Wednesday, November 30, 2011
I’m not a heavy smoker, but I have to admit that on occasion I enjoy having a couple of minutes all to myself with a cigarette and cup of coffee. When I learned about the e-cigarette, I was interested. I bought my starter kit, pieced together my electronic cigarette and gave it a try. I felt silly, like a kid pretending to smoke a toy cigarette.
The benefits between the electronic version and the real thing were great. There was no mess, no smell, no bad breath and little guilt. Not to mention without the smoke I didn’t worry about the risk of tar or carbon monoxide.
Kara Roberts, a Lawrence resident who used the e-cigarette to quit smoking, says her favorite part of the e-cigarette was that it allowed her to smoke anywhere without disturbing anyone. Although I have to agree with Roberts, I found myself self-conscious about using my e-cigarette in public. I always remembered to pack my e-cigarette in my purse before going out, but I rarely used it. Instead, I would just decide not to smoke while I was out.
After using the e-cigarette exclusively for a week at home, I found myself still wanting a real cigarette. Sam Isaac, owner of Discount Tobacco in Lawrence says the electronic version is most popular with senior citizens and people that can’t smoke because of health reasons, but it doesn’t always satisfy their craving for the real thing.
“I’ve had a few KU students come in and try it, but it didn’t give them that buzz,” Isaac says.
When I did have a real cigarette I was left wondering why I had smoked it at all. After the fact it didn’t seem to do anything for me that the electronic cigarette couldn’t provide. The difference seemed to be more in my head than anything, which of course is a large part of addiction. After that I decided the e-cigarette was all that I needed. So, I will now have to either get over my fear of e-cigarette judgment, or simply go without nicotine while out in public.
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Comments
Blog: Trying the Electric Cigarette
Very insightful and well written column here as electronic cigarettes are an increasingly popular and accepted option to avoid tobacco and odor, save money and enjoy almost anywhere, so see www.ecigwerks.blogspot.com for more.
Blog: Trying the Electric Cigarette
these cigarettes are NO solution, as the taste like crap. Not strange since they added even more chemicals, then it already was. my suggestion: smoke weed or other naturally produced plants. Marihuana has a lot of good effects, tobacco hos NONE. And soon no-one would buy these class x cigarettes. Its better to allways smoke outside or anywhere but your bedroom, than experimenting with chemical-enhanced tobacco!
Blog: Trying the Electric Cigarette
Actually, the taste can vary, based on the flavor and brand you try. As for "good effects", what does Marijuana actually do that can be considered good? Nicotine is considered the same class of drug as caffine, known for lowering stress and increasing alertness. Aside from that, smoking weed will still give a large dose of carcinogens and tar. The "more chemicals" you refer to are more than likely propylene glycol/vegetable glycerine, which are commonly found in things such as asprin and humidifiers. Safe to say that they're actually safer than sticking a burning plant in your mouth. Switched to e-cigs about two months ago, and glad I did.
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