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Electronic Cigarettes – Godsend Or Garbage?

Posted by on November 6, 2011 at 9:57 pm

Will they get you away from cigarettes?

This is a very personal experience. As I said earlier, some people have walked away from standard cigarettes the day they got their first e-cig and have never looked back. Other people have found them insufficient and still use cigarettes from time to time and still others have completely failed to walk away from tobacco.

I believe that a lot of this is dependent on a person’s willingness and ability to work with the technology, as well as their ability to blend into the vast community which surrounds the electronic cigarette movement.

For starters, let’s talk about the technology. Each person needs to start out within their own comfort level and with a piece of equipment which performs well. Do not, I repeat DO NOT buy gear from those lame ass mall kiosks. You’ll never make it. Also, don’t try to jump in to something you’re not ready for. I don’t recommend you run out a buy a variable voltage device when you’re first starting out. That’s like giving your kid an Aston Martin as their first car. It’s just a little too high-speed.

From there, you need to make sure you’re selecting the right liquids. There are limitless flavors available, as well as multiple strengths. Everything from 24mg/ml down to no nicotine at all. Many people who are just transitioning from tobacco start out at the higher strengths and work their way down to the lower strength stuff.

Once you’ve gotten the idea to get into the “vaping” scene, it’s a good idea to find and start talking to other vapers to get ahead of the game and say abreast of all of the knowledge that is available to you. There is a wealth of web sites available including forums and live chat. I won’t personally recommend any forums because most of them are full of politics and scammers and people who are trying to sell you things but I do know there’s a nice live chat available at a place called “Vape TV“. It runs at night, mostly, with tons of talk and information about e-cigs and the vaping scene. It’s populated by a lot of really cool people who welcome newcomers and share their knowledge readily. Check it out…they’ll help.

Ok, I know I drug that out a little bit but that’s only because there’s no short answer. Whether or not e-cigs will get an individual person away from tobacco is a very individual experience and has to do with the ability to learn how to maximize the use of each device, selecting proper liquids, gaining knowledge and having a little bit of self discipline thrown into the mix. It seems to me that they can be 100% effective for those who have a real want to do it.

If you’re interested in more information, it’s out there. Check out the live chat and some of the websites available. I’m certain they’ll help.

Oh, by the way…I’ve been tobacco free for nearly 3 years and I’m one of those who hasn’t touched a cigarette since the day I got my first e-cig. If it worked for me, with a pack and a half a day Marlboro 100 habit, well…I think you get my meaning.

Good luck!


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  • Wow, Rob.  That is an absolutely fantastic primer on e-cigarettes.  Great work, a tip of the hat, sir! 

    • Rob

      Thanks, Steve!  I figured we may as well go there, since this budding technology is growing by leaps and bounds.

  • Guest

    trolling, trolling, trolling, boy I sure love trolling…

    • Oh, please, spare us.  How often do you go over to the Starbucks site and rail against caffeine?  The only reason nicotine is vilified by people like you is because of its association with smoking, not because of the effects of nicotine on the body.  When you remove the ‘smoke’ from nicotine, you remove almost every reason to object to its use, especially when compared directly to caffeine and its (very similar) effects.  And THAT’S no lie.

    • Since the smoking nazis are running out of targets, they are taking on a lower life form–the nicotine nazi.  Fun.

    • Rob

      Show valid proof they cause health problems or gtfo.

      Thank you.

    • Anonymous

      I am troll, hear me fart from my mouth!

      • Rob

        It’s clear that you have no idea what you’re talking about, which is awesome because that means I can ignore your ignorant rants now and just sit back and giggle when you post.

        How does it feel to know that you are completely full of shit?

      • Rob

        OOOOHHHHHH…I see what’s going on here.  I looked into some of your history and you’re a crusader.  You’ve been running all around the internet posting in every comment section you can find, about how evil nicotine is. 

        It seems to me that while I may be addicted to nicotine, you’re addicted to the incredibly foolish idea that you should spend your free time insulting and vilifying nicotine users.

        Well, now I know who and what you are which means your opinions hold even less than the zero weight they did before.

        You’re a troll, plain and simple.  Go troll elsewhere.

      • Rhapsodies Fire

        “Who’d want to be caught using one of these things in public”I do…every chance I get.   Thank you for asking.  I’m not afraid of you and I’m not ashamed.  I’m not smoking, and frankly that’s all I care about.  You are not even so much as a blip on my radar and frankly don’t care that you think I’m a loser.  So keep on hating, my friend.  It will get you far in life and so many friends.  Good luck with your “cause.”  

  • Shannalea

    Great article, thanks for posting.  Neither my husband or I have had a cigarette in over 140 days thanks to e-cigs.

