For smokers, there are a multitude of benefits to making the switch to e-cigarettes. The entire purpose of the devices is to offer nicotine without the associated health risks you expose yourself to with tobacco, and they achieve that goal in emphatic style.
The clinical degree of control companies have over the contents of the electronic cigarettes means that they can reduce the amount of chemicals from over 7,000 (in cigarette smoke) to just a handful. The advantages of using electronic cigarettes are obvious from that alone, but they stretch much further, encompassing physical, social and financial benefits.
Health Benefits of E-Cigarettes
- Goodbye, Smoker’s Cough. The first health benefit many smoker’s notice after switching to “vaping” (using an e-cigarette) is that the persistent cough disappears. The hideous ritual of hocking up phlegm and ravaging your throat every morning finally comes to an end. This is because the cacophony of toxins present in cigarette smoke damages the back of your throat, leading to a build-up of mucus. Because e-cigarettes contain no toxins, the cough will disappear.
- Improved Taste. It has long been assumed based on anecdotal evidence that smoking diminishes your sense of taste, and research has since confirmed this link. It seems that cigarette smoke flattens your taste buds, reducing their sensitivity. When you stop smoking and start vaping, your circulation improves (see below), thus allowing the body to repair itself. The result: much tastier food.
- Breathe Easy. Unsurprisingly, the gang of carcinogens and toxins present in tobacco cigarettes are what give your lungs a hard time. Specifically, hydrogen cyanide prevents your lungs from clearing themselves out in the ordinary way. The toxins also cause your lungs to swell, which constricts the flow of air. With electronic cigarettes, there is no hydrogen cyanide and no toxins, so your lungs can repair themselves.
- Better Circulation. Carbon monoxide is one of the most damaging substances found in cigarettes, and it basically wreaks its havoc by basically stealing the place of oxygen within the blood. By binding to the hemoglobin, it prevents as much oxygen getting to your vital organs.
- No Second Hand Risk. One of the most upsetting elements of the dangers of smoking is the risk it poses to other people in the vicinity. Because e-cigs don’t create a side-stream from the tip and don’t contain the dangerous toxins you’ll find in cigarette smoke, there is absolutely minimal risk to those in the same room. So you can enjoy nicotine without the guilt.
Financial Benefits of E-Cigs
- Cheaper than Cigarettes. If you compare the nicotine content of an e-cigarette cartridge with that of cigarettes, you’ll find that you get around 20 cigarettes per cartridge. Packs of five cartridges only cost about twice as much (in some states, roughly the same) as a pack of cigarettes, so the savings are evident. For the cost of 20-40 tobacco cigarettes’ worth of nicotine, you can get the equivalent of 100 with e-cigs. Starter kits cost around $60 (some are cheaper, of course), but that’s a one-off purchase which is quickly recouped through other savings.
- Cheaper Life Insurance. Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death, so it drives up the cost of your life insurance. Using an e-cig is vaping, not smoking, and the lack of associated dangers makes for cheaper insurance.
Social Benefits of E-Cigarettes
- No Smell. You won’t stink of cigarette smoke anymore. If anything, e-cigarettes smell faintly of the flavor in the cartridge and nothing else. No musty clothes, smoke-sodden furniture or bad breath.
- No Ash. Since there is no combustion with e-cigs, you don’t need an ashtray and you won’t make a mess. Likewise, there are no butts to constantly dispose of.
- Stay Inside. E-cigarettes don’t create smoke, and are therefore exempt from the vast majority of smoking bans. No more standing outside a bar in the rain to get your nicotine.
- No Accidental Burns. There is no fire with e-cigarettes, so the days when an errant ember destroys a friend’s carpet are long gone.
There are so many benefits of e-cigarettes over tobacco smoking it’s unusual that smokers still exist at all. With the safer option, you still get the nicotine you’re looking for, just none of the baggage that goes with it!
Learn more about electronic cigarettes and be sure to read our Top 20 rebuttals to win an e-cig debate if you're still unsure about the benefits of e-cigs.