Four Questions About E-Cigarettes

1. Are e-cigarettes harmless?

No, they are not. No e-cigarette is completely harmless; the difference is only in the level of harm. For example, some e-liquids contain very little nicotine or even none at all, but the flavor tends to be very light and they basically do not provide much throat hit. For many smokers, the smoking satisfaction largely comes from that throat hit. So comparatively speaking, e-cigarettes are simply less harmful.

2. So what exactly is the difference between e-cigarettes and regular cigarettes?

E-cigarettes are mainly used to help people quit smoking (not counting those who use them purely for cloud chasing). Some e-liquids can imitate the experience of regular cigarettes to a great extent, such as certain HALO series e-liquids. However, the biggest difference is still the level of harm: regular cigarettes produce a variety of toxic substances through combustion, including carbon monoxide, while e-cigarettes do not. Of course, flavor and sensation can also be considered differences, especially for long-time smokers.

3. Don’t e-cigarettes also contain nicotine?

Yes, many e-liquids do contain nicotine. But compared with the various harmful substances produced by regular cigarettes, nicotine is only a small part of the issue. Carbon monoxide and similar substances are the truly major toxins (many non-smokers even feel a sense of suffocation when they inhale secondhand smoke). So there is no need to be overly afraid of nicotine. Many medical products also contain nicotine, and its harm is relatively lower.

4. Can e-cigarettes be used long-term?

Since they are intended to help with quitting smoking, if they can successfully replace regular cigarettes, then in the end e-cigarettes also become optional. Generally speaking, heavy smokers can start with e-liquid at a 12 mg concentration. During this period, you may still be unable to resist smoking some regular cigarettes, which is perfectly normal. After getting used to it, you can reduce to a 6 mg concentration. At that point, you usually will not need regular cigarettes very much. After adjusting further, you can move to 0 mg e-liquid. Once you truly no longer need regular cigarettes at all, you can throw away the e-cigarette too. By then, you should no longer have any anxiety symptoms related to quitting and can return completely to normal. So after an e-cigarette helps you through the quitting period, even if you still think you want to use it, you may already be tired of it. Believe me: once you have fully quit smoking, you probably will not even want to use an e-cigarette, let alone intentionally keep using one long-term. Of course, switching later to high-vapor cloud chasing is another matter.