  • You know you’ve written a decent article when the anti-electronic cigarette trolls show up.

    • Rob

      I figured it wouldn’t be too long before they came rolling in.

  • Garylee803

    Used to be out of wind just going up stairs. Started E-cig on 12th of Oct. and haven’t had any tobbacco since. I was rolling at least a pack aday and smoking all day long.  The E-cig has saved me. I don’t even want a cigarette at all and just in the little time, I am not panting when I go up stairs or when I walk a distance. Now I am lowering my nicotene dos. Just ignore tobacco.        

    • Moni1050412

      Hi,I have a question, how did you do it?My husband and I  smoke ECigarettes but still can’t stop using regular smokes.

      • Even though ecigs can be a very effective way to quit smoking, they don’t work easily for everyone. I quit all at once using one and it was still a very difficult process to go through. Having a decent quality ecig with a strong enough cartridge/liquid in a flavor that you find appealing is important. Also remember that, while vaping mimics the action of smoking pretty well, you’re not going to *feel* it the same way you feel the hit of a cigarette. 

        Aside from all that, there’s the tobacco factor. Nicotine is mostly what you hear about, but there’s other stuff in cigarettes that your body is used to getting on a regular basis (tobacco alkaloids that are MAOIs, for example). You will miss those! So even if you get enough nicotine from your ecig and are doing okay with the ritual of it, there’s a detox period that can be very tough to get through. 

        The key thing for me was convincing myself that the ecig was giving me everything I needed. I tried to think of it like I’d switched to a weaker, less satisfying brand of cigarettes. Once I adjusted, it was okay. I had added complications of experiencing depression in the first few months, though, so I also supplemented my ecig use with an occasional swedish snus (it’s the safest form of tobacco). That worked well to help even me out. And since I only used a snus every once in a while when I felt my worst, I never developed any dependency on it. You might want to give that a try too if you can’t let go of the smokes.

        Hope some of that helps you.

        • Moni1950412

          I still cannot live without the real cigarette in the morning with my coffee, or after lunch and dinner.Thanks for the tip Circadia, I will give it a try.

  • Anonymous

    I’m a troll, lol

    • Rob

      You’re still a moron and, since you’re trolling, I’m just going to go ahead and delete all of your posts and blacklist you.  

      This is supposed to be an informative article for people interested in the technology, NOT a forum to spout your misled political beliefs.

      Have a nice life

  • Rhapsodies Fire

    Excellent introduction into the vaping world!  No, not everything is perfect, nor works as advertised.  But such is life.  In everything we buy, a little solid research goes a long way.  Thank you for writing a balanced article.

  • I’m one of those first-vape-on-an-ego-never-lit-another-cigarette guys. I went from 2+ packs a day for 30+ years to being a nonsmoker in an instant. Sure, I’m still a nicotine addict, but vaping is cheaper and healthier than burning tobacco by a damn sight. I have no doubt that e-cigarettes have saved my life, and if the FDA was serious about getting America off tobacco, they’d be giving these things out to every smoker in the country.

    They aren’t, however, which shows who’s really running the show.

  • Zachary Scott

    I smoked Camels for 15 years, 1.5-2 packs a day. After my Ego 2 years ago, I’ve never touched another cigarette. I graduated to the Tank a year ago and a low resistance atomizer 6 months ago. In all that time this is the FIRST well written article that hasn’t tried to sell me an inferior product. Thank you FEZ.

  • Nowadays there is so much choice out there, but it all comes down to which atomizer you prefer. 510 or 901 fitting. Good intro for the newbie, I applaud you sir. I amazes me that there are still sites out there trying to flog cheap kit at ridiculous prices. The “look a likes” do have their place though, but they have to be at a sensible cost. Unfortunately this is where the Mall Kiosk model falls down. Often due to the nature of real “footfall”. these models are the public’s first encounter with an electronic cigarette. 

    Not all Mall Vendors are guilty of the notorious price hike but most are just in it for profit not passion and there in lies the difference.

  • Brennan

    I quit smoking 4 days ago totally, first 10hrs I went w.o cigarette and I said I need one! So at the local shop there was a small stand saying “electric cigarette” so I said “give me one! I need one cigarette only” …its been 3 days I had 2 electric cigarets (equal to 2 packs) its great! I can smoke in car while window is closed (25F snow) and I LOVE IT… btw this article was great as I am noob! once I got had 1.6mg of nicotine? I am not sure how well I would do 12mg LOL! as 1.6 is fairly enough for me… anyway great article explained a lot…now I just need a starter kit with low dosage and hopefully down the road I will quit smoking…. “BTW about those mall kiosks! I am SO glad I have not gone that route, they did offer me 1 cigarette about year ago and it was awe full! )