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Medicine

Research Shows E-Cigs Might Be As Good For Quitting As Nicotine Patches 314

"Taking a drag from an e-cigarette may be just as safe and effective as slapping on a nicotine patch for smokers struggling to quit, according to the first physician-run trial to compare the two products." That's according to research recently published in The Lancet (PDF) and reported by Bloomberg. Why is this significant? From the article: "If European and U.S. regulators treat e-cigarettes as medical devices, yet leave cigarettes on general sale, tobacco makers 'will retain their market monopoly, and we will never learn whether e-cigarettes would replace traditional cigarettes if allowed to continue evolving and competing with smoked tobacco on even terms,' [wrote clinical psychology professor Peter Hajek]. The results will also be presented today at the European Respiratory Society’s annual meeting in Barcelona. E-cigarettes have taken Europe and the U.S. by storm. In France, there are more than 1 million regular users, according to a government-commissioned report published in May. Sales worldwide will probably approach $2 billion by the end of this year and top $10 billion by 2017, according to a forecast by Wells Fargo & Co."
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Research Shows E-Cigs Might Be As Good For Quitting As Nicotine Patches

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  • yummy, I always like breathing in someone else's medicated ethylene glycol.

    • by CastrTroy ( 595695 ) on Sunday September 08, 2013 @08:54PM (#44793437)
      There's an e-cig kiosk at my local mall. In Ottawa, Canada. You can't smoke real cigarettes anywhere. Not in any workplace (including restaurants and bars), I think the one exception being hotel rooms, but that's only in designated smoking rooms, and not in common areas. You can't even smoke in public parks. Anyway, the people selling the e-cigs were smoking them at the kiosk. I didn't notice any odour, and it definitely didn't bother me. But I do kind of wonder if there are any effects anyway. If completely safe, I wouldn't mind this coming into general use for people who wish to smoke. It's much nicer than stepping into an elevator with a person who just came in from smoking, or even an elevator that was recently used by a smoker. The smell tends to linger quite a while. I used to not think it was such a bad thing, but since they've just about outlawed it everywhere, I've started to get bothered by it more and more. Also, can't say I'd miss having tons of cigarette butts left on the ground at the entrance to every building.
      • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

        by venicebeach ( 702856 )

        If completely safe, I wouldn't mind this coming into general use for people who wish to smoke.

        It's probably not completely safe for the smoker. A recent (just last month) study found that e-cigarettes do indeed contain carcinogens, in some cases showing similar levels of formaldehyde and acrolein as regular cigarettes.

        Article about the study. [yahoo.com]

        • by RussR42 ( 779993 ) on Sunday September 08, 2013 @10:32PM (#44793867)
          Your post is very disingenuous. The article itself says "3 out of 10" are found to contain acrolein and formaldehyde. For 10 bonus points, explain why they contain it and the others don't. I find it very odd that some ecigs are able to synthesize these two chemicals from the 3 main ingredients of eliquid and others don't. Perhaps what you mean to say is "A study found that if you put similar levels of formaldehyde and acrolein in you liquid mixtures as found in regular cigarettes, then they will contain similar levels of..." you get the point.
          • by venicebeach ( 702856 ) on Sunday September 08, 2013 @11:08PM (#44794037) Homepage Journal
            I think you've misunderstood the summary of the results. Formaldehyde was present in all of the vapors tested, but in varying degrees. Only 1 in 3 reached the levels of regular cigarettes.
            • by blackraven14250 ( 902843 ) on Sunday September 08, 2013 @11:18PM (#44794087)
              After playing link telephone, since the actual study is stupidly deep in a chain of 4 links, as far as I can tell it's a "study" conducted by a consumer research group in France called "60 Million Consumers" (translated). The entire text of the study is about 3 paragraphs long, and has approximately zero details (i.e. how much was in the samples, or what the deviation was) ascertainable through Google Translate.
              • Yeah, I was curious about that too. I feel inclined to go with the lancet over a french consumers group.

