Electronic Cigarettes

#1

I know I am not the only smoker at KH so I am posting this for those who smoke.

With my mother being taken by lung cancer recently and myself being a fairly heavy smoker I got to thinking hard about the whole smoking thing.

I’ve tried and failed to quit in the past and was prepared to try again when I discovered e-cigarettes. They are an amazing piece of technology.

Obviously, quitting is the best option but these things are a great alternative to smoking cigarettes. With normal “analog” cigarettes one gets the nicotine you’re after but also a lot of tar and other chemicals you don’t want. Even the lightest cigarettes still contains hundreds of harmful chemicals.

These e-cigs provide the nicotine the smoker wants but none of the other crud in cigarette smoke. As a matter of fact they produce no smoke at all. They produce a vapor that contains some nicotine, flavoring, and that’s it. The vapor evaporates away almost immediately.

They’re legal to use anywhere as they produce no first or second hand smoke or residual odor and have no tobacco or combustion at all, and smoking bans do not apply to them.

I’ve made the switch to them and can say that they do satisfy both the nicotine craving as well as the “habit” of smoking. They draw and feel just like smoking a ciggy, the taste is very similar to that of a cigarette (unless you go with one of several other flavors like strawberry or vanilla), but are much better for you than tobacco as there are no carcinogens in the vapor at all.

Is is a tad pricey to get started with them, but in the long run using them is much cheaper than buying cigarettes. One can even buy the liquid to refill the cartridges instead of buying more of them and save even more money.

I would urge any who smoke to at least consider this option (no I don’t sell them or work for someone who does LOL) as a healthier alternative to cigarettes.

There’s a website for a dealer who has a good reputation among those on the e-cigs forums. http://www.puresmoker.com/

#2

Next to losing weight, quitting smoking has got to be the hardest. My husband quit 15 years ago and says every once in awhile he will get a craving for one after he eats.

Good luck and maybe you can wean yourself off them and be cigarette free!

#3

Yeah it’s extremely difficult. While e-cigs aren’t marketed as quitting aids (due to regs), the cartridges come in different nicotime strengths all the way down to zero, so one could use them to step down and eventually quit.

Pretty much everyone on the e-cigs forum has given up smoking in favor of “vaping” (called that because is vapor instead of smoke).

I’ll probably gradually step down the nic levels myself as I go along although nicotine itself isn’t very harmful unless you have high blood pressure or heart disease. It’s all that other crap in cigarette smoke that’ll kill you.

#4

Oh yeah, another plus is that these won’t make your knitting (or house or car or you) stink.

#5

I have a 26 year old son who is a heavy smoker. He’s tried so many times to quit. His children have hearing loss because of his smoking (they get ear infections which scar their ear drums and fill their ear tubes with mucus) and he feels guilty that he is harming them. I will definately pass this info along to him. Thank you!

#6

How long do they last compared to cigarettes?

I quit for a year and a half (but smoked a pipe instead, no inhaling) and when my panic attacks fired up in full force I was back at it.
They say smoking makes panic worse but I have too much personal evidence to the contrary to think I’m properly self-medicating.

I’d be willing to give vaping a go as long as it was affordable.

#7

You’re welcome. It would definitely help in his case as it would have zero effect on the people around him.

#8

The model I have, which is the same as the Pee Wee on the site I linked, claims that the cartridges are equivalent to about a half pack of cigs each. From what I have been able to tell I tend to think it’s a bit less than that. But ordering them from that site amounts to a cost of about 79 cents each so it’s far more affordable than buying analog cigs.

From what I’ve learned on the forums, I’d recommend going with the pen style as everyone seems to say that they perform better and the cartridges last a bit longer. I’ll be ordering one myself when I can afford to buy another e-cig.

From that site’s FAQ:

[FONT=&quot][U]Original Penstyle Cartridge[/U] = 8-10 tobacco cigarettes
[U]Pocket Mini[/U] = 6-7 tobacco cigarettes[/FONT]

The Pee Wee (the one I have) is considered a Super Mini but the cartridges last about the same as a Pocket Mini.

If you buy the liquid and refill them yourself it’s even cheaper still.

#9

I saw that claim about 8-10 per cartridge and each cartridge costs about $1.
That makes them cheaper than fire or at least no more expensive. Which can’t be said for any other form of nicotine replacement.

I’ll have to check into that to see if they have them locally, otherwise I’d have to buy a half a million cartridges at a time.

