How Well Do Electronic Cigarettes Work?

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Surely, this post probably will seem a little unusual. It's certainly not the norm (always assuming I have a "norm" about the subjects I write about on this blog site). But this one probably would seem really unusual, and perhaps even more so if you factor in that not only am I not a smoker, but have never been a smoker.

So, what the hell am I doing, writing about electronic cigarettes, anyway?

Here's the thing: the idea for this did not, strictly speaking, originate with me. It was actually my mom, who is a smoker.

You see, she's a very difficult person to get a present for. I always struggle to find some idea for a gift she might like. Yet, this past Christmas, this was the idea that I had for her from the start.

It may seem a strange gift. But think about it: she's a smoker. She wants to quit (well, eventually), and has tried it before, but obviously, without success. At least not on any permanent level, or anything.

Now, I did not want to be a nudge, or anything. Sure, it would be great if she could simply quit, but nothing ever really works quite that simply, does it? No, she needed support. Ease into it. It's not easy to quit, and although my father managed (twice), my mom is having more difficulty. She has tried, I know that she has. But she has not been successful. Yet.

Here's the thing: her father (my grandfather), had smoked pipes pretty much all his life. He was a peaceful man, one of the most easygoing men that I have ever met. He had some things he really liked, and those included chess, books, his stamp collection, and perhaps certain television programs, including sports. And, of course, smoking. Towards the end of his life, the doctors essentially ordered him to stop smoking. What I remember was that everyone said he seemed so unhappy those last months, and he died, rather suddenly, just months after being forced to quit smoking. Some suggested that his inability to enjoy one of the true pleasures, once stripped of even the possibility, sped up his death. I can't say for sure, but I can say with a measure of certainty that smoking would have given him pleasure that he was deprived of those last months. It is doubtful that it would have caused him to die any sooner, since it came so quickly afterwards.

Okay, so that may seem a bit morbid, but I think you may get the point. If it gives her comfort, than obviously that is what gets her to keep going back to smoking, and thus, it is a subject that needs to be approached with some sympathy.

I began to hear a lot about electronic cigarettes sometime in the autumn, and the idea that this could be a good gift idea slowly took hold. It was a little weird, admittedly. But then again, if it was a healthier option, and cheaper, to boot, then maybe it was not such a strange gift idea after all, but actually, a damn fine one. So, I went ahead and got it for her.

But it was not so simple as all that. I checked the internet for what was rated best. I read a couple of articles, or even blurbs, form people who had tried it. I went on Youtube, and watched some video clips relating to the subject. Some were just ordinary people, voicing their opinion on these things. Others were clips of actual television shows, taking on the subject and weighing the pros and cons.

Most people seemed to divulge on the benefits. The idea behind electronic cigarettes that is supposed to make them appealing is twofold. First, they are more beneficial, or rather, at least less detrimental to your health. They have nicotine, but not all of that other junk that "real" cigarettes have. Secondly, they are way cheaper than "real" cigarettes. Since the price of cigarettes has just gone up and up and up over recent years, that is perhaps not an insignificant or unattractive benefit.

I am not a smoker, nor have I ever been one. Yet, these were the two main things that I looked at when contemplating this as a Christmas gift for a smoker. Ironically, the appeal of just how beneficial these e-cigs, as they seem to be called often times, are over traditional cigarettes was frankly fascinating to me. It was a technological wonder on some levels, in an area where it is time to admit that I never would have expected technology to play a part. After all, cigarettes are cigarettes, right? But that is not strictly the case anymore, and many are predicting that the electronic cigarette market, which already has mushroomed very fast, will continue to grow, and do what so many have only dreamed of - keep taking away from the huge profits of the tobacco industry, and hit them where it hurts.

Of course, more intelligent tobacco companies will surely invest in their own brands for these electronic cigarettes. Perhaps profits will be compromised (at least for now), but they really should be a part of this, rather than simply resisting this. One way or the other, the turn from traditional cigarettes to a more technologically advanced version (and who can tell if they won't continue to improve these over the course of the next few years and decades?) is already significant, and growing.