                I'm also kindof sick of all e-cigs being grouped together as if its a monolithic and uniform product. It's not. I could give two shits about what eliquid producers in france are doing. Or all that shit made in china. eLiquid i buy from a retailer trusted by the eliquid geeks on the e-cig forums is not the same product as whatever they 'tested' in that 'study.'

                I'd be very interested to read a proper scie

      • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

        by Anonymous Coward
        I tried to use e-cigs to quit, but they didn't provide the satisfaction of real cigarettes so I just ended up alternating between them and real cigarettes.

        I did eventually manage to quit, but it was only by going cold turkey. Every time I wanted a smoke, I would start lifting weights instead. By the time I was finished with my workout, I found that I no longer had that immediate craving. After about the first month, I reached my first day in a long time where I didn't even think about smoking. Five years
        • Congratulations on getting off the addiction wagon. I'd certainly say "less is more" when it comes to things people put in their bodies. That said, after 20 years of smoking and switching to e-cigs myself, the most important advice I have to those interested in pursuing vaping is to use quality equipment and e-liquid. The cheap, disposable e-cigs found in many gas stations and their cheap rechargeable counterparts available online will disappoint most people. The quality control in the cheap products is non

    • by Xicor ( 2738029 )
      i cant stand being around people who smoke real cigarettes, but surprisingly, i dont mind people who use e-cigs
    • hard to do, I've noticed. the droplets are big and don't go that far. better than cigarette smoke anyway, second hand smoke doesn't dry my eyes out

    • by fred911 ( 83970 )

      It's not smoke, it's vapor.

    • by volkerdi ( 9854 ) on Sunday September 08, 2013 @09:13PM (#44793529)

      yummy, I always like breathing in someone else's medicated ethylene glycol.

      It's propylene glycol. But besides that, second hand nicotine was never an issue (and propylene glycol is recognized as safe, and even used in many asthma inhalers). The harm from second hand smoke comes from the smoke particles, something that's not present in e-cig vapor.

      • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

        by drinkypoo ( 153816 )

        second hand nicotine was never an issue (and propylene glycol is recognized as safe, and even used in many asthma inhalers). The harm from second hand smoke comes from the smoke particles, something that's not present in e-cig vapor.

        Safe in asthma inhaler != safe when heated. The asthma inhalant is delivered by pressure. And there is still plenty of argument over the safety of both propylene glycol and ethylene glycol when heated, and both are used in e-cigs. As well, nicotine and tar will build up on surfaces from smoking and will transfer by touch.

        • by RussR42 ( 779993 )
          I don't know that any eliquids contain ethylene glycol. If yours does, it's time to switch to a new brand. Are you thinking of glycerol [wikipedia.org]? Propylene glycol, glycerol and nicotine (and flavorings) are the usual ingredients in ecigs. It seems like a very easy thing to check if the amount of heat applied is enough to chemically alter them. Since ecigs don't get all that hot, I just don't see it happening. As for tar build up, all I can say is WTF? There is no tar.
        • Propylene glycol is the main ingerdient in fog machines. I hope you never go to concerts. A lot of people use vegetable glycerine. A common ingredient in food. Ethylene glycol is not used. It is anti freeze. It would kill you. A lot of people mix their own fluid too with stuff from a pharmacy but that is more about price and taste. It is so simple.
        • by narcc ( 412956 )

          Did you just get back from imagination land?

          Because it's not an issue.

          Read your own link and think about what is actually being said.

          Was that so hard?

    • by WarJolt ( 990309 )

      I hate breathing in second hand antifreeze too. Good thing most people smoke Propylene Glycol.

  • Might be? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by RussR42 ( 779993 ) on Sunday September 08, 2013 @08:35PM (#44793373)
    Anecdotal evidence: Myself and many of my friends switched to ecigs with success. Many of us tried and failed with other methods. Now I have a roaring ecig addiction that tobacco just can't satisfy. So that's not quite a successful quit yet, but in terms of harm reduction it's looking good so far. Since I can control the strength of the liquid by mixing it myself, I'm working on a very long, gentle taper down.
    • by rikkards ( 98006 )

      More anecdotal evidence: Looking at the several people I know who switched from cigarettes to e-cigs, this is common. At least you can control it.

    • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

      Good luck. My recommendation to cigarette smokers who wish to quit is to first switch to a tobacco product that does not have a fixed amount of nicotine in each unit (natural wrapper cigars, pipes, or, as one cigarette smoker I know is doing, hand rolled cigarettes using pipe tobacco). There are two problems that most cigarette smokers have with quitting smoking. The first is the oral fixation on the process of smoking (something that is, in and of itself, not that very difficult to overcome, but it is the
      • by RussR42 ( 779993 )
        Good advice. I would add that finding loose tobacco that is nothing but tobacco (no additives or wacky processing) can help a lot too. I did exactly that and for the first week or so I couldn't smoke enough of them. It wasn't satisfying in the same way as the manufactured cigarettes of the processed rolling tobacco. After the initial transition I noticed that I dropped to 75% or less of my previous smoking level and didn't feel the need to smoke as strongly or as often. I don't know what those guys are
        • by gringer ( 252588 )

          I don't know what those guys are doing to the tobacco in manufactured smokes, but it's something evil.

          Current research (done by someone I was in biomedical science classes with) suggests that monoamine oxidase inhibitors [nih.gov] may have a role in the increased addiction of cigarettes over plain tobacco -- although that article in particular suggests people using roll-your-own tobacco may have a harder time quitting.

      • I found going to the gym works.
        My intention wasn't to quit smoking.
        I found that smoking before spending an hour on a treadmill dramatically effected my performance. Not rocket science there. Any exposure to carbon monoxide will do that.
        Smoking recently afterwards however made me feel like shit.

        I guess the fairly close association with smoking -> negative physical response broke the addiction.

    • Re:Might be? (Score:4, Insightful)

      by girlintraining ( 1395911 ) on Sunday September 08, 2013 @09:03PM (#44793487)

      So that's not quite a successful quit yet, but in terms of harm reduction it's looking good so far. Since I can control the strength of the liquid by mixing it myself, I'm working on a very long, gentle taper down.

      SINNER! Repent and accept our righteous anti-smoker ways! You're polluting us! You smell bad! People like you are scummy addicts who should be locked away in jail!

      Or something. Look... the fact is, the anti-smoker contingent is trying to ban e-cigs and government is trying to tax the hell out of them because they look at it as people 'escaping' their 'public health' tax... so it's a match made in heaven.

      What's really telling is that I was sucking on an e-cig in a hospital... and no doctor or nurse said a word. Wanna know why? Because it's not harmful to them or their patients... and it's no worse than a patch. They want people to quit. The jury's still out on whether e-cigs help with that, but they clearly don't hurt... and from a harm reduction standpoint, they're about a hundred times better.

      But... no matter. You are a sinner, a scumbag... an addicted fool we need to tax every penny from... for your own good of course!

      • They want people to quit. The jury's still out on whether e-cigs help with that, but they clearly don't hurt... and from a harm reduction standpoint, they're about a hundred times better.

        I'm reminded of what I heard on NPR last week [publicradio.org], talking about how in a single year e-cig use has doubled by high schoolers. Unstated is whether it's displacing real cigarette use. Certainly stated is a fear that it'll lead to smoking 'real cigarettes'.

        What I didn't know is that some state laws are set up such that e-cigs are legal to the sub-18 crowd.

        Anyways, From the anti-ecig stuff I've heard I get a feeling of 'if a solution isn't perfect we shouldn't do it', and 'smoking is evil; anything resembling sm

    • by jamesh ( 87723 )

      A guy I know switch to ecigs, not so much as a path to quitting, but because it's a less unhealthy alternative. He said that after a week or so his sense of smell had returned, and after a bit longer he wasn't coughing up revolting crap each morning. And I certainly noticed that he didn't pollute every room he entered.

      Once you remove the smoke from the equation, is nicotine any worse than caffeine? Aside from the gross birth defects that is.

      • by RussR42 ( 779993 )

        Once you remove the smoke from the equation, is nicotine any worse than caffeine?