About all those chemicals in fired cigarettes, when I switched to pipe I still had a hard time getting off the cigarettes. I would even smoke some heavy duty tobaccos that would give me nicotine overdose. There’s more going on in cigarettes than just nicotine.
That’s the main reason I’d like to get off them yet don’t mind the thought of nicotine.

#10

Be careful who you buy from locally, some dealers such as “Smoke Everywhere” sell inferior products for inflated prices and their service stinks.

The site I linked here is one of several that I know about who have a very good reputation for quality and service.

I know what you mean about the pipe as I am also a pipe smoker. That’s one thing I’ve noticed about the e-cigs. Since you “smoke” them exactly the same way you would a cigarette they seem to satisfy that urge much better and I really haven’t missed the cigs at all.

I would recommend buying an extra atomizer or two (the part that does the actual work). From what I have read on the forums they are the part most likely to fail on you. I am getting ready to place an order for a couple of spares myself.

As I really enjoy vanilla pipe tobacco I’m planning on trying some of the vanilla e-liquid to see how it is.

#11

A friend of mine has a brother who is 50 and is disabled, living in an assisted living facility. He had been smoking since he was a teenager. He then had to start using oxygen. My friend was extremely upset (their Mom had emphysema) Anyway, she found something similar and her brother started using them. In a short period of time, he was able to quit using the oxygen. I don’t think he would have ever quit without this. Good luck to you Mason and anyone else that decides to switch.

#12

No joke! My husband and I quit together about 3 weeks ago.

#13

Great! That is of course the best way to go. These e-cigs are for those of us who find quitting to be more difficult and nothing else works.

#14

Absolutely–I didn’t mean to imply that…I’m glad there’s something safer out there than inhaling the smoke at least. :slight_smile:

#15

Good luck you guys. I quit in '88 when my first husband got lung cancer. I didn’t want my daughter to have both parents to die from lung cancer. It was very hard and I had my brother praying for me, but I finally did it, with God’s help. Don’t give up. Your family will be glad that they have you around. Don’t worry about the weight gain. You can get rid of the extra weight after you kick the habit. After 2 months, it got a lot easier for me. It is important!!!:hug:

#16

I knew that, I meant that I am happy for you that you two have managed to quit.

#17

Man, I’m gonna have to try this one day! If only I could quit smoking long enough to save up the money to buy one…haha…Well, I’m gonna have to go back to work in about 7-8 months, maybe then I’ll be able to get one. I’m not a super heavy smoker, though, I’ve noticed I’m smoking more and more each day…Still at just under a pack a day though…Aside from when I was pregnant, the longest I’ve been able to quit was about 3 weeks. Then I got super stressed one day and said F it and I’ve been smoking as normal ever since.

See, my problem isn’t so much the nicotine as it is the actual action of it. A lot of times I smoke out of boredom or habit…Habit as in I have to have a cig after I eat, whether I want one or not, I have to smoke when I’m on the phone, I have to smoke when I’m on the computer, etc. It’s become an association thing for me I think more than anything else.

The 3 weeks that I did quit getting past the nicotine craving wasn’t as hard as getting past the feeling I needed a cig at a particular time, such as talking on the phone or after eating, or, when I need a quick break from knitting :teehee:

#18

I have to admit…I quit the easy way. I got pregnant with baby #3…and had to make a choice between ‘keeping my dinner down’…or lighting up.

Food won. :thumbsup: I’m a terrible sissy.

After baby #3 was born…my Mom had already been diagnosed with lung cancer…so that reinforced my abstinence…and by the time baby #4 was born…Mom had died from lung cancer. She was pretty darn young…being in her mid-forties. Such a shame.

So, that has postponed my smoking ever since.

Been clean since 1972. And, still alive. :woot:

My heartfelt prayers for all of us who are fighting the fine fight against any sort of addiction!

Thanks for sharing the info, Mason!

#19

Wow! I have never heard of this and I think it’s wonderful! I have somehow escaped the whole smoking thing (my parents both smoked like chimneys when I was a kid, I think that’s why I never did) but I know several people who do and I’ll pass this on to them.

What I like about the concept is you don’t have to do it with the goal of quitting, which I think is too overwhelming for some people, but of getting healthier while still being able to use nicotine. And with the added bonus that the smoke isn’t affecting anyone else either. Great idea!

Thanks so much for posting this. I think it’ll mean a lot to a lot of people…:notworthy:

#20

What a neat idea! I don’t smoke, but I hope it works for you and for those who try it.

My aunt and uncle (married) were both diagnosed with lung cancer this year and my dad and MIL have enphysema and COPD. I hate to see anyone go through these horrible diseases. :hug: