# Making the switch: a newbie Irishman's perspective



## Alex (11/5/15)

* Making the switch: e-cigs*
*by John Hunter*




Let me preface this article by saying that I will be writing from the perspective of someone with basic knowledge of e-cigarette maintenance and modification, and free of any technical jargon that is generally encountered when scouring the web for information pertaining to them.

You’ll read the terminology “vaping” throughout my splurge of opinion and it refers to the act of using an e-cig due to the vapour it produces, any other whimsical words I may have picked up during the switch will be detailed too.

I originally made the switch with my girlfriend Marie-Claire shortly after the birth of our daughter Scarlett - two smokers and a newborn is a recipe for trouble. We took the plunge after a minor debate regarding the legitimacy of e-cigs as a replacement and decided to order ourselves a nice pair of Diamond Mist EVODs for around £18.





They arrived pretty quickly from Amazon and at this point we made a concious decision to rid our home of any tobacco related paraphernalia and dedicate ourselves to the vaping cause.

Now for some background on how much we each smoked; I was on around 20-25 a day and Marie-Claire clocking in at 15. We almost exclusively smoked rolling tobacco. Because of this we started out with 24 mg of nicotine e-liquids, these can go up to 30 mg which is reserved for very heavy smokers looking to switch over.

The kits themselves are very easy to use and set up, they come with everything you need (some even offer a free liquid depending on where you purchase) which includes the e-cig itself, a charger and replacement coils.

The next few days were spent attempting to break the habitual smoking: smoking after we ate, made coffee, etc. We did this with relative ease, although it meant that we never put down our e-cigs and we constantly reached for them in order to combat the ingrained practices we had previously.

The next few weeks skimmed by and in all honesty it was a breeze, we had successfully slaughtered our previous habits and formed a new one that I won’t claim to be healthy but definitely a form of harm reduction.

I then had my first regained sense epiphany, Guinness now tasted like an orgasm in a pint glass. Once I’d realised this, I went on a food consumption bender, trying all my favourite foods to see if they tasted any better (or worse as some unfortunately did).

The ability to smell other smokers was a pretty big awakening as to how foul it really is to those that don’t smoke, a lingering nose assaulting scent that can’t be masked by any other. Now our home has begun to reclaim itself and has lingering tones of strawberry and mint, or cinnamon apple and cranberry. As I write this I’m pumping out some mango and passion-fruit stank.





The general consensus I see surrounding e-cigs is that they are still harmful, no better than smoking or simply don’t work.

I’d like to dispel what I can from my own perspective and say that I personally feel multitudes better than I did when I was smoking. I feel less lethargic when I vape, I taste and smell better and I’ve notice a somewhat small increase in my overall stamina.

I won’t align myself to the notion that they have no ill effect on my lungs, there simply isn’t enough research surrounding it in order for me to make that claim. What I can say however is that I know what ingredients go into the creation of e-liquids, those of which you can read on the e-cig Wikipedia article.

If you want to dig deeper into the realms of e-cig harm or benefit I’d recommend /r/electronic_ciggarette on reddit as they tend to post any reports done on e-cigs. Many vapers take reports done with a pinch of salt - tobacco companies don’t take kindly to their smokers wandering off into the mists of vapour and as such smear campaigns against it have begun to crop up. Use your sensibility when reading articles and make an informed choice.

43 days without smoking, 864 cigs not smoked and £115.07 saved (all this provided thanks to the handy QuitNow! app for android and iOS) and I’m still going strong. I’ve progressed into the more hobbyist side of vaping having upgraded from my EVOD to an X6 mod with an Aspire Vivi Nova-S tank (combined cost at around £25) and shortly after buying an IPV mini mod with a Kangertech Subtank mini (£92) as seen below.





Not everyone must upgrade, I just simply enjoy vaping enough to consider it worth spending my hard-earned (and not smoked) cash on. I’ve finally dropped my nicotine level down to 6mg and still feel like my need to smoke has been satiated.

I now spend my time popping in and out of a newly opened vape cafe in the city centre of Belfast by the name of E-Ciggarette Club, a local business who have been paramount in helping me along the way.

I originally went in to buy some cheap e-liquids without having to order online and was pleasantly surprised that I could pop into this shop and vape while I had a cup of coffee.





I then started asking the typical newbie questions via their Facebook page “what is gonna give me a stronger throat hit?” “I need a better battery, is this good?” to which I got back friendly chatter and advice from the shops owner Jordan. Each week I’d pop into the store for something new and the staff Scotty and Mark didn’t attempt to shove products down my throat but instead queried my choices and outlined the benefits and costs tailored to what I could afford and wanted. They had extensive knowledge and knew how to put it to me in a way my novice brainmeat could understand.

They also host “cloud-chasing” competitions (the art of exhaling ludicrous amounts of vapour) and regular vape meets where the owner grabs beer and pizza for the regulars, and everyone sits around discussing their hobby.

I’m also planning on paying a visit to one of their building classes (this is the fiddly part of vaping, taking stuff apart and rebuilding it, if you’re interested you can read more here )





Overall I’d simply encourage any smoker unhappy with how they feel when smoking, but enjoy the more social and habitual aspect of it to switch over to vaping. I feel better, I’ve made some new friends along the way and I love having the option to taste hundreds of flavours depending on my vaping preferences.

For those still on the fence, I’d suggest watching the #NotBlowingSmoke documentary.

If you have any questions at all or you feel I’m misinformed please don’t hesitate to email me.

source: http://johnhunter.ie/making-the-switch-eciggarettes

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