e-cigarette

The electronic cigarette (or e-cigarette) is the latest in products that offer smoking without the smoke.  Real cigarettes are being taxed to the max.  The move to ban smoking in public places is snowballing. Addicted smokers close their eyes to the mess, the smell, the health hazards and the expense, doggedly getting their nicotine fixes.

Now there is a way to safely inhale nicotine without the smoke. The e-cigarette is really a tiny battery-operated device shaped like a cigarette.  It contains a liquid nicotine cartridge near the mouth which can come in flavors like menthol or mint. The next part of the cigarette is an atomizer which vaporizes the nicotine to be inhaled.  The last component is a rechargeable battery.  It operates when a smoker inhales, and has a light at the end which glows at that time. Some of these products will produce something smoke-like, contributing to the reality of the experience.
Electronic cigarettes are far less expensive to use than real cigarettes and cigars, and safer.  There are 600 or so carcinogens and other poisons associated with smoking.  Most people are familiar with the hazards of breathing carbon monoxide or acetone fumes.  They are aware that that cyanide is used in prisoner executions, and they know that formaldehyde is for embalming.  But they don’t want to be reminded that these poisons are ingested into their bodies whenever they inhale the smoke of a lighted cigarette.  If that is not powerful motivation to consider electronic cigarettes, there is always therapy.

The list of stop smoking gimmicks and techniques might rival the list of toxins in length.  The e-cigarette can look and feel just like the real thing or it can take other interesting shapes, like a pen.  There is no second-hand smoke.  The revolutionary aspects of e-smoking are a), the doses of nicotine do not come with the other poisons associated with smoke inhalation and b), the doses can be adjusted.  As such, the e-cigarette can assist in stopping smoking.

Nicotine itself is a poison.  Even if it has not been found to be a cause of cancer by itself, it still causes bodily harm by constricting the arteries.  It is associated with stroke, hypertension and coronary artery disease.  Despite that, electronic cigarettes can be seen as a safer, more economical way to smoke, with some definite advantages over traditional smoking.  The wheezing and shortness of breath that most serious smokers suffer will disappear in a few weeks. Food will taste better.  Along with that, it should be kept in mind that the exercise needed to curtail that weight gain that former smokers universally report will now be much easier.