Electric smoking is a very healthy alternative to smoking cigarettes. What is it, and what should you look out for?

Who is electric smoking for?

Maybe you have already tried everything to quit smoking. The most conventional ways to quit are:

• Cold turkey (‘just quit’)
• Nicotine gum
• Nicotine patches
• Hypnotherapy
• Acupuncture

As you can see, there are many ways to quit smoking. Yet these appear to be successful for few people, and perhaps you belong to that group too. You don’t have to be ashamed of this, smoking is a terribly difficult addiction to get rid of. In addition to the above techniques, the electric cigarette suddenly came into play in 2003. It all looked a bit amateurish and didn’t really catch on. Now, nine years later, the techniques are much more advanced and electric smoking appears to be a fantastic way to help people quit smoking or at least make it healthier. This is due to the fact that you inhale water vapor and not the harmful substances that you would inhale with a normal cigarette. Of course, electric smoking is not intended for people who do not yet smoke. Never start smoking!

What are the benefits of electric smoking?

To understand the benefits of electric smoking, we must first look at how the system works. When you take a drag from an electric cigarette, a certain liquid is evaporated, which you then smoke and exhale. This smoke is water vapor and therefore does not smell. A smoker is addicted to nicotine, and the electric cigarette also replaces it. You can choose different liquids for your electric cigarette that are evaporated, this liquid is called e-liquid, which I will come back to later. Because you inhale water vapor from a liquid and no combustion takes place, there are many advantages to electric smoking.

A thousand times healthier

With the electric cigarette you can continue smoking and meet your nicotine needs, without all the harmful substances that come with smoking. Because no combustion takes place, you do not have to deal with dangerous substances such as tar and carbon monoxide. The expression a thousand times healthier is not metaphorical. Considering the substances released when smoking a normal cigarette compared to an electric cigarette, you ingest a thousand more harmful substances when smoking a normal cigarette.

Electric smoking is cheaper

Electric smoking is significantly cheaper than smoking normal cigarettes or rolling tobacco. You can get an electric cigarette for twenty euros, and refills (‘e-liquids’) start at three euros. Depending on the user, such a bottle of e-liquids will last you about two weeks.

No combustion takes place

One of the most harmful aspects of smoking a normal cigarette is that combustion takes place and you therefore inhale very dangerous substances. When smoking an electric cigarette, no combustion takes place, only evaporation.

You don’t have to deal with the social discomforts of smoking

The vapor you exhale from your electric cigarette is completely odorless. This means you don’t smell of cigarette smoke. Another big advantage is that you can smoke with an electric cigarette, while you are not allowed to smoke with normal cigarettes. However, it is better to ask first at places such as airports and the like, as some models of electric cigarettes can hardly be distinguished from the real thing!

What is an electronic cigarette?

An electronic cigarette is a device with which you smoke electronically. They come in many shapes, sizes and prices, so there is always one for you. There are even electronic cigarettes that can barely be distinguished from a real cigarette at a glance. The electronic cigarette consists of a few parts. Imagine a traditional cigarette. The white part that contains the tobacco is the battery of the electronic cigarette. The filter contains the evaporation element as well as the tank with the liquid that you evaporate. This may of course differ per model, but the above forms the basis of the electric cigarette.

Different systems

Roughly two systems can be distinguished on the electric cigarette market. This relates to how the electric cigarette makes its vapor. The two systems are the atomizer and the cartomizer.

Cartomizer

The cartomizer is designed as a filter and contains a cartridge with the liquid that is evaporated. These cartridges are for single use, when they are used up you must throw them away. A cartomizer has a built-in heating element in the filter that creates the water vapor, this heating element is (confusingly) called an atomizer.

Atomizer

If you have an electric cigarette with an atomizer system, the heating element is reusable and you do not throw it away every time after use, as with the cartomizer. This atomizer has a refillable cartridge that you can fill with the e-liquid you want.

Differences

• Cartomizer has a disposable cartridge with liquid, the atomizer has a cartridge that you can refill
• Atomizers often cost more than cartomizers
• Atomizers have better smoke and flavor than cartomizers
• Both will need to be replaced at some point, only the cartomizer sooner
• At atomizers you can mix e-liquids to create your own flavor

E-liquids

The liquid you put in your electric cigarette is called e-liquids. You can stay close to your trusted cigarette brand by choosing a liquid that tastes like that brand. Yet the choice does not end there. First of all you choose the strength. You can choose different nicotine strengths when filling your electric cigarette.

• Zero -> there is no nicotine in the liquid.
• Low -> there is 6mg per ml of nicotine in the liquid. This strength is suitable if you smoke less than one pack per day.
• Medium -> there is 11mg per ml of nicotine in the liquid. This strength is suitable for you if you smoke between one and two packs per day.
• High -> there is 18mg per ml of nicotine in the liquid. This strength is suitable for you if you smoke more than two packs per day.

The medium strength is sufficient for most people. In addition to the choice of nicotine amount, there are also countless flavors available. Some examples of flavors that are possible: strawberry, kiwi, cappuccino, Amaretto, Red Bull, blueberry, etc.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it really the same as smoking?

No, but it comes very close. In addition to satisfying your need for nicotine, the psychological need is also met because the act of smoking is exactly the same. That, but without the harmful substances and without the social inconveniences of smoking.

How is the smoke?

When you take a drag on an electric cigarette, you inhale and exhale just as much smoke as with a normal cigarette. This used to be one of the biggest pain points when the electric cigarette was just on the market, the smoke development was simply very poor. The smoke is odorless and dissipates faster than cigarette smoke, so it does not linger in the room. One difference with puffing on a normal cigarette is that you have to puff for about two seconds longer.

Will I notice an improvement in my condition?

Yes. Users of electric cigarettes notice that their condition recovers and, for example, they no longer get out of breath when climbing stairs, while this was the case before.

Does smoking an electric cigarette affect my sense of smell and taste?

No. Smoking normal cigarettes takes away a lot of your sense of smell and taste, but this will recover once you have switched to electric cigarettes for a while. How long this takes depends on how many years you have been smoking.

How does an electric cigarette help me quit smoking?

The electric cigarette helps you quit smoking in several ways. The best technique is to gradually reduce the amount of nicotine in your e-liquid, until at some point you switch to nicotine-free e-liquid.

Other questions?

Feel free to leave them in the comment box below, I will be happy to answer them.