Is the e-ciggie for quitting?

[SmokeyJoe]

I would have thought that most smokers would choose another method for quitting than the e-cigarette, which seems to me to be an alternative for people that want to carry on with their habit but without the damaging health effects caused by tobacco smoke.

In fact, given that "e-smoke" delivers nicotine in much the same way as cigarettes, it may be harder for smokers to break the habit using the e-cig than by using Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) products.

The reason for this is that the nicotine in NRT is absorbed through the mucous membranes in the mouth, nose and throat, not through the lungs - resulting in a much longer time for it to reach peak levels in the bloodstream. Smokers don't get the same "hit" with NRT that they get with smoke, and it is the "hit" that provides much of the psychological addiction to nicotine.

However, on further analysis, the e-cig may offer one distinct advantage over NRT products: Cost.

In the UK, USA and Europe, NRT is roughly equivalent in price to smoking cigarettes. Although the initial outlay for an e-cigarette is quite large, over a relatively small period of time it becomes far cheaper - especially if you refill your own cartridges with nicotine solution.

[woody]

Originally Posted by Smokey_Joe

I would have thought that most smokers would choose another method for quitting than the e-cigarette, which seems to me to be an alternative for people that want to carry on with their habit but without the damaging health effects caused by tobacco smoke.

In fact, given that "e-smoke" delivers nicotine in much the same way as cigarettes, it may be harder for smokers to break the habit using the e-cig than by using Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) products.

The reason for this is that the nicotine in NRT is absorbed through the mucous membranes in the mouth, nose and throat, not through the lungs - resulting in a much longer time for it to reach peak levels in the bloodstream. Smokers don't get the same "hit" with NRT that they get with smoke, and it is the "hit" that provides much of the psychological addiction to nicotine.

However, on further analysis, the e-cig may offer one distinct advantage over NRT products: Cost.

In the UK, USA and Europe, NRT is roughly equivalent in price to smoking cigarettes. Although the initial outlay for an e-cigarette is quite large, over a relatively small period of time it becomes far cheaper - especially if you refill your own cartridges with nicotine solution.

I quit smoking a year ago and really missed it but enjoy the health benefits so I bought an e cig in September and use it often. I do think there is room for improvement in the taste but that will come with time. Also I use the e liquid but the taste is very weak. Anyone know of any suppliers other than e-cig in China?

[SmokeyJoe]

Hey Woody,

Have you thought about getting some from Ruyan? it may be a little more expensive, but I suspect they will have done more R&D to get the flavor right than the generics.

There are absolutely masses of suppliers, as I'm sure you've found out. I'm afraid i'm still too new to this game to tell you with any certainty where to go for it.

Also, have you considered that it may be the quality of the e-cigarette itself that affects the flavor?

Thanks for joining up and I look forward to chatting with you more!

SJ

[woody]

Originally Posted by Smokey_Joe

Hey Woody,

Have you thought about getting some from Ruyan? it may be a little more expensive, but I suspect they will have done more R&D to get the flavor right than the generics.

There are absolutely masses of suppliers, as I'm sure you've found out. I'm afraid i'm still too new to this game to tell you with any certainty where to go for it.

Also, have you considered that it may be the quality of the e-cigarette itself that affects the flavor?

Thanks for joining up and I look forward to chatting with you more!

SJ

Hi SJ
My favourite e smoke is from "njoy" in the USA. It has a good flavour and seems to have more "guts" than the e cig. However, the shipping is so expensive that I do not order replacement cartridges. I emailed my concern to njoy but did not receive a reply. Therefore I tried e-liquid from "e-cig" which has plenty of vapour but not much taste. I will check out Ruyan. Thanks for your advice. I hope that e-smoking really takes off so that we might find consistent quality products in the UK retail market.

[TropicalBob]

I don't think the e-cigs, cigars, pipes are for quitting, either, even though that promise has obvious advertising and sales appeal. Is there a smoker out there who hasn't tried something like "One Step at a Time"? The idea is to gradually reduce nicotine intake until you're at zero. Then quit!

Same for quit methods that reduce daily cigarette use.

At some point, the smoker goes nuts and returns to his/her regular cigarettes, and usage quickly returns to whatever previous level existed before the quit attempt. All of these methods can be analyzed while listening to Mick Jagger sing "Ah cain't get no-oh satisfaction."