        I am having a bit of trouble with that. I like nicotine. If the health effects are minimal enough, then why was I quitting again? I'm tapering it down anyway (I reduced my caffeine consumption years ago). Should I still go all the way? I'm going to let future me deal with that issue.

      • by narcc ( 412956 )

        Aside from the gross birth defects that is.

        Cite, please?

        It isn't thalidomide, after all. The only thing I could find was a tenuous link to low birth weight.

    • More anecdata:

      I switched too, and I sure do love my e-cigs.

      The bad part is I'm still spending money I don't have to, and there's definitely an element of addiction at play.

      The good part is my lungs much, much improved, I don't get tired climbing stairs, I don't stink, I'm saving a *ton* of money, and my risk of lung cancer it not much higher that of someone who's never smoked (as I'm not yet 30). I also get to play with fun flavors and stuff in addition to different types of e-cigarettes, which mak
      • by sjames ( 1099 )

        If you really want to save some money (and have a more satisfying ecig), get a rebuildable atomizer/tank. The replacement heater wire (nichrome or kanthal) and silica wick is dirt cheap and lasts forever. You may even enjoy finding the ideal coil and wick setup. personally I am using 34 ga. nichrome @ 3 ohms and 1mm silica wick.

        There really is no good excuse for the various attempts to ban or regulate e-cigs going on. They are certainly better than smoking and the industry has done a good job self regulatin

    • Re:Might be? (Score:5, Interesting)

      by AbRASiON ( 589899 ) * on Sunday September 08, 2013 @09:53PM (#44793691) Journal

      Further anecdotal evidence:

      Every person I know who has tried e-cigs seems to feel better and find it's something they can stick with. I'd rather everyone were addicted to those horrible things than the ghastly alternative, at least it's a start.

    • Re:Might be? (Score:5, Interesting)

      by eriks ( 31863 ) on Sunday September 08, 2013 @10:50PM (#44793959)

      Another anecdote: Me. Almost exactly a year ago I was a smoker, then a year minus one day ago, I was an "e-cig" vaper. I made the switch that easily and quickly. And (so far) it has been a tobacco *replacement* not a route for quitting, though I can see how it could be, I'm just not using it for that it. There was an initial learning curve and expense, but now it's cheaper, and (theoretically) safer. Nicotine is *not* a harmful drug. The low doses vapers or smokers consume are decidedly non-harmful, when compared to *many* other substances that modern humans typically eat, drink and inhale. It's demonstrably non-carcinogenic. Though I guess we can't expect a rational response to the dangers of ingested substances with the state of things being as they are.

      I wish we had hundreds of thousands of people marching in the streets chanting "Be Reasonable!" and "Use Science, not Fear", and maybe even "Have a Heart!".

    • by sjames ( 1099 )

      Very similar here. I'm currently mixing down to 6mg/ml. I do notice that my ecig addiction isn't quite as urgent and my old cigarette addiction was. I still wouldn't want to go a day without, but I can go much longer without a vape without really noticing than I could without cigarettes. The best explanation I have seen is that the MAOIs in tobacco smoke that are not in an ecig potentiate the nicotine and it's addictive properties.

      Meanwhile I breathe much better than before and lost the smoker's cough.

    • Myself and my wife have both switched to e-cigs full time - myself for 6 months, her a bit more reluctantly and recently. The tobacco analog flavours are pretty nasty, but then I neve actually liked the taste of tobacco anyway - it's the act of smoking and nicotine itself I'm addicted to. Now she smokes a menthol mix, and I'm a fan of fruit flavours.

      I've tried to quit many, many times during a 23 year cigarette habit. Patches, gum, straight cold turkey, Allan Carr, you name it, I probably tried it. Longest

  • by wrackspurt ( 3028771 ) on Sunday September 08, 2013 @08:39PM (#44793379)
    Caffeine and nicotine got me through all nighters cramming for exams but quitting smoking was one of the hardest things I've ever done. It took me 9 years of trying and failing to quit to finally kick the habit. I think I just got too embarrassed to once again claim to be quitting. I don't know the neuroscience but caffeine and nicotine are powerful stimulants. I might go for E-cigs if there's no bad health side effects.
    • by stoploss ( 2842505 ) on Sunday September 08, 2013 @09:26PM (#44793581)

      I started smoking at age 20. Deliberately. Of my own volition. Primarily for the stimulant effect and secondarily to defy the goddamn anti-smoking meddlers... their disingenuous, logical fallacy-laden TV commercials really induced my rage.

