"Quitting" Smoking
Looking for feedback from other smoker friends on this one:
So over the weekend, I went up to Philly and a bunch of my smoker or former smoker friends had these electronic cigarette things. I remember when electronic cigarettes first came out like 5 years ago-- they looked clunky, dorky, and ridiculous. But these didn't look so ridiculous; they actually kind of looked cool. I was colored intrigued, especially when I learned that they are a nicotine delivery system. So I investigated further today.
Short conclusion is that I think I'm going to try to make the jump. I'm looking for other local smokers who are interested in making the jump with me. More info below the cut.
"Vaping" vs. Smoking
In the times that I've tried to quit smoking, there have been a few things that eventually brought me back, besides the nicotine. These are the reason the gum and the patch never really appealed to me. First is that I like my smoke breaks. They give me time to think and take a break. That helps me focus better between breaks. Second is that I actually like the smoke-- I'm an Aerospace engineer, so it's cool to see the way that the smoke reacts in the air, to see air flow in the smoke. Smoke is just fun to watch. But mostly, it's that eventually, being around my smoker friends, I'll puff up, partially because being a smoker is kind of a social point. This is always hard to explain to non-smokers, but generally smokers are pretty friendly to eachother, if anything even more so in the now smoking has become so culturally rejected. These electronic cigarettes basically overcome both the nicotine barrier, and those other barriers.
They can in fact produce enough 'smoke' -- though to differentiate from smoking, people apparently refer to it as 'vapor'-- to capture that cool 'I'm breathing clouds of smoke' part. That vapor, though, is pretty much just flavored nicotine water vapor, though. Meaning there's a huge reduction in carcinogens, to negligible levels. Instead of breathing in tar with all the additives that go into cigarettes, or come with straight tobacco, you're breathing in the solution substrate (either the same stuff used in smoke machines, or if that bothers you, there's a vegetable-based alternative), the nicotine, the flavoring, and exhaling pretty much water.
Which means, you can still go for a 'smoke' break, only it's a 'vapor' break. It also means you're doing something other than standing around like a jackass when your friends go for a smoke break and you go with them, and more importantly you're getting a nicotine fix, so you don't feel like you need a 'real' cigarette. It's not really a 'quit smoking,' so much as a much healthier alternative to smoking. It's not really a way to break nicotine addiction-- it's a way to change your delivery method and ditch the vast majority of carcinogens. Think of it like switching from drinking tequila to rum, only in this case the tequila has lots of additives that are pretty toxic and deleterious to your health. I'll get back to the health thing in a bit.
Basically, you can keep smoking, but ditch the icky parts about smoking-- the dry mouth, the bad taste (you can pretty much chose whatever flavor you like), and most of the negative health effects. You're not breathing tar smoke, so it's likely to be better for your teeth, in addition to your lungs. Plus it doesn't smell in the way that tobacco products do, so you're much less likely to bother anyone around you. Since it's not tar smoke, it won't stain your walls and get into fabrics-- meaning you can 'vape,' or 'smoke' inside. No more voyaging into the cold to get that nic fix. While there's an initial cost to get the equipment, it's also cheaper in the long run than smoking-- no vice tax on the materials, plus it's cheaper in supplies too.
Plus, there are all sorts of new exciting things. Since it's an electronic device, there's the raw 'gizmo' effect. Meaning that, with the right device, it can look cool, in the way that an the Verizon Droid looks cooler than say an five year old cell phone. You can the devices in different colors and sizes and looks. It's much more customizable to your personal tastes, too-- do you like a lot of smoke, or a little? How much nicotine are you looking for? And speaking of taste-- FLAVOR! If you like the taste of tobacco products-- you can get that. But you can also get espresso, or chocolate, or strawberry, or butterscotch! Just about any flavor under the sun. In other words, it's a cool new toy, which looks cool, and tastes awesome. Imagine smoking, but being able to pick pretty much any flavor you choose. On the smoking for style and flavor side-- it's a goddamn rainbow of choice. There's also a community organized around it that's pretty active.
Health Issues
So, back to the health thing. Health wise, the studies in play show that the vapor is much, much lower in actual carcinogens than tobacco products. This month, it was ruled that the FDA has no jurisdiction over electronic cigarettes. Here's a link to the Wikipedia article. From the article:
"Trace amounts (detectable, but not measurable) of diethylene glycol were found in one of the seventeen cartridges. In addition, tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs) were detected in some of the cartridges tested which used tobacco flavoring."
So even if you're 'vaping' a tobacco flavored product, you ditch most of the carcinogens in cigarettes. If you're using a non-tobacco flavor, then the carcinogens that are present are in such small quantities that they can't be measured, only detected. In fact, a New Zealand study found the following (again from the article):
"The presence of trace amounts of TSNAs in electronic cigarette vapor was previously documented in an analysis done by the Health New Zealand medical journal in October 2008. However, unlike the FDA study, the Health New Zealand study conducted detailed quantitative analysis and concluded that carcinogens and toxicants are present only below harmful levels. Overall, the product tested was deemed a "safe alternative to smoking."
