Ever since electronic cigarettes burst onto the smoking scene with a vengeance a few years ago, there has been fierce debate as to their effectiveness and their safety. With stories of e-cigarettes exploding whilst on charge and setting fire to users, it’s little wonder that many people are wary of giving them a try.
Of course, there are always risks with relatively new technologies – because e-cigs are a form of technology – which isn’t helped by the lack of research and studies into the short- and long-term effects of vaping. However, the general consensus seems to be that those risks are worth taking for the benefits that vaping brings. Indeed, although key health organisations like the NHS and the FDA, have yet to formally back e-cigarettes as an effective aid to quitting smoking, many smoking cessation charities tentatively assert that many ex-smokers are successfully breaking the habit with the help of e-cigs.
E-cigarettes work by heating a cartridge of liquid (commonly known as e-liquid or e-juice) to produce a vapour that users then inhale. Eliquid is primarily composed of glycerine, water, nicotine and flavourings, and can be bought in bottles for refillable e-cigs or as pre-filled cartridges within disposable vapes. Since their introduction to the UK market around a decade ago, around 2.6 million adults have used one, and the percentage of adult smokers is down by around 6%, indicating that many have given up in favour of using e-cigs.
If you’re still on the fence, though, here are five great reasons why you should at least give vaping a try.
#1: You Can Control Your Addiction
Although electronic cigarettes still contain nicotine – it forms an ingredient in the e-liquid that e-cigarettes use to produce vapour – manufacturers have the ability to adjust the amount of nicotine that is included in each batch of e-liquid. This means that vapers can begin with e-liquids that contain a higher level of nicotine, and gradually reduce their intake by ordering liquids with lower nicotine content as time goes on. Nicotine-free e-liquids are also available, so people who still enjoy the habit of vaping can continue to do so even after they’ve recovered from nicotine addiction.
#5: It’s Less Harmful to Your Health
There are relatively few conclusive studies on the long-term impacts of e-cigarettes, which does mean that as things stand, we don’t know if using them will pose problems in the future. However, it’s clear that in the short term, they function very effectively as an intermediate step for smokers looking to quit. As they contain zero tar and only a fraction of the chemicals found in standard cigarettes, you are instantly reducing your risk of developing illnesses and diseases linked to these substances.
#3: It’s Cheaper
As a rule, if your vaping habits mirror your smoking ones, then the cost is considerably cheaper. For someone smoking 20 cigarettes a day, using disposable e-cigarettes will save you around 50% per year, and if you invest in rechargeable e-cigs then you’re looking at around a 75% reduction in costs.
#4: It Tastes and Smells Nicer
Most e-liquids are flavoured, usually with your standard fruit, menthol or tobacco-inspired aromas; but many manufacturers have expanded into more atypical flavours such as cookie dough, custard, caramel and bubble gum. There are even tastes to replicate alcoholic drinks or childhood pops. All of this means that vapers using these flavours will enjoy a lingering aftertaste of their given variety of e-liquid, and the vapour produced will share this scent. For friends and family especially, this is a considerable improvement on standard cigarette smoke.
#5: It Won’t Affect Your Appearance
It’s the tar found in tobacco which causes the tell-tale yellowed teeth, nails and fingertips commonly associated with smoking. E-cigarettes contain no tar at all so, combined with their ability to keep your breath smelling of something considerably more socially acceptable, e-cigs are a fairly safe way to stay looking your best. And with three out of four people saying they’d find smoking a turn-off in a prospective partner, vaping as an alternative can only improve your chances in the dating world.
