What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Smoking E-Cigarettes (Vaporizers)?

 

 

What is an E-Cigarette/ Vaporizer?

 

I think we all know what an e-cigarette is by now. It’s a battery-operated alternative to cigarettes.

E-cigarettes are also known as vaporizers. 

 

 

How do E-Cigarettes Work?

 

There’s no tobacco required and there’s no smoke production, either. 

 

Normally, you fill your e-cig with an e-liquid or e-juice.

 

The e-liquid/ e-juice is a mixture that consists of something like glycerin, propylene glycol, as well as, though certainly not always, nicotine. You have the choice if you want nicotine or not.

 

The e-liquid is contained in a cartridge that is usually, though, again, not always, detachable. 

 

There’s also an atomizer in addition to a battery. The battery powers the atomizer. The atomizer generates heat. The heat vaporizes the e-liquid. The vaporized e-liquid provides the flavor as well as steam (which sort of looks like a lot of smoke). It’s this flavor and steam which emulates the smoking of a real cigarette, though the flavorings are mostly nothing at all like the taste of a traditional cigarette. 

 

 

So, what about the advantages of smoking e-cigarettes rather than normal cigarettes?

 

 

 

 

What’s So Bad About Traditional Cigarettes?

 

We all know about the potential downside of smoking cigarettes – in the U.S. alone, almost half a million people die every year because of smoking-related illnesses. 

 

Smoking cigarettes is said to affect your brain, to affect your bones, to affect your cardiovascular system, to affect your immune system, to affect your lungs. 

 

What’s more, smoking cigarettes leaves your breath and clothing smelling bad, and when you have a cold the cough that normally comes with the cold can last for weeks. I would suggest that the lingering cough is caused by smoking.

 

 

 

 

So How About the Advantages of Smoking E-Cigarettes in Comparison to Traditional Cigarettes?

 

1  Carcinogen production

There are far fewer carcinogens in e-cigs than there are in traditional cigarettes. 

 

In fact, in a traditional cig, there are harmful chemicals galore – somewhere between 4,000 and 7,000 of them. 

 

Because e-cigs rely on vapor technology to work, there are far fewer carcinogens produced.

 

How many are produced? No idea. But it is far fewer.

 

 

2  Help to quit smoking

There are numerous studies that have demonstrated that smoking e-cigs can help people to quit smoking traditional cigs. 

 

A clinical trial conducted in 2018 at the Queen Mary University of London found that e-cigarettes were more than twice as effective at helping folks to ditch the smoking habit in comparison to nicotine patches and nicotine gums. 

 

 

3  Second-hand smoke

It is known that the smoke from traditional cigs can be harmful to other people. 

 

It is also known that the impact of second-hand smoke from e-cigs on other people is extremely low. 

 

 

4  More socially acceptable

In part because the second-hand smoke from e-cigs has little to no impact on other people, e-cigs are far more socially acceptable than traditional cigarettes.

 

That’s not to say they are completely accepted. 

 

You can’t just “light up” your e-cig on a flight and get away with it. E-cig smoking on flights is completely banned. 

 

In many bars, e-cigs are, likewise, banned. 

 

Nevertheless, the “smoke” from an e-cig doesn’t leave your breath or clothes stinking. 

 

What’s more, those that smoke e-cigs don’t need to worry about yellow-colored fingers and yellow-colored fingernails and stained teeth.

 

Additionally, the “smoke” from e-cigs can have a pleasing aroma, unlike the smoke from traditional cigs. 

 

 

5  E-Cigs are cheaper than traditional cigarettes

In countries where there’s a whack of tax on a pack of cigarettes – the U.S., the U.K., Australia – e-cigs are a far-less costly alternative. 

 

Some folks say you can save as much as 40 percent of your money if you “smoke” e-cigs in comparison to traditional cigs. I, personally, would say you can save a lot more than that – perhaps as much as 70 percent, particularly if you buy online from a vendor such as Amazon. 

 

 

 

Disadvantages of Smoking E-Cigarettes

 

1  Nicotine persists

If you partake in smoking e-cigs with e-liquid that contains nicotine, you’re still not doing yourself a health favor.

 

Mind you, the amount of nicotine in e-liquid is less than in traditional cigarettes so it’s not all bad. 

 

What’s more is that there’s a huge array of e-liquids for e-cigs that do not contain any nicotine. 

 

 

2  Other harmful emissions

Besides nicotine, there are other harmful chemicals emitted when “vaping.”

 

 

3  Could be other risks involved in “vaping”

In the U.S., e-cigs are not subjected to FDA approval. You can sell e-cigs of any kind until your heart is more than content without any concern for lack of FDA approval.

 

Moreover, smoking e-cigs is a relatively new phenomena. There’s little conclusive evidence, as of yet, of them being harmful or not being harmful.

 

 

4 E-cig smoking is habit-forming

While tobacco is not involved/ included in e-cigarette production and smoking, and while you don’t have to buy e-liquid that contains any nicotine, the actual physical act of frequently puffing on an e-cig can be habit-forming.

 

Why is that a bad thing?

 

Well, for anyone who hasn’t smoked traditional cigarettes, if they do, for whatever reason, take up the habit of “vaping” e-cigs, that can lead to smoking traditional cigs. 

 

Obviously there is a a counter argument here: Vaping e-cigs can help cigarette smokers to quit smoking traditional cigs. 

 

 

 

Have your say…

What do you think about e-cigarettes?

Have you tried vaping an e-cig? Like it?

Were you previously a traditional cigarette smoker who managed to quit because you turned to e-cig “smoking”? Know anyone that has quit the “dirty” habit in favor of the far-less “dirty” habit?

Should e-cigarette vaping be encouraged or ditched?

Make your comment below. Thank you!

 

Image by Horst Winkler from Pixabay