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I’ve been smoking for more years than I’d like
to admit, but I quit for about 3yrs when I was very ill with ME; I was
literally too ill to smoke. Stupidly, I
started up again, smoking around 5-10 a day, and then managed to quit
again. However, in 2009 I started
smoking again after 1 year of quitting and I was smoking up to 15 cigarettes a
day; when that became too expensive for me, I switched to rolling tobacco. I tried giving up several times but I just
couldn’t. In January 2010 I saw the ‘Quit
Smoking’ service in Boots and signed up for that. They gave me patches and inhalators, and I
quit for 4 months before starting up again.
This takes
me up to now. The past few months I have
had several health problems, including chest infections and problems breathing;
smoking is just the stupidest thing in the world to continue doing but they don’t
call it an addiction for nothing!
Why I Chose Electronic Cigarettes?
My local
supermarket opened a new pharmacy section in November. The day it opened, there was a guy from
Nicolites handing out leaflets about a special offer they had on. I took a leaflet, but didn’t even look at
it. A week or so later I went in with my
prescription to collect my medicines and the Nicolites stand was still in
there. While the pharmacist put together
my meds, I agreed to try out the free demonstration, literally to kill some
time. I was shocked by how real it
felt. My partner bought me the
rechargeable kit right there on the spot and I got a box of three cartons (cartomizers)
free as part of their special offer. So,
it was more of an impulse buy than a researched chose, and chances are if I’d
been alone, I may not have bought it straight away but gone home and done some
research first.
What Are Electronic Cigarettes?
Since I’m
using Nicolites, those are what I’ll be talking about, but there are plenty of
other brands on the market. Some other
brands have electronic cigarettes that are made up of three parts. The one I’m using is made up of two parts as
shown in the image below.
Image Credit |
I’m not an
expert and if you want a more technologically precise explanation please refer
to the manufacturer’s description of the electronic cigarette you’re interested
in, but basically, it looks like a cigarette, and when you inhale, even though
the tip glows red like a real cigarette, nothing is actually burning, as there
is no tobacco. The battery heats up the
liquid nicotine and you inhale the steam that is produced. It is just vapour, not smoke (so you’re
vaping, not smoking). The starter kit I
bought had a rechargeable battery part (the white part), 2 cartomizers (the
cigarette butt part) in a high dosage (16mg) and a medium one (11mg) and a USB
charger. All you need to do is to
replace the cartomizers when they’re finished and these come in packs of three
in varying strengths and flavours and cost about £7.
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How Does An Electronic Cigarette Compare To A Real Cigarette?
Size wise,
it’s a little bigger and a little heavier, so it does feel strange at first,
but it looks like a real cigarette, and when you inhale it feels like one
too. The taste is not exactly like
tobacco, but it is pretty similar and not at all unpleasant. Personally, I think it is as real as a
simulation could be; but at the end of the day it is not exactly like smoking
and does take a little getting used to.
I started using the electronic cigarette on Friday 21st December, and at first it was very strange.
I never smoked in the house, as my partner does not smoke and I hate the
smell of cigarette smoke, so I kept getting the urge to get up and go roll a
cigarette, but I didn’t need to. The
electronic cigarette does not emit any smell, and as it is just vapour, you can
smoke it indoors. Still, you may find
yourself getting the urge to flick ash, or any of the other activities
associated with smoking that become redundant with electronic cigarettes.
How Do You Know When You’ve Smoked Enough?
This was one
of my main concerns before I started vaping; how would I know when I had had enough
puffs/pulls? It really has not been an
issue, and to be honest, I think I’m actually ‘smoking’ less than if it was a
roll up as I find myself feeling fine after just a few pulls. I’ve been using the 16mg high cartomizer, and
at first it seemed too harsh for my throat, like I was inhaling too much, but I
got used to it within a couple of days.
Do You Put On Weight Like When You Give Up Smoking?
I did put on
a couple of pounds the first couple of weeks (although to be fair, it was
Christmas) and I think this is because I didn’t actually use the electronic
cigarette as much as I should have and was picking at food when I felt the
craving. Tomorrow will be 3 weeks since
I started, and I am now totally used to the electronic cigarette. I think this may be me, and I have read
accounts in forums of people that have gotten used to it much quicker than me.
How Do You Know When The Cartomizer Needs To Be Changed? How Long Does A Cartomizer Last?
I’ve found
that the electronic cigarette needs to be charged before the cartomizer is
finished. When the cartomizer is almost
empty, the amount of vapour emitted begins to lessen and the taste
changes. In almost 3 weeks, I have
changed the cartomizer twice, but I didn’t vape as much at first while I was
getting used to it, so for my own use, I would say I probably will use one
cartomizer a week, but this depends on how much you vape. One cartomizer is apparently the equivalent of
20 cigarettes, but I have found I get much more use out of mine. I guess this is down to personal use again.
How Long Does An Electronic Cigarette Take To Charge?
This is the
biggest down side for me; it takes 2 to 3 hours for the battery to charge. When the battery needs to be recharged, the
tip of the electronic cigarette will flash a few times when you try to inhale
and no vapour will be emitted. You can
buy disposable electronic cigarettes, that cost around £7 and are the
equivalent of 40 cigarettes, so you can keep one of these handy to use while
your rechargeable one charges, but I have not found this necessary.
Are Electronic Cigarettes Cheaper Than Normal Cigarettes?
This was
very important for me as I switched from cigarettes to rolling tobacco in an
effort to save money. I was spending
about £30-£35 a week on cigarettes before I switched to tobacco, although that
would be more now as the prices have gone up quite a bit in the last year. I was spending around £10 a week on rolling tobacco
(that includes papers and filters). So
let’s compare the three based on 3 weeks’ worth of smoking, as I have been
using the electronic cigarette for three weeks now:
Cost of
three weeks smoking/vaping:
Cigarettes @
£30-£35 a week = £90-£105
Tobacco @
£10 a week = £30
Electronic
cigarettes @ 1 cartomizer a week (they come in packs of 3) = £7 (not including
the one-time cost of £20 for the starter kit)
So, for me
personally, this has saved me money already, even if I include the cost of the
starter kit. I haven’t actually used 3
cartomizers, in these first three weeks, but I think that is probably how much
I will use.
Criticism of Electronic Cigarettes
Even though
this was an impulse buy for me, I did research online after that. I read some criticism online about how they
are sold, and that selling them in pharmacies gives them a legitimacy they do
not deserve. Some studies even showed
that they’re not as ‘cancer-free’ as they claim to be. There seems to be a lot of debate, but for
me, the most important aspect was that electronic cigarettes are still better
for me than cigarettes, and they work better than any inhalators, nicotine gum
or patches have done, and I have tried them all.
Have Electronic Cigarettes Made Me An Ex-Smoker?
I’ve been
using electronic cigarettes for three weeks, and this is when I would usually
be climbing the walls craving a cigarette.
I have not craved a cigarette once.
It does take getting used to, and it is different. It is an alternative to smoking, and for me
it is a great substitute. My plan is to
move from the 16mg high cartomizer, to the 11mg medium one, and then lower
still, until I can eventually give up.
Still have
questions about using an electronic cigarette?
Ask below and I’ll try to answer it from my own experience, or please refer to the manufacturers for specific information about their products, or speak to your doctor about the effects an electronic cigarette may have on your health.
“ . . . smoking is just the stupidest thing in the world to continue doing but they don’t call it an addiction for nothing!”—Well, had to agree with this one. Anyway, this article of yours will be very helpful to those who are interested in taking a less hazardous way of satisfying one's nicotine craving.
ReplyDeleteThank you - I sure do hope so!
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