It is estimated that about one in every five adult smokers would like to quit, but only one out of five succeeds. If you’re a smoker who’s trying to kick the habit for good (or just to save your life), it might be time to try an electronic cigarette instead. Many people who’ve tried e-cigarettes say that they’re not only safer than regular cigarettes but also more enjoyable.
The basic idea behind electronic cigarettes is simple enough. A battery provides power that heats up propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin into vaporized water and nicotine. Once the liquid reaches a certain temperature, it turns into smokeless tobacco that you inhale through a small mouthpiece. The vapor doesn’t have any of the tar or carbon monoxide found in traditional cigarettes, and it has a much lower concentration of nicotine than what you’d find in a pack of smokes.
If you’ve never used an e-cigarette before, don’t worry — it won’t replace your addiction overnight. You can start with a starter kit, which usually includes a battery, atomizer head, and some disposable cartridges filled with flavored nicotine. Some kits even come with a USB charger so that you can charge your batteries on the go. For most people, these devices are pretty easy to use. Just unscrew the atomizer head, put in a new cartridge, screw it back together, and puff away.
But there are a few things to keep in mind if you plan to switch over completely. First off, while the vapor isn’t as harsh as cigarette smoke, it can still irritate your throat and lungs. Second, while vaping does contain less nicotine than smoking, it still packs a punch — and there’s no way around it. And finally, there are plenty of risks involved with using this kind of device. Here are four tips from current vapers that will help you decide whether you should take the plunge.
1) It’s not a panacea.
Electronic cigarettes aren’t intended to replace real cigarettes entirely. In fact, the FDA doesn’t allow companies to market them as “healthy” alternatives to conventional tobacco products. Instead, they’re marketed to adults who want to cut down on their cigarette consumption without giving up the benefits of smoking altogether.
And while some research shows that vaping may reduce the amount of toxins in your body by eliminating chemicals such as formaldehyde and ammonia, there’s no evidence yet that it actually reduces your risk of developing cancer. While the health effects of vaping are still unclear, the best advice is probably to stick with something proven to work. For now, at least, there’s no reason to believe that e-cigarettes are better for your health than regular cigarettes. So unless you think you’ll suffer fewer health problems by continuing to smoke, why would you make the switch?
2) E-cigs are addictive.
Vaping is a lot like drinking alcohol. When you first start using it, it seems to relax you. But once you get into a rhythm, you might find yourself craving another hit. This makes it hard to quit without the aid of prescription drugs, which are generally very expensive.
In fact, studies show that many people who use e-cigs find themselves needing larger quantities of nicotine to achieve the same effect as they did when they started out. In other words, the more you vape, the more addicted you become.
3) You could end up with lung damage.
There isn’t really enough evidence yet to prove that long-term vaping causes permanent damage to your lungs, but there are certainly signs of early damage to the tissue. For example, people who use e-cigs often develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD usually starts with mild symptoms, like shortness of breath, but after a while, it gets worse until it becomes severe enough to require treatment with oxygen therapy.
Some experts estimate that up to 10 percent of all smokers eventually develop COPD, so e-cig users may be more susceptible to it. Other researchers speculate that e-cigarettes could cause lung tumors in the future because they expose your lungs to carcinogens. So far, there’s no conclusive proof either way. What we do know is that e-cigarettes are definitely not harmless.
4) There are other serious dangers.
E-cigarettes are designed to look like regular cigarettes. They’re sold in stores where you could easily blend in with a pack of Marlboro Reds. That means you could end up buying them and using them without realizing it.
Having the habit of the smoking can be the root cause of the various issues. The best and the advisable option for such people is the use of the vaporizer. There are varieties of the options available in market. A person can go through the various options and choose the quality of the products at a reasonable rate.
In the past few years, several cases of teenagers dying after accidentally getting too close to an open flame while vaping have been reported. One study showed that some of those deaths were caused by lithium batteries, which emit toxic gases when they heat up. Another case was a result of a faulty battery that burned the skin right off the person’s arm. So please, if you’re under 18, never buy an e-cigarette. The last thing you want is to wind up looking like one of the dead teens on TV.
