Advocacy Fatigue

Regular readers of this blog may have noticed that, over the last couple of weeks the blog has become, well, less regular.

It’s not because I’ve stopped vaping, it’s not because I’ve stopped caring about the millions of smokers lives that could be saved through vaping, I just haven’t felt the need to blog.

I’ve tried to pinpoint the reasons why – I’ve been extremely busy over the last few weeks with work, family life and the fact that I’ve had a part in an upcoming horror film but, throughout all of these things, I’ve still been vaping and still had many enjoyable debates about the politics of vaping as well as being an active contributor to the many vaping groups I’m a member of on Facebook.

So, to simplify things I’ve invented a completely (as far as I’m aware) made up condition – Advocacy Fatigue.

My initial drive for writing this blog was off the back of Totally Wicked’s Article 20 campaign.   I wanted to make more people – vapers, smokers and non smokers alike aware of the changes in the law regarding electronic cigarettes and that, these changes, by treating vaping the same as tobacco smoking, will be hugely detrimental to the lives of millions.     This should be as much of interest to non smokers as it is smokers and ex smokers/vapers.

I wanted to try and educate those who possibly felt that vaping was as harmful as smoking and wanted to have a more open platform than my facebook updates or tweets.

The first post I wrote had thousands of reads.   Within a couple of days it was up to around the 3k mark.  I was overjoyed.    And, in the first few weeks of starting this blog, felt a real surge in creativity, at one point writing two or three new articles every day (not every one was published)

I kind of felt like I’d done my job.    Over the past week, Totally Wicked have handed their petition in (I couldn’t attend the handing in due to work and the previously mentioned horror film – something which, to be frank, I’m exceedingly disappointed in myself for), my facebook news feed is filled with pro vaping meme’s, messages and calls to action and, to be honest, I just didn’t feel that my little blog was making any impact.

And besides, everyone else is doing their bit so, why am I needed.

But, today I’ve had a change of heart.   The battle is still not yet won.   There are still corrupt politicians passing laws that they KNOW will harm public health, there are still tobacco lobbyists having clandestine meetings to help crush this threat to their industry, there are still pharmaceutical manufacturers knowingly spreading lies about vaping to protect the sales of their own inefficient nicotine replacement products and, even if only one other person reads my blog and has their opinions changed for the better, that’s potentially another life saved.

So, Advocacy fatigue aside, the fight still needs to be fought.

The Vaped Crusader rises again!