(A Real “Vaper’s” Story)
When I first heard about “e-cigs”, it was far before the big hype hit. I was a social smoker at that point; I might have one cigarette one day and six the next if I was out with friends. I decided to try one of these strange contraptions, and ended up with a cigarette-shaped thing that felt a bit like inhaling glass. Safe to say, I never did end up quitting.
Years after that, think about two years ago now, I had moved from social smoker to casual smoker to full-on smoker. It was at that point that e-cigs really started to hit the market. What were these big clouds of smoke I was seeing drifting out of open car windows? What was that sweet, fruity smell? Turns out it was an e-cig.
I bought my first setup for about $100, got trained by some helpful staff members on how to work the device, and I was happily on my way. I went from smoking half a pack a day to smoking a couple cigarettes each day. Then I would miss a day completely. Eventually, my “last pack” (although I didn’t realize it at the time) ran out and I never re-purchased. I have not touched a cigarette for almost two years and my health thanks me for it.
Here’s the thing about e-cigs: you’re going to hear a lot of different opinions on them because they are new technology. They have not been around for decades so obviously there are not any long-term studies done on them. But here’s the other thing: no matter how you swing it, e-cigs are better for you than standard cigarettes.
In my opinion, one of the biggest issues surrounding e-cigs is that many people are purchasing them without already being smokers. If you don’t already smoke, then you don’t need to vape! Although there are no studies to prove that e-cigs are damaging, you are still inhaling something other than oxygen into your lungs. E-cigs are a tool to help smokers quit. An amazing tool to help smokers quit. They are not something you buy to “look cool”, especially if you are using juice that contains nicotine; there is no reason for a non-smoker to suddenly start vaping with an addictive substance.
Now, for me, I went from hacking up who-knows-what every morning to feeling amazing. I also went from 20mg nicotine cigarettes to 12mg nicotine juice and now am at just 3mg nicotine. Eventually I intend to get to 0mg, and then to stop completely. If you’re a smoker now, get an e-cig. I can’t recommend it enough.
