As bad habits go, it’s never too late to make a positive change to your lifestyle. Of these habits, nicotine is undeniably one of the most lethal, draining years off the life of smokers all whilst they prematurely age. On average, long-term smokers will lose a decade of life to the habit[1].
However, let’s not despair and say that there’s no point in quitting if you’ve been a smoker for quite a while. It’s estimated that every cigarette smoked can take 11 minutes off your life, so if you say smoked 11 a day and now began to stop, that’s a month you could get back every year[2].
Thankfully, rejecting cigarettes (or cigars if you prefer!) has never been easier. Should you still crave that nicotine fix, then it’s still yours via the latest in nicotine replacement therapy (NRT): e-cigarettes.
How do E-cigarettes work?
E-cigarettes work by heating up a liquid to produce a vapour, which is then smoked by the user. The idea is that, over time, e-cigarettes should completely replace the smoking of tobacco cigarettes. If you continuously reduce your intake of nicotine, then you can even wean yourself off e-cigarettes and be nicotine free. It’s important not to take too big a step or too little a one when making the switch, for the former could result in a bad relapse and the latter will not lead to much progress.[3] The liquid comes in various strengths of nicotine ranging from 0-24mg to help you regulate your intake and create viable goals.[4]
E-cigarettes are a relatively new technology, so the long-term effects of smoking them (vaping) cannot be known. Public Health England have said that they are not risk-free, but are estimated to be 95% less harmful than tobacco cigarettes.[5] They have also said that if every smoker switched to e-cigarettes, the amount of people dying from smoking would be reduced to 4,000 a year. [6] These figures are estimates, but estimates contrived by the best experts on the subject in the world. The vapour from e-cigarettes contains nicotine, propylene glycol, and/or glycerine. The last ingredient though is arguably the most important, that being the flavouring. As far as taste goes, that’s down to your personal choice, with an incredibly diverse range of e-liquids for your e-cig.
All of these ingredients combined, does away with the poisons found in tobacco smoke. Of the 4000 plus chemicals in cigarettes, at least 43 of are carcinogenic.[7][8] The most prominent toxins in cigarette smoke are tar and carbon monoxide, which, respectively, damage our lungs and reduce the oxygen traveling around the bloodstream.[9] E-cigarettes don’t contain either of these. Which one would you rather be inhaling?
In the UK, smoking is the primary cause of preventable illness and premature death, being responsible for around 96,000 deaths a year and ruining countless families.[10] It costs the NHS approximately £2 billion a year and the average 20-a-day smoker £3000 a year.[11]
The reasons to quit just keep piling up as both inside and out, you’ll look and feel better. E-cigs have done tremendous work in helping even the heaviest smokers eventually quit for good, and is something of an open secret within health and beauty circles. Far from an oddity, e-cigs have already found their niche blending well-being and style with a genuine desire to make more of the years ahead of you, particularly in the female market. There’s a huge list of online guides or friendly shop assistants if you prefer speaking to a human, to assist a beginner out, so there’s really no time to lose. See what an e-cig can do for you right away.
[1] http://ash.org.uk/files/documents/ASH_107.pdf
[2] http://www.bmj.com/content/320/7226/53.1
[3] https://www.nhs.uk/smokefree/help-and-advice/e-cigarettes#8eyUPGuKtD4mBVsJ.99
[4] http://www.talkhealthpartnership.com/blog/2015/10/can-e-cigarettes-and-liquids-help-smokers-quit-sooner/
[5] https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/457102/Ecigarettes_an_evidence_update_A_report_commissioned_by_Public_Health_England_FINAL.pdf
[6] http://www.bbc.com/news/health-33978603
[7] https://www.nhs.uk/smokefree/help-and-advice/e-cigarettes#8eyUPGuKtD4mBVsJ.99
[8] http://www.quitsmokingsupport.com/whatsinit.htm
[9] http://www.gasp.org.uk/articles-facts-about-smoking-and-health.htm
[10] http://ash.org.uk/files/documents/ASH_107.pdf
[11] http://www.ash.org.uk/files/documents/ASH_121.pdf…