code of conduct will be banned.
All posts and comments will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. This means that some content that violates the rules may be allowed, while other content that does not violate the rules may be removed. The moderators retain the right to remove any content and ban users.
Lemmy World Partners
News !news@lemmy.world
Politics !politics@lemmy.world
World Politics !globalpolitics@lemmy.world
Recommendations
For Firefox users, there is media bias / propaganda / fact check plugin.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/media-bias-fact-check/
- Consider including the article’s mediabiasfactcheck.com/ link
founded 3 years ago
MODERATORS
South Park named these douche flutes, and I used that reference to shame my friend, he either quit using it or doesn't douche flute around me anymore.
Either way win win.
Thank you Matt and Trey.
China's revenge for that opium business
Germany did opium business with China? When?
Didn't china crack down on vapes too?
For export? Maybe.
Nicotine is a potent antidepressant after it's processed into cotenine in the liver. The times are very depressing, of course antidepressants are popular
Between this information and "I feel like I've been standing my whole life and I just sat down" from The Orville, I'm about ready to trade 10-15 of my remaining years for a nicotine addiction.
I traded 30. Not worth it. Exercise, proper hydration and a good diet of fish, greens and light grains with the right spices can do just as good without the sledge hammer to the endocrine system (Not to discount the times the sledghammer might be necessary). Learn gardening, and any other skills you might need to alleviate dependence on the faltering infrastructure as a hobby - where there is a will, there is a way. Best wishes on maintaining the will - it's not always easy
I argue that vaping is far far worse than cigarettes given that the ability to "smoke" indoors is much greater.
I recently quit smoking after 6 or so years. I had no choice due to $$ and problems maintaining a state id (super fucking hard if you don't have a physical address mailbox). I used to walk 3 to sometimes 15 miles a day as long as I had smokes. It was forcing me to get the fuck outside multiple times a day. Chain smoking plus cardio seemed to have a extremely positive effect on my blood pressure, because when I quit smoking, I completely stopped going outside 100%, save it for a minute or two throwing out the trash. My blood pressure SKYROCKETED and remains so ever since I was forced to quit smoking 🚬. Crazy but true.
I had literally zero issues going through the quitting process thanks to the nicotine gum (niccorette branded gum, the Amazon off brand had zero sweetener). It completely killed off the intense cig cravings I would usually get during no smokes periods. After a month and a half, I completely stopped going for the gum without even thinking about it. Done and done.
I'm constantly hearing others switch to vaping to stop smoking. I imagine if I was vaping, my addiction to nicotine would be much worse than with smoking, because the temptation to smoke (vape) would be easier to succumb to if I were able to smoke (vape) indoors. Above all, it is the nicotine that drives the urge to smoke (vape), it changes certain brain receptors and it's irreversible. It takes many years for the receptors to return to normal after smoking cessation, at least that's how it was for me the first time I quit smoking around age 21 two decades ago. Back then I quit cold turkey and it took 2 years for the random cig cravings to go away.
I've found quitting vaping is easier for the cravings than with cigarettes, because the tobacco has other stuff in it that makes the craving intense when I don't have those, but vaping is something that I can set down and not be bothered so much. Circumstances of the present moment are particularly stressful and I'm working on staying sober, too, so as I'm alone right now, I'm smoking, but I'm only smoking 3-4 puffs before putting it out. I agree, the ease at which I can grab a vape would make it easier to take a small hit, and I would instinctively do that, but under ideal circumstances, vaping has made it easier to set it down for an extended period of time before stress really took off.
If there's one thing nicotine is great for it's handling stress. As long as you have some on hand 😊
I once observed a time ago whilst on mushrooms and DXM, after a very specific type of closed-eye hallucination was going on, where I was being carried through a vibrant, breathing, living world, and I stopped to smoke some tobacco, and upon returning by closing my eyes, I was on the same "screen" as I left, but I was no longer being "carried" through this landscape. There was just a woman in a gazebo with a river and wind, all moving independently. This experience showed me that nicotine stops a process in my head that I discussed with a friend who was a cognitive scientist, but I forget the terms he used.
