Vaping instead of smoking: from the frying pan into the fire?

The gasp of surprise preceding, «Mum’s coming, put it out!» was probably the first deep drag of a cigarette for many adolescents back in my day. It was for me at least. Only to be coughing my heart out shortly after. It was disgusting. But obviously not disgusting enough to stop me from smoking. Yep, I’m hooked. Even today, 30 years down the line. I’ve now at least replaced conventional cigarettes with electronic ones. But does that make it better? That’s a solid «erm, not sure» from me.

No tobacco for starters

The fact you can quit smoking with the help of e-cigarettes has been proven by a recent study conducted by the University of Bern. It’s the world’s largest on the subject to date (study in German). The study says that e-vaporisers are an effective aid when it comes to quitting smoking tobacco cigarettes. But it also goes on to say that they don’t help lessen nicotine addiction.

I can live with that. Honestly, after reeking of stale cigarette smoke for 30 years, I’m pretty chuffed that’s no longer the case. Besides, I’ve also stopped filling my lungs with a toxic cocktail every day. Keep in mind that in addition to the neurotoxin nicotine, harmful substances in cigarettes include arsenic (poison), radon (radioactive gas), polonium (radioactive waste) and many more. Swiss NPO «Lungenliga» (Lung League) (website in German) states that of the over 7,000 chemical substances contained in tobacco smoke, at least 250 are harmful to your health and 70 can cause cancer. Reading this today, I’m seriously asking myself why the hell I ever started this insane habit in the first place.

Don’t worry, it’s not like I think vaping’s good for my body. I know full well I’ve just shifted my addiction. What’s more, no long-term studies have yet been conducted on the health implications of smoking e-cigarettes. What we do know is that vapes also release harmful substances. But according to experts, these are likely to be significantly fewer than in tobacco cigarettes. Nevertheless, the World Health Organisation’s issued a warning against vaping, Australia’s battling the spread of vaporisers in its own country with import bans and the UK is working towards at least banning disposable vapes to protect minors.

Tobacco, Angel of Death

These days, everyone knows how unhealthy, not to say potentially fatal, smoking is. And not just since the film Thank you for Smoking. The Swiss Federal Office of Public Health states that tobacco consumption is one of the biggest public health problems (in German). Tobacco’s considered the number one risk factor for chronic non-communicable diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Every year, around 9,500 people in Switzerland die prematurely as a result of tobacco consumption – that’s 26 a day. According to the World Health Organisation, more than eight million people a year are killed by tobacco consumption worldwide. This makes tobacco responsible for around one seventh of all deaths in the world.

The long road away from tobacco

I didn’t make the switch from smoke to steam overnight. On the contrary, the process took me several years. However, I’d started to think about quitting much earlier. But how? Nicotine patches or chewing gum, hypnosis or cold turkey? For some reason, none of these measures seemed practical nor did I trust myself to follow through.

The first time I became seriously interested in quitting was when a workmate was raving about e-cigarettes. He told me all about how he’d managed to ditch tobacco from one day to the next. Well, if he can do it, I can, I thought to myself. Looking back, I was wrong. There was a long period in which I was giving my body the double whammy: smoking and vaping. For a long time, I was using e-cigs as a complementary means of satisfying my addiction and didn’t view them as a fully fledged substitute for smoking.

However, slowly but surely, clouds of smoke made way for billows of steam. I’ve now made a full turnaround and now exclusively vape. Since then, I’ve also successfully navigated a high-risk situation. Namely, a friend’s birthday party where I had a couple of drinks. Instead of giving into the craving, I kept on vaping like a good boy, while everyone around me started lighting up cigarettes. I must say, I’m quite proud of myself.

Mentally addicted

So why did this shift take me so long? It seems I’m not as strong-willed as the workmate I mentioned earlier. He managed to switch from smoke to steam at the first try. Physically, I haven’t felt much of a difference so far, to be honest. That’s probably because I’m still poisoning my body with nicotine.

What was much harder and took longer was to get my mind used to it. My head just wasn’t ready to give up decade-old smoking habits such as the first cigarette in the morning or the one after a meal. Vaping outdoors wasn’t something I took to easily either. «If it’s not smoking, then why are we treating it like it is?» my brain would protest. This all took time. At least for me it did.

My unholy trinity of vaping

I still have a pack of cigarettes on me every day, just in case. While I was writing these words, I gave a whole packet to my boss. To be fair, I should mention that I’ve only been completely tobacco-free for about two weeks now. Who knows if I’ll keep it up, but as things stand today, I’m confident.

I’m currently trying out three different vaping systems. I fill the e-cigarette I use with e-liquids that contain nicotine. To me, the e-cig looks a bit like the hilt of a lightsaber, so I’m always getting mild Jedi vibes when I use it. The smaller vaporiser that uses cartridges, on the other hand, looks like an oversized USB stick with a mouthpiece. I rarely use it anymore, even though it would actually be a lot handier than the lightsaber.

I’m ashamed to admit that I also have a few disposable vapes at home. But once I’ve vaped them, I won’t be buying any more. What bothers me about them, I hear you ask? I’ll be happy to explain in more detail in an upcoming article. In any case, more aspects bother me than the fact that it’s morally reprehensible to shamelessly target minors. And, yes, I’m aware that our range includes heaps of disposable vapes.

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