In the U.S., there's a cigarette called Quest that offers a unique step-down method. The story is that tobacco genes were altered in a lab so that plants with the altered genes did not produce nicotine. The leaves could be treated as any other tobacco leaves. The product could be smoked like any other cigarette. And Big Tobacco was so upset by this that it threatened anyone growing nicotine-free tobacco with bankruptcy or worse. It even stopped plants being grown in South America. Only the Amish showed no fear of Big Tobacco. They agreed to grow the plants.

There are three strengths of Quest, from regular to no-nicotine at all. I began the program, buying the far-more expensive regular Quests to begin with. Then I stepped down. And smoked more cigarettes. Then I went to no-nicotine Quests. I drew in smoke, saw it exhaled, but felt absolutely no "kick" or satisfaction of any kind. Yep, these are about as useful as herbal cigarettes for quitting. Not useful at all.

I returned to my favorite cigarettes.

I believe trying to quit with an e-cig will have similar results. Best to look at these new products as part of a healthier, more sustaintable lifestyle. Sustainable is the buzz word now for the environment. It can be the same for smokers. We need to find a routine that doesn't involve inhaling tars into our throats and lungs, but satisfies a life-long addiction and habit. I have high hopes an e product might find a place in my own sustainable, harm-reducing routine.

But the jury is still out.

[Super-Smoker]

I agree e-cigarettes are an alternative to cigarettes, not a way to stop smoking. E-smoking does seem to help some people to stop, though. For me, it didn't help me to stop, but it did help me to smoke less.

[TropicalBob]

From research I've been doing, I believe claims of helping smokers quit will get a seller in dire straits. It won't be the FDA that comes after them, but the Federal Trade Commission. That agency regularly slaps quit-smoking hucksters with million-dollar fines and puts them out of business. It has one simple mandate for all ad claims: Prove it. And the FTC means prove it with unbiased, in-depth studies. Those don't exist for e-smoking devices. The fact that your Cousin Fred hasn't had a cigarette since he got his e-cig doesn't count.

On the other hand, if e-cigs are advertised as an "alternative" to cigarettes, then they might be considered a nicotine delivery device and need medical equipment status. That means years of expensive research and time spent waiting for federal approval. As things stand now, there is no place for nicotine as a recreational drug. There is no alternative to cigarettes, as far as the government is concerned. There's only unregulated tobacco products and Big Pharmaceutical's smoking cessation failures.

Hard to say where this will fall as far as legal sales in the U.S. are concerned. My hope is that they somehow slip through unregulated while federal agencies try to figure out which department should ban or strictly regulate them. I'm just glad I got my cigar and pipe and have been enjoying them for more than a month now. I'm stocking up on e-liquid -- just in case.

[Meltrex]

Obviously, it will vary from person to person. My experience with E-smoking has just helped me cut down on real ciggs. Once I pick up the E-cig and start puffing.. I don't stop.. next thing I know.. 20 minutes have passed and I'm forcing myself to put it down.. Then, I have the feeling of wanting a real cigg.. several times now... I'll end up smoking a real cigg after the 20min e-puffing.. and get light headed and a daze type feeling for a little while... OVERDOSING symptom I'm assuming. I am planning on going totally E-ciggs for my nicotine needs. Just need to get regular ciggs out of my mind and reach. One good thing after the E-puffing.. The real ciggy tastes nasty and doens't give me the pleasure as before. For all these companies advertising E-ciggs will help you quit smoking just to boost sales is definately a mistake IMO. They need to keep it straight as a smoking alternative for nicotine.

I find it fun to use the E-cig for the most part.. Taking a few short puffs to get a decent amout of vapor to hold in my mouth, I will allow some to escape and then inhale up thru my nose and then back out my nose. Will repeat until all the vapor is gone from my mouth.. By doing this I get a cool feeling type vapor sensation around my nose.. AWESOME feeling to me...lol Its like zoning in on something once you do it a few times.. very relaxing.

[TropicalBob]

That was called "French inhaling" when I was a teen. You'd suck in a mouthful of smoke, part your lips and then sniff the smoke into and through your nose. I'd almost forgotten. We spent hours practicing ..

Today, I can blow vapor rings from my e-pipe.

Times change. Fun doesn't.

[karenwest1961]

Well, at LEAST I quit the stinky cigarettes, so I do consider that I have "quit smoking." I just have another nicotine delivery system that resembles smoking. To each their own how they look at it, if you ask me. I use e-cigs exclusively and actually enjoy it more than I ever did smoking. (Gawd, I didn't think that was possible.) My husband is a NON-smoker and he considers me quit.

I think eventually Uncle Sam will try and get his hands on it since it is a nicotine delivery system. It's just a matter of time.