Vaping 101 - Why you should quit smoking and start vaping

• Public Health England makes a huge claim about the safety of e-cigarettes over smoking
• Vaping is substantially cheaper than smoking
• E-Liquids taste and smell so much better than smoking
• The world of e-cig devices is so large, so there’s a device for everyone

5 REASONS TO KICK THE CIGS AND GRAB A VAPE

1. It’s a Healthier Alternative

Smoking kills, we all know that – we have done for years. According to Public Health England, vaping is 95% healthier than smoking. That is not to say it is without risks – nothing is. But for those that cannot or are unwilling to stop smoking, it is so much better to vape than to smoke. Plus, there is no second-hand smoke, so it is healthier for those around you, as well as yourself!

2. It Can Save You Money

Smoking is a very expensive way to kill yourself slowly! The cost of a packet of cigarettes is close to, and in a lot of places over, ￡10 a packet. That’s ￡70 a week! Although the initial setup cost of vaping can be close to that, the ongoing costs are much lower. A bottle of salt-nicotine liquid will cost you ￡5.99. For most people that will last a good few days, making your weekly cost around ￡11, or 1/7 of what you are spending whilst smoking. If you saved that money in a jar, imagine how much you will have saved up in six months or a year – it could be enough for a holiday!

3. It Tastes Better!

If I was to offer you a drink made of blended cigarettes, would you want to drink it? Would you wear an aftershave that smells like an old ashtray? Let’s be honest with ourselves, cigarettes do not taste pleasant. I like the smell of a fine cigar or pipe, but I wouldn’t want to be giving off that smell all the time. Now what about cherry? Or a lemon tart? They taste so much nicer – and smell a lot better. They contain the same nicotine as a cigarette, but don’t have the awful smell. As your taste buds and sense of smell return from giving up smoking, you will enjoy the flavours and aromas a lot more.

4. Community

When you smoked, did you used to sit around and compare the smells and tastes of cigarettes? There is a whole world of vapers out there that love to encourage and assist other vapers, from sharing their own personal favourite flavours and tanks, to those helping each other on the journey away from smoking. Facebook groups, forums, vaping meet-ups are all out there to offer support and advice to those that want it. It’s a very accepting community encompassing all walks of life, from 20-something businessmen, to 70-something retirees. Try and join a Facebook group or a forum; it’s a great place to learn and meet other like-minded vapers.

5. New Shiny Things All the Time!

There is one problem with vaping and it has just been discovered. We call this affliction ‘shiny-itis’. So many new devices and tanks are released all the time and the workmanship on them can be simply beautiful – literal works of art that you can vape. As you become more confident, you may develop this affliction, looking at these new creations from some amazing companies and individuals. There’s truly a huge range of options available – exquisite, bespoke, one-of-a-kind mods made from an endless list of materials, including stabilised wood, stainless steel and copper. You may suddenly find yourself with a handful of mods and tanks, each one special to you. If you look around you will see people with advanced ‘shiny-itis’ – shelves full of wonderous devices. Believe it or not, some of them have actually gone up in value due to rarity and desirability among collectors. It’s a lot of fun and a great affliction to have!

The health benefits of switching from smoking cigarettes to vaping have only recently been tested, mainly due to how short a time vaping has been around.

As mentioned above Public Health England recently made the statement that there is a 95% harm reduction in vaping vs smoking.

This is huge news for the industry. We already knew the benefits from anecdotal evidence, but to have someone as neutral as Public Health England come out and quantify it like this really showed that vaping is the future.

There are still over 8 million smokers in the UK. They need to know the benefits of switching to vaping. No smell on your clothes, increased health and best of all, it works.

It works by addressing the triggers of a smoker. Hand to mouth action, visible ‘smoke’, nicotine hit – it’s all covered by vaping over the traditional cessation methods (93% failure rate on patches according to “Real-world efficacy of prescription and over-the-counter nicotine replacement therapy” by Shiffman S, et. al., published May 2002 in Addiction, Issue 97(5) at Pages 505-516).

The main points of the Public Health England study were:

Vaping poses only a small fraction of the risks of smoking and switching completely from smoking to vaping conveys substantial health benefits

E-cigarettes could be contributing to at least 20,000 successful new quits per year and possibly many more

E-cigarette use is associated with improved quit success rates over the last year and an accelerated drop in smoking rates across the country

Many thousands of smokers incorrectly believe that vaping is as harmful as smoking; around 40% of smokers have not even tried an e-cigarette

There is much public misunderstanding about nicotine (less than 10% of adults understand that most of the harms to health from smoking are not caused by nicotine)

The use of e-cigarettes in the UK has plateaued over the last few years at just under 3 million

The evidence does not support the concern that e-cigarettes are a route into smoking among young people. Youth smoking rates in the UK continue to decline – regular use is rare and is almost entirely confined to those who have smoked

As you can see, the benefits of vaping are as myriad as the people that use them. Whatever your personal reason to make the switch, you will find a world of amazing flavour, beautiful devices and welcoming people. Welcome to the wide world of vaping.