My nephew has been smoking cigarettes for more than a few years now. He is currently twenty-three years old and I suspect he started when he was around seventeen. My brother (his father) and our mom can't stand that he smokes and it is always a difficult conversation during the holidays when he visits, and after sneaking out for a cigarette, someone asks him when he is going to quit. He inevitably responds with the some hemming and hawing and makes vague
promises that he will quit someday in the future.
Earlier this year I heard about electronic cigarettes and decided to do some research into the health risks or benefits of smoking them as opposed to cigarettes. What I found is that apparently they are much, much better. Smoking e-cigarettes does not produce the tar or carcinogens associated with tobacco. Another way cigarettes are harmful is the heat associate with them. Electronic cigarettes don't produce the same amount of heat and therefore shouldn't damage the lungs in the same way either.
I used to smoke and I know how difficult quitting can be. I quit fifteen years back and that was tough. I can only imagine what its like now considering all the additional addictive chemicals added into cigarettes these days. Whereas electronic cigarettes do contain nicotine, which of course is addictive, they don't include all the harmful effects of smoking. So from what I gather, using them is basically the same thing as using nicotine gum or the patch, only it is in a more familiar form (inhaled).
So this year, for Christmas I ordered him an electronic cigarette package that includes everything he needs to smoke without causing a family uproar. He is going to come and visit during the holidays and I intend to give it to him when he first arrives as an early Christmas present. I figure, if it ends up helping him to quit than I will have given him the best gift I possibly could have. Even if he just uses it on occasion, that is still better than smoking all the time. At the very least he will be able to get his nicotine fix while he is here without smelling like cigarettes and worrying his dad and his grandma.
Article comments
1 - Juarl
I hope your son is able to quit using the ecig. It enabled me to stop after being a 19 year slave to cigarettes! Please do your research before you buy one because there are MANY low quality ecigs on the market. Go with atleast 24mg liquid to start and may think about finding a 5 volt ecig if he wants a stronger hit. The small ecigs shaped like real cigarettes are only 3.7 volts and failed to get me off cigarettes. Now I own multiple ecigs w/ my favorite being the Joker and GLV-2. Youtube grimmgreen and doctor vapor, they have outstanding information videos!
Take care and good luck!!
2 - Elaine Keller
It may be confusing to readers to see the product advertised next to this story (X-Haler.) It is not an electronic cigarette. It contains an empty plastic "cigarette". Electronic cigarettes are smoking replacement products, not cessation products. The advertised product does not provide nicotine.
3 - Brewlady
I was able to stop smoking the day I started using an electronic cigarette. Which still amazes me, I tried almost every method to quit, but it took this device to finally give up a 36 year habit. Please tell your nephew to do a google search on e-cigarette forums, there is so much information available for smokers who want to give up tobacco. Good Luck!
4 - rothenbj
Good for you and I hope it works for him. What you may want to also give him is a link to e-cigarette-forum. com, the largest source for information about E Cigs on the net. If he gets serious about using it, there's help there on everything involving PVs (personal vaporizers, my preferred name for them). Vaping is very different than smoking.
About 16 months ago, I got one when my girlfriend wanted to try them. I wasn't much into it, but I let her convince me anyway. Having smoked 43 years and attempted quiting more times than I can recall, I had decided to quit quitting.
However, when my smoking habit of 2-3 packs a day dropped to 6 cigarettes easily, I became more interested. Many less dedicated smokers have found that they can quit immediately, but I was not one of them. Everything started looking a bit bleak in month seven when my cigarette count starting going back up so I started asking questions in that forum.
I eventually ended up using Swedish snus, on of the safer smokeless spitless tobacco products and haven't had a puff on a cigarette in nine and a half months now. Had I not found that forum and asked questions, I'd still be smoking.
I hope he takes it to heart and quits when there are better alternatives out there.
5 - MarkE
I'll be giving out some e-cigs this year as well. They made it possible for me to get away from smoking, and some of my friends and family too. I'll likely give out joyesticks since they have built in usb chargers. Your call though.
If you think of it, get some aftermarket liquids for refilling, they really make the e-cig more enjoyable. Have a great day!
6 - Banjo
I was a heavy smoker for over 55 years, and quit the same day I received my first eCig. I've been smoke free for 6 months.