I have quite a lot of experience with DXM. I binged on it for 3 months straight. One or two 8 oz Robitussin syrup bottles per day. The local flea market was selling them for a goddamn nickel each the bastards!
Anyhow, one night I was swimming around in head watching the movie "21 grams". It's one of those mixed up puzzle type of movies where all the scenes are out of order. It was very jarring and intense.
After it ended, I went to lay down in my bed. My mind reeling, thinking about what I just watched. Trying to process it. After a minute or so, I started to doze off, in the DXM hazy type of doze. In that very moment, I had this intense sensation of two massive big rigs hitting going Mach 10 crashing into each other at the center of my mind. A psychotic break of some sort. Super crazy shit.
On a lighter note, I had a couple sleep screaming episodes during this DXM binge. I was repeatedly falling asleep and instantly SCREAMING my head off. This according to my roommate laying down in the bed across the room.
"DUDE SHUT UP!!"
My maladapted tulpa, Valmar, was repurposed into Rusterd on DXM on the same night Pandora first played Solar Fake's Nothing's Wrong
...but was that a command, to shut up? Am I under investigation? Do these Arizonan retards in blue not know who I am? No, it does not make sense that the FBI would tell them. That would go against their intentions of...well, y'know. Obviously.
What is reality? I have nothing to hide. I understand I look like the Johnny Bravo of Charles Mansons. I have the authority of the tree of life. My robes are washed (clothes are still dirty), but they are tattered because I have been so traumatized. That's where God has stepped in. And I think the FBI git that retard to flip way early on, so this ain't just a police state, it's a police vishnu.
I feel like I'm being set up all the time. I think my life partner has, and that the patient in the ward who answered the phone was really testing me. I think they're gunna say I'm some insane cult leader and I'm just an artist with some problems that have been exacerbated by the circumstances of dealing with my manipulative life partner in light of his declining mental health. But God said I would be fine. But God also said God wouldn't be there when the time comes. I don't have anybody right now. I can't make decisions on my own. I'm sorry I'm not good enough.
Vape marketing pretty much undid all the progress made to get people to stop smoking.
Honestly I see it as this kinda fucked up thing that's pure capitalism greed.
Get people dependent on a super addictive chemical that has withdrawal symptoms as low as 1 hour intervals.
People spend a ton of money just to not feel the withdrawal symptoms.
It's bad for health. It offers nothing.
Its barely a stimulant.
Just have some caffeine. It's less expensive and not bad for your health. (In small quantities).
I've got two teen nieces vaping.
They think it's cool. All their friends do it.
I really thought the next generations were going to be lucky they weren't chained to a subscription that's scraping years off their life and pocket. But I guess not.
Fuck big tobacco.
Big tobacco owns the vape companies and funds bots across social media and idiots just parrot the lie they are safe, especially if they are already addicts.
You can't discuss facts about drugs to junkies. There is no shortage of Lemmings telling you huffing huge quantities of random chemicals at high concentration is safe.
I don't get this defence of drugs or the industries that produce this plight on the people.
Being dependent on a drug doesn't mean you were stupid or have no self control.
It just means you were a victim of manipulation.
We all have been manipulated at some point. It's unfortunate but when we are educated about how it was done we can do something about it.
You have a choice. Acknowledge that you have became a victim of this manipulation and get free.
Or stay a prisoner.
Continue to give companies your money. The ones that have stolen your health from you. Years of your life. And forced you into addict behaviors that guide your daily actions.
Remember that it gets a little easier every day to break free. The hardest is the starting.
There are also temporary medications to help with the withdrawal symptoms. Doctors will prescribe them. They have pretty good success. You have options. You don't have to do it alone or deal with the body withdrawal effects.
load more comments
(7 replies)
view more: next ›