      I collected approximately nine pack-years of cigarette smoking.

      I broke the nicotine physical addiction several times over those years (zero nicotine intake for 3+ weeks); however, what kept dragging me back to smoking was the fact that I mentally identified myself as a smoker. Smoking was part of my identity, which meant that cessation was always in dichotomous tension between "health" and "self". To put it in perspective, I likely self-identified more strongly with the term "smoker" than the term "American".

      I quit my smoking habit permanently the day I had my first e-cig delivered in 2009. A few months later I tried a single cigarette, found the taste revolting, and haven't smoked since then. Smoking is unwieldy and a serious inconvenience during the winter (I never smoked inside my domicile). Downsides of quitting smoking included having my sense of taste/smell return... the world is revolting and ignorance is bliss.

      Notwithstanding, after several years of "vaping" e-cigs inside our home no one has ever been able to tell—my life partner would tell me, because she hates the smell of cigarettes and always comments whenever we are near someone who recently smoked.

      I have given e-cigs to all my smoker friends and relatives. All of these people have subsequently quit smoking (some of these smokers had been engaged in the habit for 30+ years). In fact, they all quit using nicotine altogether, leaving me as the sole remaining individual in my monkeysphere who cultivates a nicotine addiction.

      • After I quit smoking, every time I saw an anti-smoking ad on TV, I got a genuine urge for a cigarette.
        A few times I gave in and went across the road to buy some. Trouble was then, I couldn't buy anything less than a 20-pack - 10 packs were outlawed 20 odd years ago, so I ended up smoking the entire pack before "quitting again".

        Made me wonder if the tobacco companies had input in to the TV ads.

    • Cigarettes and coffee is also known as the supermodel diet.

      The cigarettes act as an appetite suppressant and the coffee as a stimulant.
      No need for food... unless you want to live a long and healthy life that is.

  • I quit using Swedish SNUS [wikipedia.org] which broke the oral fixation/habit of puffing on a smoke while providing the nicotine my body craved. I tapered off using Swedish SNUS within six months, and while I still have cravings occasionally I haven't started smoking again. Please note I didn't use the American versions of SNUS, I ordered real "Swedish" brands that are imported. - HEX
    • by dbIII ( 701233 )
      For a moment there I thought you were writing about a oral fixation with Swedish Nuns, and I was about to say I've seen that movie too :)
  • The FDA is saying they will take control of e-cigarettes, one reason being that many under 18 are using them. Never mind that even 40+ years ago 12 year olds who wanted to smoke found ways of getting their illegal cigarettes

    • by RussR42 ( 779993 )
      While I'm not looking forward to the regulation, I wouldn't object if they put an age restriction on it and made sure the liquid was made properly. Right now, any one can sell you a bottle of goo and you have to hope that it contains what they say it does. It's not a huge problem, there are plenty of reputable companies out there. If you want, you can still buy the raw ingredients (that are what they say they are) and mix your own. I'm sure the kids will still find a way, but I happen to know that black
    • by sjames ( 1099 )

      The FDA has been looking for an excuse to butt in since day 1. They have used every excuse in the books and even invented new ones.

      Meanwhile, they keep flogging the over-priced and largely ineffective patches their buddies in the pharmaceutical industry keep cranking out.

  • by skine ( 1524819 ) on Sunday September 08, 2013 @08:59PM (#44793467)

    As someone who got into e-cigs relatively early (2009) and still vapes, it's important to note that they are NOT really meant for quitting. Sure, it's possible to quit using them, but they are more intended to be a replacement device. It's only quitting in the sense that you're not using traditional cigarettes anymore.

    Why are they catching on?