The FDA's main concern in trying to regulate electronic cigarettes was in nicotine addiction, and a concern about nicotine overdose since nicotine levels are customizable. Effectively, the concern is that you 'll OD on nicotine because you'll up the nicotine levels in your individual mix. Which is a problem only if you're such a nicotine addict that you do dumb things.
Since the technology is still new, there is still a lack of medical studies that can prove one way or the other about long-term effects, and in general since the technology is so new there's a general lack of studies. The New Zealand study is pretty thorough, though. I could see the FDA eventually getting to regulating the nicotine content, which I'd consider fair game and doesn't really concern me not being a huge addict (I smoke maybe 5-6 times a day).
How it works:
The electronic cigarettes consist of three different parts.
First, since it's an electronic device, is the battery, which actually makes up the bulk of the device. The batteries are rechargible lithium-ion numbers (like the batteries in you phone). You charge them up, much like your phone (you can even get USB chargers, or even packs which will charge your batteries on the go).
The next part is the vaporizor, which is the device that vaporizes the fluid into vapor, producing the 'smoke' or 'vapor' that you breath.
The final part is the cartridge, or cart, which is platic mouthpiece with a blank filler material (wool or polyester) in which you soak the solution, or the 'smoke juice,' 'juice' or 'e-liquid,' the stuff that's getting vaporized as 'smoke.' You soak the filler material in 'juice' to prime it, and between uses you re-soak it with an eye-dropper of 'juice.'
To put the device together, you screw the cartridge to the atomizer, which you then screw on to the battery. You push a button to turn on the atomizer, then breath in the smoke, like a cigarette.
Costs
Apparently you swap out batteries more than you do cartridges, unless you're swapping flavors between uses. Like any other re-chargible batteries, eventually they'll need to be replaced, depending on how often you use them. Cartridges also need to be replaced, and those you need to replace at a more regular rate then the batteries. They are also pretty cheap. Eventually you'll need to get new vaporizers, which will burn out like other electronic components as well.
Thing to note, here, is that compared to smoking, while the initial prices are higher, the long-term costs go down. So in Maryland I spend about 7 bucks a pack. I go through about two packs/week, or $14/week.
An electronic cigarette starter pack runs about 50 bucks, which is two batteries, two vaporizers, a charger, and five filters, and sometimes a bottle of 'juice. There's a cartridge starter pack that I'm looking at that runs about 40 bucks, and comes with a bunch of accessories and 20 sample-sized bottles of juice. That will come with 10 cartridges, 10 sample bottles of juice, and assorted accessories, which are basically tools that help you fill your cartridges with juice better. So, starting is about $100 investment. So in about 2 months time, if I switch over totally to 'vaping,' then I've broke even and better in two months.
After that, ' A bottle of 'juice' is about 10 bucks, and is the equivalent of multiple packs of cigarettes; how many depends on frequency of use and nicotine content (which probably impacts your frequency of use). A pack of 5 cartridges is about 3 bucks. A battery runs about 12 bucks to replace. An atomizer is about 8 bucks. You could buy all of these separately, in which case a full kit would run you 30 bucks, though you would still need a charger (8 bucks), for a total of around 40 bucks + shipping.
Picking a device:
Can be complicated. There are different sizes in both cartridges and batteries. Different vaporizers too.
Picking a device if you're lazy, though, appears to be really simple. The model du jour is the Joye 510, and batteries, vaporizers, and compatible cartridges are pretty abundant apparently. This is pretty much the device I'm choosing to go with. Also, there are traveling charging cases available (cases that will charge your batteries on the go), and a lot of the USB charging devices available.
Batteries: The longer and fatter the battery it is, the longer the device is total when it's assembled, but the longer the battery will last. There are two different types of batterys-- automatic and manual. The automatic batteries have sensors to switch on the device when you start inhaling. The trouble with this is that the solution can drip into the sensor and screw it up, rendering the battery useless. More common are manual batteries, which have a button. Most batteries have LEDs that light up on the end.
Vaporizers/atomizers: are pretty much the active component of the device. They vary apparently in the heating element. There are lots of different models, the most common and popular of which is the Joye 510. Basically, the way the heating element is put together effects how much smoke is produced, at what temperature (which effects how much 'harsh' the vapor is). Apparently, worrying about this as a beginner is not worth it.
Cartridges: are the thing you apparently switch out most. They vary in a few ways; for instance, you can get filters that come already loaded with 'juice.' Or you can get blank cartridges, which aren't loaded with any juice. Different cartridges have different filler material, mostly polyester, but also other fibers.
The important bit is to get Cartridges and batteries that match your vaporizer.
Links:
This Thread at a message board community devoted to vaping was really helpful.
Rocky Mountain Vapor seems the best place to buy the hardware, esp. if you're buying the Joye 510.
Johnson Creek seems to be the best place to buy the smoke juice and filters, though they're currently out of stock for the Joye 510 filters.
So, anyone interested?