By David Benson
It looks like a cigarette, feels like a cigarette and even smokes like a
cigarette. The difference is that it doesn’t contain any tobacco.
The e cigarette, also known by it’s other names such as the electronic
cigarette and electric cigarette is one such device designed to give
users the nicotine hit of a cigarette but without all the usual toxins
absorbed when inhaling smoke.
It is the latest invention in a line of quit smoking products which are
designed to facilitate a user’s Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT). NRT
works by helping the user quit smoking by introducing nicotine into the
bloodstream without the use of cigarettes. Products in the past have
consisted of nicotine being injested orally through gum or absorbed
through the skin through patches. The main problem was two-fold, first
the nicotine hit took minutes to arrive, and in a smoker who is trying
to quit, a few minutes can often seem like a few hours. Secondly,
smokers often get addicted not just to the nicotine, but also the habit
of holding a cylindrical tube and putting it in their mouth. The e
cigarette is designed to solve these problems by both looking and
feeling like a real cigarette, while also giving the user a nicotine hit.
It achieves this by using a small battery powered atomizer contained in
the e cigarette to turn a small amount of liquid nicotine into vapour.
The user receives the nicotine effect within seconds rather than minutes
as it is with gum or patches. To complete the illusion of being a
cigarette, the device contains a small LED light at the tip which glows
red when the user inhales.
The vapour dissapates within seconds and does not have the same harmful
effects as smoke does to both the smoker and others around him.
Smokers have also been using the e cigarette to get past smoking bans
present in their countries. The UK for example, has in recent years
introduced a smoking ban preventing people from smoking indoors in
public places such as pubs and clubs. Since the e cigarette does not
contain any tobacco or flame, it is not subject to these restrictions
and can legally be used anywhere.
Unsurprisingly, like any new, popular product, it has been victim to
cheap imitations which pose a health risk to the user. These imitations
have not been subject to the same stringent health and safety tests as
the official brands which has caused concern to health officials.
People planning on purchasing an e cigarette are advised to do their
research and find out more before making an informed decision on which
brand to buy.
About the author: David Benson is the webmaster of an
e-cigarette information site.
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This post was written by Quit Smoking Now on November 20, 2008
