Most us know a little something about the dangers of smoking. It increases your risk of heart disease, stroke, and lung cancer. It can affect fertility in both men and women, making it harder to conceive a child. According to the Centers for Disease Control, it causes nearly half a million deaths per year in the United States, making it the leading cause of preventable death. It leads to more deaths than HIV, illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries, and firearms combined.
Even if you’ve heard such statistics before, you may be frustrated because it feels like there’s not a great alternative to smoking. You need to quit, but it’s really hard.
Have You Heard?
Smoking vs Vaping
That’s where vaping comes in. Instead of a cigarette full of nasty chemicals, you use an electronic cigarette that creates water vapor for you to inhale and exhale. It’s tobacco-free, but you can still get e-liquid made with nicotine. Many people find it a good way to get the feel of smoking a cigarette without as many of the dangers that come with smoking a pack of Marlboros. You can get all sorts of flavors, including grape, mint, and even chocolate.
If you decide vaping is something you’d like to try, don’t be drawn in by the cheap disposable things sold at some corner markets. Go for a longer-lasting model sold at a vape shop in your area. They’ll be more expensive, but they’ll also provide a better vaping experience. Even better, you’ll be buying them from employees who are knowledgeable about the difference between tanks and clearomizers (tanks hold more e-juice, while clearomizers, or “clearos,” are cheaper and more compact).
What’s Really Inside E-Juice?
What’s inside vape juice?
You don’t have to go cold turkey. You can get nicotine from vaping, and ideally move toward weaning yourself off the nicotine entirely and just vaping for the pleasure of it. Yes, adults really do that. Lots of them, actually. Some of those flavors taste pretty good, and they can taste even better without the addition of nicotine. The base ingredient in e-juice is either propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, or a mixture of the two.
Vaping gives you the routine of smoking without all the health risks. That’s not to say vaping should be treated like health food, but the available evidence indicates that it’s a better alternative than grabbing a pack of cigarettes.
Get The Facts
10 Facts That Everyone Gets Wrong About Vaping
The Food and Drug Administration has been conflicted about regulating e-cigarettes. In 2016, it announced plans to crack down on e-cigarettes and related devices, before making an about-face in 2017 and delaying those regulations in favor of finding out more about e-cigarettes. It even signaled an openness to possibly approving vaping products as smoking cessation aids, which was great news for the people who manufacture and sell such devices.
So if e-cigarettes were like a complex series of pipes running underground, the FDA has decided to hold off on tearing the whole system out, deciding instead to go underground and take a closer look at things. Hopefully this will result in better, safer options for consumers who decide they want to quit smoking traditional cigarettes.
