Just a few years ago electronic cigarettes were uncommon, hard to find and a mystery to most people. Now they’re everywhere – but it turns out they’re still a mystery to most people. Any survey carried out always find that while the public hear a lot in the media about e-cigarettes and vaping in the media, they don’t really know much about them.
Unfortunately, smokers aren’t really better informed about vaping than anyone else. However, this isn’t really surprising as smokers read the same newspapers, complete with the same alarming stories. Just to help set the record straight and inform smokers about vaping, below are the key three facts every smoker should know about e-cigarettes.
Fact 1: Vaping is Cheaper than Smoking
For now, vaping is much cheaper than smoking. E-cigarettes usually start off at around €30. Although a pack of cigarettes seems cheaper in the short-run, this is not the case.
Cigarettes cannot be used long-term as they are a disposable item; you buy them, you smoke them and they’re gone. On the other hand, e-cigarettes and vaping kits are refillable. All you need to purchase is the liquid. Replacement parts can also be bought but they usually last months or even years. The initial cost of the kit will pay for itself in days; spend that €30 now and by the time you need to get another €5 bottle of liquid you will already have saved yourself the cost of four or five packs of cigarettes.
The average long-term vapor spends as much on liquid and new coils every week as they did on cigarettes in a day. You can save hundreds in your first few months.
Fact 2: E-cigarettes are a lot Safer than Tobacco
6 million people each year die from tobacco related illnesses. Around a third of these deaths are due to cancer.
A long-term study, funded by Cancer Research UK, revealed that those who switched from real cigarettes to e-cigarettes had far less toxins and cancer-causing substances in their bodies than regular smokers.
In addition to this research, Public Health England carried out a very detailed study of vaping. The results of their study found that electronic cigarettes are at least 95% safer than the old-fashioned kind. You may ask what happens the other 5% potential risk. The potential risk includes the “danger” of nicotine addiction.
Fact 3: To Quit or to Switch
While some people say there’s no evidence that e-cigarettes help smokers quit, others studies show that they do aid in quitting.
To quit smoking completely is hard. There is no smoker out there that has not tried to quit smoking. Most have tried to quit on more than one occasion; whether you use patches or gum, hypnotherapy or the traditional cold turkey method, the failure rate is around 95%. It is hard for people to go cold turkey because the truth is in reality they don’t want to quit as they enjoy smoking. This is down to being addicted to the nicotine found in tobacco cigarettes.
Traditional smoking cessation aids, such as nicotine gum and patches, makes it that little bit easier to give up something you enjoy. However, electronic cigarettes are different. You don’t need to stop doing anything but just do it in a better, more advanced and healthier way.
The first e-cigarettes weren’t very satisfying but with advances in technology, a modern e-cig, properly set up and filled with a good liquid, is a whole different story.
By switching to e-cigarettes, you can decide how much nicotine you want. You can also choose from a wide range of flavours and customise the whole experience so it’s how you want it to be. Additionally, vaping is more socially acceptable than smoking, much cheaper and 95% safer. Switching to e-cigs is the equivalent of switching from an old manual typewriter to a high-end laptop.
To conclude the main facts with regards to vaping are that e-cigarettes are cheaper in the long-term, they are a lot safer than the tobacco found in cigarettes and it’s better to switch to vaping than to quit cold turkey.
