PUFF PUFF PASS

            Imagine being middle aged and on an oxygen tank for the rest of your life. This is just one major consequence smoking can cause. As a smoker myself, I have experienced firsthand, the harmful effects cigarettes have caused over the years. For example, as someone who was active in sports through out high school, years after, I am now finding it difficult to perform at the level I once did before I started smoking. Through out the years I have tried many methods to help quit smoking. I have found E-Cigarettes to be the most healthy alternative, cost efficient, and environmentally friendly method to quit the bad habit.

            E-Cigarettes are a healthy alternative because they do not contain any chemicals other then nicotine, distilled water, natural flavors, and citric acid. Point blank, e-cigarettes have the same ingredients as most common food items. For example, citric acid is found in oranges and we all have drank distilled bottle water. In contrary, over four thousand chemicals are produced in cigarette smoke, and about sixty-nine of those are cancer causing. Healthy lung cells are said to become cancerous due to the chemical hydrogen peroxide, a deadly chemical found in cigarettes. Other major diseases connected with cigarette smoking include high blood pressure and heart disease. It’s safe to say, cigarettes come with high cost.

            Speaking of cost, I find E-Cigarettes to be very cost efficient. I used to spend about six bucks a day on a pack of cigarettes. Annually, that’s an estimate of twenty-two hundred dollars spent on tobacco. However, E-Cigarettes are designed to be an affordable alternative. The BLU- brand E-Cigarettes are a great example due to the fact that they have a rechargeable model. Basically, the unit is broken down into two halves. The first half is the rechargeable battery, the second half consists of what is called a “cartomizer”, which is a little capsule filled with the nicotine and distilled water. Each capsule is about two hundred and fifty puffs or equivalent to a single pack of cigarettes. A box of cartomizers comes with five units and cost roughly twelve dollars. In simpler terms, you’re paying for two packs of cigarettes and receiving three for free. Thus concluding that E-Cigarettes are indeed cheaper then traditional tobacco cigarettes.

            In addition to being cost efficient, E-Cigarettes are also environmentally friendly.  Just by personal observation, I could feel the plastic and metal components of the device, which are both recyclable materials. Moreover E-Cigarettes do not produce harmful second-hand smoke, as traditional tobacco cigarettes are known to do. Recall, there where over 4000 chemicals in regular cigarettes and only water vapor and nicotine in E-Cigarettes. Thus meaning E-Cigarettes may be allowed to be smoked anywhere because their’ only by product is water vapor.

            Even though I highly recommend E-Cigarettes as a better alternative to traditional tobacco smoking, some people still disagree. The fact is, electric cigarettes are new to the market and not enough research has been done to fully satisfy the idea of being a healthier alternative. Mainly because the idea that E-Cigarettes are targeting adolescents to become addicted to the product. By all means I would agree to regulate the sale of these products to minors. However, after one week of using E-Cigs my self, I’ve been able to say, “No I would not like a cigarette, I’ll PASS!”