    1. They are (likely to be) healthier. Sure, some will say that e-cigs contain ingredients present in anti-freeze. These same ingredients, though, are also found in rescue inhalers, fog machines, and Twinkies. Mostly, though, they don't contain all of the tar and poisonous substances we all know are present in other cigarettes.

    2. You don't smell like burnt paper, and don't make you smell like burnt paper for the rest of the day. Pretty self-explanatory.

    3. (Or 2a) You can vape indoors, and stealth-vape. Smoking outdoors is fine eight months of the year here in Upstate NY. The other four months - and all of the days it's raining - having to go outdoors sucks. Not only in homes and apartments, but at bars. Also, if I'm in a place where I don't want people to know I vape, I can just go into the bathroom or a toilet stall, and nobody is the wiser. Not the same for a cigarette.

    4. Much easier to maintain a constant buzz. I recently had the charger I've had since the start decide to stop working, so I switched back to traditional cigarettes. I absolutely hated that I felt like hell or got enough of a buzz to make my legs weak.

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward

      2. You don't smell like burnt paper, and don't make you smell like burnt paper for the rest of the day. Pretty self-explanatory.

      Smokers don't smell like burnt paper. Burnt paper is actually rather pleasant compared to what smokers smell like. Especially at the end of a long day. That's one of the problems with smokers, they don't realize how bad they smell because they're supressing their sense of smell. Then they get mad at people who can't stand the disgusting smell.

      I completely agree that all smokers should, if they can, switch to the e-cigarettes and that they shouldn't have any restrcitions on them that tobacco products don't h

      • It's not a disgusting smell, it's just a smell that you don't like. To some, it's an acquired taste. Like the smell of cigars, or the taste of anchovies, or whatever. Yes, smokers smell. No doubt. But it's not a disgusting smell per-se.
  • is that everyone insists they are 100% healthy, and have none of the problems of traditional cigarettes.

    Just because they don't share the same issues as cigarettes doesn't mean they are completely healthy. We need to wait until studies are done.

    Given that studies have shown risk associated with nicotine patches and harmful chemicals have been found in ecigs, I think I'll wait.

    Also, screw all the people who exhale in public places because they think it's acceptable to bother people with vapor because it isn'

    • by RussR42 ( 779993 )
      As far as anyone can tell (studies have been done) they are damn near 100% safe for others. It's not your problem if they still cause some harm to the user. As far as bothering other people, how many other smells are we going to ban? What if I don't like your BO? Further, most ecig users move away from tobacco flavors pretty fast. Mine smells of a sort of musty sweet vanilla. Sorry if nice smells bother you. Stick it up your ass.
    • by sjames ( 1099 )

      I'm not so sure OSHA has studied those ladders carefully enough, so thank you very much Mr. Fireman but I believe I'll stay here in this burning building where I know the risks.

  • Totally Disagree (Score:5, Interesting)

    by gumper23 ( 700105 ) on Sunday September 08, 2013 @09:39PM (#44793635)

    E-Cigarettes aren't "as good as" the patch - they are much, much better. I smoked 1-2 packs a day for 28 years and was finally able to quit due to e-cigs. My lungs sound better, I feel better, and I don't stink anymore.

    The patch left me with a rash on my arm.

  • Even the big players no longer identify themselves as being in the "tobacco Industry".
    They are now in the "Nicotine Delivery" business, one of the only non-controlled addictive drugs sold over the counter to anyone (of age) who wants it.

  • by jfdavis668 ( 1414919 ) on Sunday September 08, 2013 @10:10PM (#44793755)
    I just find it strange when people recharge them in the USB port of their laptop.
  • My Experience (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Teknikal69 ( 1769274 ) on Sunday September 08, 2013 @10:20PM (#44793821)
    Truthful experience here I bought an ecig about 3 years ago to try and get a nicotine fix when my Workplace put a stop to smokebreaks I really didn't expect it to work at all but I've never smoked a single cigarette since that day I even have a full unopened packet in a drawer.

    It wasn't really my intention to stop smoking altogether I just found I didn't need to anymore.

