Top Tip!

There's no doubt e-cigarettes and the various vape mods can proved you with a great alternative to smoking. Here's one top tip from one of our readers:

Choose the right flavor. There are many different flavors available to choose from but different brands carry different flavors; some fruity and some exotic. Buy the smaller 10ml bottles first, don't just try them in a shop and buy a big bottle, the taste changes the longer you vape it.

Let's Talk About Vaping!

If you listened to the media and government pronouncements, it would be easy to misunderstand what vaping is all about. After all, many in the media frequently offer reports suggesting that vaping is a risky activity that could be every bit as bad as tobacco smoking. To back up their claims, they often turn to government officials or paid government researchers who make similar claims – always accompanied with hypothetical dangers and the suggestion that we just don’t know how dangerous vaping actually is. All of this can lead many people to be extremely confused about the vaping lifestyle, and hesitant to consider quitting their tobacco habit and turning to electronic cigarettes instead. That’s dangerous, and could cost smokers their lives. To counter those negative claims, it is important to understand electronic cigarettes and how they are safer than tobacco cigarettes. So, what is vaping?

A Definition

Put simply, vaping is simply a process whereby you use a personal, tobacco-free vaporizing device to create vapor that you then inhale. This vapor can contain nicotine in varying levels, or be completely free from nicotine. Any comparisons to smoking end there, however. There is no annoying smell, no possibility of cigarette burns, no ash to clutter your home, car, or office, and no worries that you might contract any of the well-documented smoking-related health complications.

The vaporizer itself creates vapor by heating e-liquid to a temperature that converts it to vapor form. That vapor then passes through the electronic cigarette device to be inhaled by the user. For vapers who use e-liquid that contains nicotine, this process delivers the chemical in vapor form into the mouth – where it is then absorbed through the mucous membranes of the nose and the tissue of the lungs. Unlike paper-burning cigarettes, there is no tar, carbon monoxide, or similar compounds released into the body.

Where Did this Idea Originate?

The first known vaporizer was reportedly designed and built by Chinese pharmacist Hon Lik. He was moved by his father’s battle with smoking-related cancer – a battle he ultimately lost – and wanted to create a safer alternative to smoking. He invented a tabletop vaporizing unit known as the Ruyan in the 1960s. Four decades later, the phenomenon caught on in the West, as smokers in the United States moved in large numbers from their traditional cigarette habits to the new nicotine delivery systems.

The Electronic Cigarette

What are electronic cigarettes?
An electronic cigarette is a gadget that heats a liquid consisting of both nicotine and flavoring to create a vapor, which can be inhaled in a similar way to a traditional cigarette. The main difference is that electronic cigarettes contain no tobacco and no burning or combustion is involved.

The Confusion

Much of the confusion about electronic cigarettes is the result of a near-absolute dearth of understanding throughout the media and government circles. Unfortunately, their failure to understand these products has led to confusion in the broader society as well. The fact is that different people can mean very different things when they use the words “electronic cigarette.”

Take the cigarette lookalikes that are commonly seen in gas stations. You’ve probably seen them at one time or another – with brands like Blu and Vuze seemingly everywhere these days. Because those types of e-cigs look so much like traditional tobacco cigarettes, it is easy for some people to assume that there is little difference between the two types of products. That is simply not the case.

Those are but one kind of electronic cigarette. There are also larger, more mechanical-looking devices like clearomizers and other mid-sized products, or even the mods and APVs that many more experienced vapers prefer. These larger devices all provide an increased opportunity for vapers to customize their experience – altering the amount of flavor or vapor that they receive using various high-tech features and control options. When the media focuses on e-cigs, they tend to speak as though they are the same as tobacco cigarettes – and point to lookalikes to prove their point. They understand that the average viewer who is unfamiliar with these products will see them alongside combustible tobacco products and think them to be the same.

Take A Look At The Best Vape Pens

About E-Juice...

Since vaping is about the vapor produced, it is important to understand the products used to create that vapor: the e-liquid. Here too the media and government officials openly dissemble about the nature of the products in question. They often defend their opposition to e-cigarettes by saying that no one really knows what manufacturers place into these liquids. That’s silly, of course, since we know full well the type of ingredients used in e-liquid recipes.

E-liquid begins with the base. This is typically vegetable glycerin (VG) or propylene glycol (PG). The latter is thinner than its vegetable counterpart, which helps to enhance flavor. E-juice manufacturers use one or the other – or both – base ingredients to achieve the type of vapor and flavor potential their customers want. Both are perfectly safe for use in vaporizers.

The third ingredient used in e-juice formulas is the flavoring. Flavoring ingredients are food-grade compounds and – like the base ingredients – safe. Finally, manufacturers often include nicotine in their recipes, in varying levels of strength to satisfy different customer demands. Some e-juices contain no nicotine at all.

That’s it. There are no hidden ingredients and no grand conspiracy to deny government officials pertinent information that they need when making decisions about the public health. Instead, there are just four basic ingredients that go into the making of most e-juice – unless, of course, the e-liquid is nicotine-free, in which case there are three ingredients used. Scary, right?

Take A Look At The Best E Liquids

Is it Safe?

Here’s where the rubber meets the road for most non-vapers: the safety question. If you only listened to media reports, you would think that this was an issue that has received no scientific scrutiny whatsoever. That’s not true, though. There have been numerous studies conducted on electronic cigarette usage, and they have almost uniformly found that vaping is a significantly safer alternative to tobacco usage. There is no combustion, and studies have shown that what toxins may be released are at such trace levels that they are almost indistinguishable from those typically found in the air surrounding the samples.

Read More About Vaping Safety

Quit Smoking?

Finally, there is one other thing that needs to be understood about vaping. It is a viable smoking cessation tool. Yes, government scientists will be quick to argue that many of the studies that suggest this fact rely on anecdotal self-reporting, but so what? How else would you conduct a scientific study that determines whether vaping can help with smoking cessation except by relying on the reports of those who have tried to use vaping to end their tobacco habit?

Read More About Vaping to Quit Smoking

Remember

There is no getting around the simple truth, and that is that vaping is a great alternative to smoking – regardless of what government mouthpieces might say. The inhalation of vapor produced by heated e-juice is both safe and enjoyable, and something that everyone should encourage for those who want to escape the bonds of tobacco addiction.

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