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© 2013 AFPSmoking out tobacco: The rise of the e-cig
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The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.
© 2013 AFP
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Ramzel
Missed a few zeros there...
Dutchduck
What a poppycock!
Xeno23
Smokers I know who've tried some of these brands, from the US, Europe & Eastern Europe, but not this particular brand, have told me it's not water vapor - it's a vaporized oil with some water content. This means there's still some kind of residue being introduced into the lungs, etc. One fellow I know doesn't like them because it seems to get into his stomach, and give him heartburn - he resorted to nicotine gum and lozenges.
BertieWooster
Cutting down doesn't work!
Substituting doesn't work!
You are either a smoker or a non-smoker.
If you're going to smoke, smoke.
If you're not, just quit.
There's nothing in between.
JohnBecker
The following is not conjecture or speculation, as you'll see in the posts above. It's fact - I quit smoking with the help of an e-cigarette.
I got fed up with the cost of cigarettes. I decided to try the e-cigarette after seeing a co-worker using one. I started using it and, within four days, smoked my last cigarette. I was using the lowest "dose" liquid, which worked out just fine in replacing the amount of nicotine I had been ingesting from Marlboro Lights. I didn't have any withdrawal symptoms. When I needed to, I took a drag or two and put the thing back in my pocket.
After using the e-cigarette for just over 5 months, I stopped using it. My decision was helped along by the fact that the thing was literally falling apart (they were still figuring out how to design and make the things). When it stopped working, I decided to tough it out and see if I could quit. It wasn't even a struggle - I was well and truly done. For the first time in 33 years, I didn't need to suck anything into my lungs.
The e-cigarette may not work for everyone, but I can say honestly that it worked for me. I doubt I ever would have been able to quit without it.
Now... to address a couple of misconceptions.....
There's no oil in the liquid. It's water, flavor, nicotine and propylene glycol. The glycol, which is the same stuff they put in medical inhalers (it's the vapor you see when you exhale), is FDA approved. Less-refined versions of the stuff are what they use in fog machines. It's an important part of the illusion - when you see what you're exhaling, it can convince your mind that you're not missing anything.
Xeno, glycol is harmless, though it's probably best not to inhale it all the time. In the grand scheme of things, I'll accept inhaling it for 5 months as a preferable alternative to inhaling cigarette smoke for the rest of my life.
Mr. Wooster, concerning your assertion that substituting doesn't work.... if you're talking about chewing gum, I can't argue. But if you're talking about substituting e-cigarettes for the real thing, I'm proof that substituting does work.
It's been a year and a half since my last cigarette, and a year since I last used the e-cigarette. I'll never smoke again.
BertieWooster
JohnBecker,
I never tried the e-cigarette, I quit way before they were around. But, if it worked for you, I am very happy.
The main thing is that you finally quit. That's an achievement, I know.
I should amend what I said above.
Each person has to find their own way out of the problem of cigarette addiction. What works for one person may not work for another.
I tried patches, chewing gum and some kind of medication - forget what it was. But none of these helped. In the end, I just made the decision. After that, well, it just got easier as time passed. For some strange reason, it seemed to happen in threes:
The first three days were a struggle. I desperately wanted to smoke.
After three days, the times when I wasn't thinking about smoking gradually increased.
After three weeks, I no longer had to use self-control.
After three months, I completely forgot about smoking for days at a time.
After three years, I was a non-smoker. Just never thought about it.
This is where I am now. I'm not an anti-smoker. I don't care if people smoke around me, although I do not like people smoking in a confined space like a car or a small izakaya.
I know I will never smoke again.
randomenigma
Dutchduck, you're supposed to use multiplication for that, not addition. Time to go back to school?
kokosama
John Becker
Can you recommend the best one to buy that I can get here in Japan?
Please.