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I am currently undergoing a mighty struggle in my life: The quest to quit smoking.  Many around the world, and perhaps some reading this right now, are sharing this experience with me.  My own desire in quitting is to improve the state of my health, but we all have different reasons.  Unfortunately, the transition from smoker to non-smoker isn't an easy one. 

If the desire for nicotine doesn't pull you back, the oral fixation just might.  It’s a double-bladed attack that is a lot harder to fight against than non-smokers sometimes think.  In order to facilitate my own transition, I decided to use an e-cigarette.  And in using said device, I thought I’d help out other smokers who might be reading this by offering up some advice on the electronic cigarette, both from studies and from my own personal experience.

First and foremost, the e-cig is not necessarily the cigarette-looking device that many people think it to be.  The technology behind it is the same used in vaporizers.  E-cigs are really just camouflaged vaporizers, made to look like regular cigarettes so that those switching over to them don’t feel any sort of social stigma attached to puffing on something that resembles a drug-user’s tool. I've chosen a proper vaporizer for my change, about three times the size of your typical cigarette though still cylindrical in design.

The best advantage of using the e-cig is that there are several health benefits involved.  While medical studies have not fully examined the long-term effects of using this device, it’s a no-brainer that some things are simply way less damaging than regular cigs. There is no smoke, and that means no carbon monoxide.  Also, electronic cigarette refills, or “e-liquid,” is basically a mixture of vegetable oil and nicotine - not the hundreds of other random chemicals (many of them addictive) that most tobacco companies add to their products.

Since the effects of this alternative haven’t been studied in depth, I’ve found a few articles for reference that talk about the various health aspects and theories. The first is a medical news article that goes over the difference between e-cig and regular smoke emissions.  I've also found another that focuses more on the effects of e-cigs on the person actually smoking them.  This one discusses the fact that e-cigs, simply by virtue of there being fewer chemicals to smoke, are healthier by default.  It does point out, as it should, that all smoking is a health risk, particularly to those with conditions such as heart problems, respiratory problems and high blood pressure.

Other advantages from smoking e-cigs include the fact that they’re cheaper in the long run, you can smoke them pretty much anywhere, there’s no second-hand smoke damage to the people around you and they don’t make you smell like an old shoe.  Many of the e-liquids even come in scents that smell nice.  I am currently using raspberry and loving it.

But before running off and jumping on the e-cig bandwagon, it’s a good idea to become acquainted with the journey you’re about to embark on.  Some people simply can’t get used to e-cigs for a number of reasons.  So, it’s best to grab up one of the cheap disposable kinds to give it a test run.  The disposable e-cigs, however, must be taken with a grain of salt. 

First of all, they are almost all nicotine heavy.  If you try to smoke them like regular cigarettes, you will end up spending ten bucks, sucking it down in less than 24 hours and absorbing about two full-flavored packs worth of nicotine.  This does not make for the best test-run.  If you’re the type that simply needs a nicotine fix and can get away with taking one or two hits, then a disposable will work perfectly.  If you are, like me, an oral fixation smoker that relies on multiple cigarettes of the lighter variety, then the typical disposable e-cig is a bad idea.

A vaporizer, however, is much more customizable and works well for the smoker that needs to spend 5-10 minutes each smoking session inhaling thick clouds of smoke (or, in this case, vapor).  The only problem with this is that you’ll need to spend more cash to test the waters.  Mine cost me $65, but so far the investment is looking very sound.  There’s also the possibility of buying a smaller pack, one of the light e-cigs with five refills, for around $20.  This would be a great way to get a feel for the device over the course of several days so that you can make an informed decision.

Another thing to think about, and I cannot stress enough how helpful it was for me, is going to a shop that sells e-cigs and talking extensively to the people that work there.  Find employees that use the device themselves and ask question after question until you feel satisfied with the answers.  A one-on-one conversation with an e-cig user will give you specific insight into the experience that reading discussions on forums can’t.  Still, it does also pay to check out the forums, especially when you have a specific question you need answered.

Of course, electronic cigarettes don’t work for everyone, but for me they’ve been a resounding success.  I crave a real cigarette about once per day and manage to ignore the craving long enough for it to go away.  I’m saving money, my teeth are feeling better (and looking whiter!) and my lungs are finally starting to clear out all that nasty tar. 

I have no desire to go back to regular smokes and in fact the idea of buying a pack makes my stomach turn.  The new method works well for me and I’m very happy I found it.  Of course, a proper vaporizer requires upkeep, including e-liquid, filaments, cartridges and the like, so there’s a bit more of a time element involved.  In the end, however, the benefit to one’s health is almost certainly worth that extra bit of effort.  And, of course, remember always that nicotine is still nicotine and that only when you finally quit for good will the damage to your health stop. 

E-cig photo courtesy of KjellElec via Wikicommons