It won’t surprise anyone to read that smoking is the leading cause of avoidable, premature deaths in the world. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly six million people die each year from tobacco-related diseases. These numbers are expected to swell up to eight million in just a few years’ time.
Everyone knows how bad smoking is, yet so many people are still stuck with this terrible habit. An estimated forty million people still smoke in America. Thankfully, the choice of quit-smoking methods is now greater than ever — yet one particular method has been scrutinized and condemned in the public domain recently: e-cigarettes.
Let’s take a closer look.
What are e-cigarettes?
Electronic cigarettes, also called e-cigarettes or e-cigs, are devices that vaporize flavored liquids electronically. This is why the act of using the likes of VUSE and Blu e-Cigs is also called “vaping.” The liquids, or e-juices, contain water, nicotine, flavoring, glycerin or propylene glycol, as well as other chemicals. E-cigs emulate the smoke produced by burning tobacco and mimic the gestures of smoking cigarettes. This makes them a great tool to quit smoking in a more gentle manner than the cold turkey method many have already tried and struggled with.
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At the moment, e-cigarettes are all over the news, and not for the right reasons. The US Food and Drug Administration has recently regulated all electronic cigarette products in the same way as tobacco products. As a result, e-cigs are getting a bad reputation as a “gateway to smoking”, rather than being considered as one more odd in your favor in your quest to becoming a non-smoker.
Your health vs. vaping
Several vaping products contain nicotine. This could scare some people off, but it is important to understand that, although highly addictive, nicotine is not what’s dangerous for your health with smoking tobacco.
Tobacco smoke contains up to 5000 different substances, of which nearly sixty are carcinogenic. When you smoke, toxic substances such as tar, carbon monoxide, ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, cadmium, lead, and mercury enter your lungs and wreak havoc on your health. If you smoke a pack a day, then you would typically inhale about 250 ml of tar in a year. That’s a full cup!
E-cigarettes are known to also contain some levels of chemicals, but a recent study shows that the toxicity levels are between 9 to 450 times lower than in cigarette smoke and, in many cases, comparable with trace amounts only. By switching over to a leading e-cig company such as Blu or VUSE in an attempt to quit, you will quickly notice that your physical condition improves. You will experience a decrease in shortness of breath, less coughing and healthier skin, amongst other benefits. You will also experience a positive change in the smell of your breath and clothes.
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Setting yourself up to success
If you’ve tried quitting cold turkey with no success, maybe it’s time to think of a more gentle way to go. Should you decide on an e-cigarette for smoking cessation, companies such as VUSE or Blu e-Cigs offer starter packs with various levels of nicotine liquids to help wean yourself off smoking progressively, thus increasing your chances of success. But it’s important to observe a few rules to put all odds in your favor.
Initially, you should choose an e-cigarette that has a similar nicotine dosage as your favorite tobacco brand. This will leave time for the brain to accept the replacement, while not craving nicotine. Then, once the shift feels comfortable, you can start to progressively lower the nicotine dosage of your e-cigarette. It is difficult to establish a fixed rhythm for this, as each person is different. Listen to yourself and see what feels right. If you are feeling stressed and about to cave in and smoke a cigarette, up to the nicotine concentration a little for a few days. Then, start decreasing it again when you feel comfortable. A slow nicotine withdrawal over the course of several weeks is what we are aiming for.
In the end, use nicotine-free e-juice for a couple of weeks before giving up vaping completely.
Congratulations! You’re a non-smoker!
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