ECig Lounge

At first it may be a little difficult for you to get a real handle on what electronic cigarettes are all about. When they first came out most people just assumed they were some type of device that gave an individual who used one the illusion that they were smoking a real cigarette. Since then there has been a lot more information provided concerning these smoke related products. Understanding what they are and what they are not will help you understand the basic concept of the e-smokes.

What an electronic cigarette is:

• These are smoke related devices that are called by various names. The common ones are e-cigarettes, e-cigs, or e-smokes.
• They are an electronic device that receives its operational power by way of a battery.
• The method used for charging an e-smoke will depend on the particular brand that you are reviewing. The most common procedure is to insert the tube that has a close similarity in looks to a regular cigarette into a charger. These are specially designed chargers made just for this particular use. Also, the appearance of these devices does not always take on the look of an average cigarette. They are available in a variety of forms.
• These devices come with a solution often referred to as e-liquid. This liquid can be comprised of a variety of ingredients with different amounts of nicotine being one of them. Not all e-cigs use nicotine as part of their ingredients.

What an electronic cigarette is not:

• Approved yet by the FDA.
• They are a nicotine replacement device but not a quit smoking product.
• For those that have reason to want to know more about the electronic cigarettes, it would be wise to conduct your own research based on your particular interest in these alternative smoking devices.

One of the most common and first questions asked about the e-cigarette is as to whether it is a good alternative. This needs to be expanded upon from the point of view of both the smoker and the non- smoker. For the smoker they are looking at the e-cig as a potential replacement to their regular cigarette. For many smokers it’s the contents of the cigarette that they are most interested in. They may be looking for ways to replace their perceived addiction to the nicotine found in a standard cigarette. Or at the very least, maybe it is a compromise. Meaning, that according to their way of thinking, that the possibility could exist that they will not be inhaling as much of the nicotine found in this alternative smoking resource.

What many people who are just learning about the e-smoke is, that there are several manufacturers of these devices now. As a result they are made differently, predominantly in the type of ingredients they contain. This means that just as there are varying amounts of nicotine in regular cigs, the same applies to the electronic version.  So in respect to the e-cigarette being a good alternative for nicotine replacement the answer would be no, not as a replacement. On the other hand, if one were looking to reduce the amount of nicotine they were utilizing per standard cigarette then yes perhaps the e-cig could be a resource for doing this. Only if the buyer were to insure that they were buying an e-brand that contained less nicotine to what they are consuming now. Plus, only if they used the same e-cig the same amount of times they smoked a standard cig.

When the electronic cigarettes first came out on the market, they certainly created a lot of interest. For those that were smokers, they were viewing it as perhaps a way they could now implement an easier method of quitting smoking.

There were two views on this though. Some smokers do so out of habit. It is something they have been doing for years perhaps, and it has just become a routine. For others, they feel they have a real addiction to the compounds found in a regular cigarette. For those with the habit, the e-cigarette was viewed as great replacement. For those with the perceived addiction, the concern was there would be no satisfying the cravings that they would experience, from the withdrawal of nicotine that would take place.

What was not realized at first is that the e-cigarettes could and often do, contain the same average amount of nicotine that a standard regular cigarette would. So once learning this it raised the question, what real purpose does this e-cig have?

You can begin to discover the answer to this by first determining what your real interest is in this electronic smoke device.

Are you interested because…

You want to break the smoking habit?

You want to replace the addiction that you have to the contents of a regular cigarette, with something that may be considered less harmful?

You want to be able to use the e-cig in places where regular smoking is not allowed?

You have heard that the e-cigarette may be less harmful to those around you when you do smoke?

These are just a few of the reasons that individuals develop an interest in this alternative smoking choice. To determine if the e-cigarette is for you or not you need to do two things. First you have to determine your reason for interest. Then you need to educate yourself as to what an electronic cigarette could do or will not do for you according to your requirements.

Many people are curious as to really what e-cigarettes are, even if they are non-smokers.  For those that are not too familiar with these, they assume that they are a cigarette replacement device that just gives the users the illusion that they are really smoking. This is a misconception, but it is not uncommon for those that are trying to stop smoking to utilize this device for that very purpose.

What is important to know is that these electronic smokes could contain approximately the same amount of nicotine that a standard cigarette would. Most brands possess a liquid solution made up of either glycol or a glycerin base, or even polyethylene glycol. These compounds vary slightly according to their form and all come under government regulations. For example, propylene glycol has been deemed safe by the FDA in the US. It is often used in other products such as pharmaceuticals. When these compounds are used in the e-cig, they are transformed into a mist through vaporization.

You may hear or read about some controversies as to the safeness of this type of smoking product. This is based mostly on the claims of their comparison of constituting potential health risks, compared to the standard type cigarettes. There are a lot of arguments on both sides as to whether they are a better alternative for the individual who enjoys smoking, or for those who are using it as a stepping stone to quit smoking. The only real way to determine whose right would be for an individual to fully educate themselves about this form of smoke product, and then drawing their own conclusions on their findings.