I have been debating this very question with a friend of mine for the past few months, so I finally decided to
do some research online and find out what the experts were saying. I should preface this soliloquies by stating for the record that I am not a doctor, just a curious onlooker. Now, obviously, the belief that traditional cigarettes are dangerous and addictive is accepted by the majority of educated people around the world. But, what about e-cigarettes? What exactly is hidden inside those cartridges? What does an atomizer do to the nicotine when it is heated?
To best answer these questions, I started with a simple comparison. Traditional cigarettes contain three times the amount of nicotine than e-cigarettes. This is the most important comparison since nicotine is responsible for the addiction that most smokers suffer from. And, even though doctors and scientists point to the fact smokers who have switched to e-cigarettes remain addicted to nicotine, they fail to mention that the addiction becomes a psychological one rather than a physical one (in other words, people do not remain addicted to nicotine). You can find out more about this on http://evaper8.co.uk
I followed up by comparing the secondary ingredients found in traditional cigarettes to the less harmful vapors inhaled when smoking e-cigarettes. In addition to the more well-known cancer causing agents like ammonia and tar, traditional cigarettes contain arsenic, lead and formaldehyde, just to name a few. E-cigarettes, on the other hand, contain various FDA approved food additives to give the vapor flavor. Even doctors admit that the health risks from inhaling e-cigarette vapor are far less when compared to the health risks from inhaling traditional cigarette smoke.
So, where does that leave us? Well, before we can make any conclusions, we should look closely at the delivery method of both cigarettes and e-cigarettes. Traditional cigarettes burn the tobacco, releasing the nicotine and other toxins in the form of smoke, which is then inhaled. E-cigarettes heat liquid nicotine inside a cartridge, releasing a harmless vapor. The nicotine is heated by an atomizer, which attaches to a refillable cartridge, though some people prefer to use a cartomizer. I’m no scientist. But, based on the lower levels of nicotine and absence of carcinogens in e-cigarettes, I can safely assume that they provide a safer alternative for those who want to break free from the addictive chains of traditional cigarettes.
Are e-cigarettes just another bad habit? Probably not. I know there are some people who claim e-cigarettes are as addictive as traditional cigarettes, but we have to keep in mind what we already know. Vaping, like smoking, is a learned behavior, and all learned behaviors can become addictive when we associate them with pleasure, relaxation, or anything else that provides positive reinforcement. Just as one might fumble for their lighter, we might fumble for our cartomizer. These are psychological addictions and should not be confused with the horrible physical addiction to a substance, such as nicotine.
Are e-Cigarettes Just Another Bad Habit?
