Do you know of any family member or friend who still smokes a regular cigarette? Do you wish they could quit or at least switch to vaping? It may or may not be easy to convince but some of the following tips might help!!
- Share the information that vaping is healthier than smoking.
- There are over 1000 chemicals in a regular cigarette.
- Over 300 chemicals are known to be very harmful; some are even poisonous.
- Electronic Cigarette doesn’t have any of those chemicals. It only has Nicotine which is needed to satisfy a smoker’s craving.
- Not all E-cigs are same – If somebody has tried an e-cig in the past and that had not worked for them, explain to them that all E-cigs are not same. There are many different kinds and a person may get a totally different experience in terms of taste/flavor/vapor from one e-cig to another. So they should at try few different ones before giving up. However, pushing too strongly may not work. So be gentle and logical.
- First few days after switching
- Tell them that in the first few weeks most people will experience more coughing due to the lungs expelling tar build up from past years of smoking.
- New Ecig vapers need to drink more fluids. A gallon of liquids is recommended per day if and when possible!
- Flavorful throat lozenges can help to keep mouth and throat moist since some tend to get a dry mouth.
- Explain different options of electronic cigarette kits to start off with.
- Don’t ask them to try the fancy types of ecigs first. The simple Cig-A-Likes or Ego-style with clearomizers are generally less scary since they are close in shape/form to regular cigarettes.
- Share changes you have experienced.
- Share how your own taste buds and your sense of smell have enhanced. Share if you feel healthier and how your clothes and hair don’t smell anymore.
- Ask them to try different flavors. Availability of E-cigs in different flavors offers many choices to experience. Often once the people develop a liking for any of the sweet flavors, they don’t like the traditional smoking flavor anymore.
- Share with people how the hand-to-mouth action is extremely helpful in the transition compared to any other quit-smoking alternatives like nicotine patches and gums.
- Availability of different nicotine levels in E-cigarettes is a huge plus. One can easily and gradually reduce the nicotine levels, ultimately going down to 0mg, which essentially means ‘No Smoking’
- Encourage them to try an electric cigarette but don’t be pushy.
Some people may not be ready for the switch. Still sharing what you have gone through and what to expect will be the biggest encouragement people may see/hear!