You Don't Have to Die Young: The Healthier E-Cig Option

Whether you want to quit smoking, find a cleaner, socially acceptable option, or enjoy the sensation without the risk, e-cigarettes are worth considering.

When you Just Can’t Stop: The Healthier E-Cig Option

You know you shouldn’t smoke and you hear it everywhere. Your family wants you to stop. Your doctor says you should stop. That cough when you climb the stairs nags at you to stop.

You’ve heard of nicotine gum and the nicotine patch as methods of quitting smoking. Perhaps you may have even tried them. What they lack, and why they often fail, is that they differ too much from the real thing.  While the gum or the patch may feed the nicotine addiction, for some people the feeling of holding a cigarette and the social aspect of taking part in what those around you seem to be enjoying is as important as anything else. If this sounds familiar, consider the advantages of the electronic or e-cigarette.

What’s it All About

 Unlike a cigarette containing tobacco, the e-cigarette heats up liquid nicotine, or a non-nicotine solution, creating a smoke which provides both a visual connection to the act and a vapor that can be inhaled. Manufacturers say this inhalation provides the same sensation for users, without exposure to the many harmful chemicals found in traditional cigarettes.

Products like the Smokeless Image Electronic Cigarettes eliminate more than 4,000 chemicals found in tobacco cigarettes. The list includes arsenic and formaldehyde. Nicotine on its own is addictive, not unlike caffeine. What makes smoking so much more toxic than drinking coffee is the addition of the extra chemicals. Eliminate those and you’ve got a healthier option.

How Safe

While some government bodies and organizations are still researching and studying the benefits of e-cigarettes, the American Association of Public Health Physicians (AAPHP) has released a document that states: electronic cigarettes “could save the lives of 4 million of the 8 million current adult American smokers who will otherwise die of a tobacco-related illness over the next 20 years."

Essentially the document says e-cigarettes contain products that are safe for human consumption and suggests they provide nicotine in a safer manner than traditional cigarettes.

It will likely take many more years of study for government to take an official stand one way or the other but in the meantime, as a way of avoiding known carcinogens, and when you really can’t find any other way to quit, e-cigarettes have been confirmed by AAPHP as a better option.

How Common are They

Originally developed by a Chinese pharmacist in 2003, the e-cigarette entered the market in China in 2004. Introduced to the U.S. market in 2007, these great mimickers are gaining popularity. Not only do they look enough like the real thing that a first look doesn’t give anything away, but they provide all of the same sensations smokers crave and they satisfy all of the habits associated with smoking – having something in your hand, the drag and the inhale.

In 2013 Forbes said Bloomberg Industries had reported on the expectation for revenue from e-cigarettes to double to more than $1 billion during that fiscal year and that revenues would surpass sales of traditional cigarettes by 2047.

Trending

Certainly Hollywood seems to be jumping on the bandwagon. Many websites, including What Culture are reporting top 10s and lists of celebrities who have made the switch.

In 2010 actress Katherine Heigl appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman, her own e-cigarette hidden under a seat cushion. When she brought it out to explain its use, purpose and then shared it with Letterman, people were surprised.

Since then though, celebs from the Rolling Stones’ Ronnie Wood to actor Leonardo DiCaprio to top model Kate Moss have gone on record about their use of the e-cigarette. Tom Petty and Johnny Depp are also reported users and in fact, Depp uses them not just in real life, but also used one for his role in the 2010 movie The Tourist.

Variety

The variety of styles available offers users options to replace cigarettes, pipes or cigars. An option resembling a pen provides an alternative to satisfy a craving, even in a setting where cigarettes may not be appropriate.

Some companies offer multiple flavors and multiple strengths. Especially for users who are looking to decrease their nicotine consumption, there is the potential to reach zero nicotine while still enjoying the sensations, the feel and the appearance of smoking.

This is where the real advantage and help with quitting comes into play. If removing nicotine from your routine is what you want to do, as with the patch, you can gradually reduce the amount of nicotine you’re taking in, until you bring it down to nothing. Addiction gone. Then, whether you decide to break the habit becomes the next question.

Most e-cigarettes are available with replaceable and refillable cartridges, making them much more economical than traditional cigarettes and offering users the opportunity for variety and change within their choice model.

Cleaner and Safer

As a cleaner option e-cigarettes come without the issue of where to butt out, what to do with a butt, or the concern for ashes dropping uncontrolled. The nicotine vapor doesn’t linger; it does not stain teeth, fingers, walls or fabric; and it is relatively odorless, so it won’t impact people sitting nearby.

Electronic cigarettes are also safer than traditional cigarettes because they do not burn, eliminating the risk of accidental fires. The U.S. Fire Administration reports that every year almost 1,000 smokers and non-smokers are killed in home fires caused by cigarettes or other smoking material.

Whatever your reason for smoking, or not being able to stop smoking, e-cigarettes may be an alternative to satisfy both you and the people around you. And who knows, taken one step at a time, they may even help you quit altogether.

About the author: 

Blair Carter has been a smoker for more years than he wants to count and has tried every solution and cessation method on the market.  Electronic cigarettes are the first solution that has both satisfied his smoking-related habits and his family’s wish for him to quit. He’s working on it; one step at a time.