Just think of it: the first time that I really ever "saw" an electronic cigarette was in the movie, "The Tourist", and that was a movie I watched as a rental, well after it actually came out in theaters. But it came out in 2010, which is hardly ancient history.

Not much later, I saw the first one in person while at a concert. The lights were dim, so you could see the glow from the e-cig, which looked like a "real" one. So much did it look like one, that security came over and told the lady to put out the cigarette. Well, actually, mostly he just pointed the flashlight at her, and it was strongly implied that she needed to put it out. She held it up to show him that it wasn't "real", although he remained unmoved, and forced her to put it out anyway.

Now, I've seen them numerous times. There are commercials on television for them. Can you remember the last time you saw a cigarette ad? I remember the Marlboro Man from all the way back in childhood, on television and the backs of magazines. But that was a long time ago. Yet, these are advertised right on television, and claiming the advantage of getting these over traditional cigarettes. When I got my mom these as a gift, the only way that I saw that they were available was online, through special order. But on Christmas Eve, I saw them for sale at a liquor store. Not much later (a couple of weeks at most), I learned that they would begin to be sold at stores like Target. That is a major step up, and it has happened incredibly quickly. If I had known that it would have happened that quickly, I might have waited to purchase them in a store itself. That are getting ever easier to acquire, and thus, more convenient.

Yet, are they what they claim to be? Are they healthier alternatives to traditional cigarettes?

One thing they are not is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Also, they are not targeted to actually getting people to quit, unlike other products that are geared towards helping smokers kick the habit. They want smokers to turn away from traditional cigarettes, so that they can become regular customers for their products instead. Most of us probably understand this much, of course.

There is research out there that suggests a less rosy picture than what the companies for e-cigs are advertising. Tiffany O'Callaghan of Time Magazine writes that "a researcher from the Institute for Drug and Alcohol Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University decided to put two brands of e-cigarettes to the test, to see just how they stack up against actual cigarettes. His findings, published in the February issue of the journal Tobacco Control, suggest that the e-smokes fail to deliver much nicotine, or help reduce cravings."

Not exactly a ringing endorsement, is it? But then again, nobody is saying that they are healthy, or will help kick the habit. Only that they are an improvement over traditional cigarettes.

As for how well they work? How do they size up?

Well, my mom is finishing up the last of her "real" cigarettes. At least, that is what she is saying, and I do hope that she tries these electronic cigarettes in the near future. I'd love for her to give them a shot. But other than her, I asked a few people who used to smoke, and who tried them, and they said that they liked them, for the most part. There are reviews on Youtube, although this requires a little research. Also, there are talk shows on the subject that you can watch on Youtube as well. There do seem to be benefits. Many smokers like them, and there do appear to be significant advantages to smoking these over smoking traditional cigarettes. They would appear to be both healthier and cheaper, and neither of those are insignificant reasons to contemplate trying these things, to giving them a shot, if you are a smoker.

As for how they actually work, and how well they work, how safe they are, and the potential impact on the tobacco industry, here are some links to articles that expand on this rather fascinating topic, so you can read up more on it on your own. I'm not sure why I personally took such an interest on it, or why this interest continues now, almost two months after Christmas. Yet, there is a sneaking suspicion that I will continue to read more on the subject, and find out more. Something about these things really fascinates, although not nearly enough to actually pick up the habit of smoking, which nobody is advocating.

Here are those links:

http://healthland.time.com/2011/08/19/how-safe-is-tobacco-that-melts-in-your-mouth/

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2133333,00.html


http://business.time.com/2013/01/08/can-electronic-cigarettes-challenge-big-tobacco/

http://www.timecigarettes.com/articles/how-electronic-cigarettes-work.html



Last but not least, here is the link to that article "Do Electronic Cigarettes Actually Work?" by Tiffany O'Callaghan of Time Magazine that I used for this blog piece:

http://healthland.time.com/2010/02/15/do-electronic-cigarettes-actually-work/