    Probably took about 3 or 4 months until I realised I could taste and smell better, they really do work although I think a lot depends on the quality of the liquid used.

    I'd go as far to say that they have almost certainly extended my life and I couldn't have stopped without one.

  • "quitting", not quitting.

  • So, bad then? (Score:4, Interesting)

    by seebs ( 15766 ) on Sunday September 08, 2013 @11:25PM (#44794123) Homepage

    As I recall, nicotine patches are actively bad for quitting, compared with not using anything. What they perform better than is "placebo" patches which, of course, actually contain small amounts of nicotine. On the grounds that if they didn't you could smell the difference and they wouldn't be a proper placebo. The exact amount of nicotine is not disclosed, last I heard, but the interesting thing is that nicotine addiction appears to be highly responsive to even small amounts of nicotine getting in your system; it's only completely cutting it out that seems to actually help people shake the addiction. (That, and stuff like buproprion, which can short-circuit the addiction mechanism.)

  • by big_fish24 ( 321622 ) on Monday September 09, 2013 @12:27AM (#44794379)

    After 22 years of smoking up to 2 packs per day, increasingly bad health and high prices ... and many previous attempts to quit smoking, I used Chantix plus an e-cig.

    Chantix alone was OK at first, but then I started cheating, grabbing a puff or a half cig. I quickly learned it was the physical habit of taking a drag from a cigarette that was really hitting me. I grabbed a low nicotine e-cig and used it for those cravings (zero nicotine wasn't available locally). An "equals two packs" e-cig lasted me 2 to 3 months and after 9 months I just stopped using that too.

    I've been smoke free for 18 months now. And yes, I had the weird dreams with Chantix ... I liked them!

  • by Eric Damron ( 553630 ) on Monday September 09, 2013 @12:36AM (#44794419)

    I understand that e-cigarettes may be able to be used to kick an addictive habit that has horrific health risks. However, it is another addictive pastime that probably has health risks of its own.

    It has the potential of becoming a fad which would hook millions who believe it to be safe into a dangerous and expensive habit. Something the corporate powers would relish being that they consider this a real cash cow and anyone hooked a mere crop to be cultivated.

    If I didnâ(TM)t have morals and I controlled an evil tobacco company I would endeavor to gain control of the e-cigarette market so that I could manipulate the price of both products. That way if tobacco sales started to fall off I could raise the price of e-cigarettes enough to drive customers to the more affordable tobacco products. Back and forth I would cultivate my crops.

  • as a non-smoker (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Tom ( 822 ) on Monday September 09, 2013 @03:40AM (#44795121) Homepage Journal

    I really, really welcome them.

    I frankly don't care if you want to kill yourself, now or over time with smoking. But you are poisoning the same air I am breathing and that bothers me. And anything that can solve that is fantastic.

  • by DrXym ( 126579 ) on Monday September 09, 2013 @04:50AM (#44795367)
    The problem at this moment is they are being sold as a glamorous replacement for conventional cigarettes. Sexy people looking cool with their e-cigarette in their hands, attractive packaging, celebrity endorsements and all the rest. It's quite obvious they are being promoted much the same way cigarettes used to be as a lifestyle thing not as a smoking cessation product. From a marketing perspective this makes sense - the product is addictive and companies want their marketshare to grow, not be self-limited. But it's not acceptable from a public health perspective.

    I think e-cigarettes *could* be as good as nicotine patches for smoking cessation *if* they were promoted and regulated in the same way. But they're not. At least not yet. I expect most countries will crack down on them in due course.

  • by TheSkepticalOptimist ( 898384 ) on Monday September 09, 2013 @11:09AM (#44797627)

    Most of the people I know that smoke have switched to e-Cigs, not to quit, but because its not as disgusting as using traditional cigarettes. I know someone that decided to start smoking specifically because he found e-Cigs was not as hard on his lungs as a regular cigarette.

    I don't think these things were created to stop smoking, they were created as a modern 21st century way to get your tobacco fix in a way that doesn't make you smell like a stale ashtray, which might actually cause smoking to increase again which will bring more profit to the tobacco industry.

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