I remember the very first time I’ve heard about  electronic cigarettes. I was at a dinner with some friends from out of town, in what was supposed to be a smoke free restaurant. Now, being a smoker, this has always been something of a challenge for me, and I would often sneak out the back for a smoke. However, this time I’ve noticed something interesting – an attractive girl a few tables over was smoking a cigarette (or so I thought at the time). This raised my hopes up, and I’ve asked the head waiter if i could smoke as well. He laughed a bit, and explained that I could, provided that I have an electronic cigarette – apparently, they are perfectly acceptable in places that usually prohibit smoking.

Naturally, this got me intrigued. The prospect of being able to take out a cigarette (even an electronic one) and smoke whenever, wherever was just too good to pass up. Not to mention the smoking cessation possibilities of  electronic cigarettes. I might not be ready to stop smoking just yet, but a number of my friends are trying to stop for years, with little success and much struggle. Using  electronic cigarette as a cessation tool seemed like a good idea, and I’ve decided to do some research in order to help them out – as well to get some freedom as a smoker back.

After a few hours spend reading various stuff online, I’ve learned a lot about  electronic cigarettes. My research has found out that while electronic cigarettes have been around  since mid nineties, they only became widely accepted and available in the recent years. Also, my initial hunch that electronic cigarettes should be a safer and healthier alternative to tobacco seems to be true. Although I couldn’t find any data about long term clinical studies that should confirm that  electronic cigarettes are healthier than regular,  tobacco cigarettes, i still believe that this is true. Just look at the ingredients list. While tobacco smoke contains hundreds of carcinogens and other poisons, the “smoke” from electronic cigarettes is basically just nicotine and aromas – none of which comes even close to the toxicity of tobacco smoke.

It’s actually kind of funny – most people think that nicotine is the most harmful ingredient present in cigarette smoke. This is far from the truth. Although nicotine is addictive, and smokers need cigarettes to “get that fix”, the real danger lies in a myriad of cancer causing and otherwise toxic ingredients. Replacing tobacco with an electronic cigarette is a healthy choice because you effectively stop poisoning your body on daily bases without having to deal with nicotine withdrawal.

Another possible use of an electronic cigarette is as a smoking cessation tool – rather than going cold turkey, you can gradually exchange tobacco with  electronic cigarettes of lower and lower nicotine content, until you kick the habit once and for all. And even if you are only looking for a way to smoke in clubs, restaurants, bars and airports, replacing your regular cigs with a single  electronic cigarette is a good idea.