There’s a lot of news coverage on vaping at the moment, particularly around the use of disposable products by kids and teenagers. And having originally switched overnight from smoking back in 2017, I figured I might share some thoughts on vaping after six years.
First up, some quick stats:
6 years of vaping – numbers and savings:
- 2191 days without a cigarette (including 1 leap year)
- 32,850 cigarettes not smoked.
- At £10 per pack for easy maths, that would be £16,425 not spent.
- The average cost of vaping each month has increased a bit recently due to rising prices for legal and reputable liquid. Add in replacing coils, and buying a new reusable vape kit every couple of years etc, and a quick average of £75 per month comes in at £5,400 over six years, a saving of £11,025.
- At an estimated 10 minutes of better life expectancy per cigarette, that’s 328,500 minutes, 5,475 hours, or 228 days. Which works out at 32.6 weeks.
The £75 is probably slightly on the high side, especially considering it was a lot cheaper five years ago. But it’s enough to know I’ve saved more than £11,000, along with potentially gaining more than eight months of added life expectancy.
While research is still needed into the long-term health impacts of vaping, due to the fact it’s still relatively new, so far every negative impact has been linked to people buying illegal products or misusing them. And it’s still conclusively researched and recommended by numerous health organisations as being far less harmful than smoking.
Given that I tried quitting a few times using other cessation aids (patches, gum etc), and cold turkey after reading the most recommended books on giving up cigarettes without long-term success, I’m still incredibly happy that I switched. Especially when it took place literally overnight, without any bad side effects, and I could stand next to smokers without feeling any cravings or like I was missing out. In fact, after six months, I tried a cigarette out of curiousity, managed 2 drags and had to hand it back because I hated the taste and sensation.
Will you ever quit vaping?
A common question, and one I’ve considered a lot. Out of more than a handful of people I personally know who switched to vaping, about 50% have stopped.
Personally, I’ve lowered the nicotine level of the liquid I use to 6% (after initially starting on 12%). And I’ve dabbled in going further or lowering the frequency of my vaping, but given the harm reduction, cheaper costs, and the fact that I’ve largely worked alone from home during a global pandemic, it’s not something that’s concerned me enough to really try.
It doesn’t really impact anyone around me (the studies into passive vaping have shown negligible impacts, even inside vape shops). There’s no lingering trace or smell moments after vaping. And there’s no reason to think it’s more of a problem than my other vices (excessive Cola consumpion and having a couple of beers each week).
What about vaping corrupting our youth?
There’s no reason to vape unless you’re switching from cigarettes. And the sale of disposable vape products to teenagers and kids via local corner shops should be tackled. Both for potential health impacts, and also the problem of littering and single use lithium batteries.
Personally, I have no problem with banning disposables entirely. Any person with a disposable income for cigarettes can afford a decent reusable system for around £40 or £50 which is powered by a reusable and rechargeable battery (they tend to last multiple years), and you’ll make that money back in weeks. Plus buying your own liquid means you can control the nicotine levels etc, and ensure you’re purchasing something which is registered with the MHRA in the UK. Which includes submitting toxicity studies for the ingredients.
As for the rise in teenage vaping and sales – it’s concerning, but I’d suggest balancing it against the drop in smoking, and the lack of evidence that vaping leads to any other tobacco products. It was never difficult to obtain cigarettes or alcohol underage, and it’s already illegal, so just increase and enforce fines, add licensing for reputable vape shops (I know a couple of shop owners/managers in favour of this), and the problem will be minimised.
The area that does concern me is that non-tobacco flavours are lumped in with disposables. As a long-term smoker, I found that fruit flavours quickly helped me disassociate nicotine cravings with the taste and flavour of tobacco. Whereas early ecigarettes I tried which tried to emulate tobacco tastes just made me want a real cigarette.
With any news story or research, it’s important to check the sources, any potential conflicting interests and biases, and that’s as important for vaping as any other topic. But from personal experience, one way to rapidly convince a teenager that vaping isn’t cool is for their 40-something parent to be puffing away!
What would you recommend if someone wants to start vaping
- Only start if you using it as a way to quit smoking cigarettes or other tobacco products
- Find a good, local, helpful shop which can provide useful advice.
- Be prepared to try some different eliquid strengths and flavours to find what will work for you. The right ones will make it more enjoyable, shouldn’t leave you craving nicotine, and also mean your coils will last longer.
- Buy a reusable kit which is powered by rechargeables – it keeps the cost down, reduces waste, and changing coils every so often really isn’t difficult.
- There are some decent online retailers around, but support the good local shops to ensure they’re still around in the future when you might need help.
- My default recommendations would be for something like an Aspire Nautilus GT or Prime X kit (that’s what I mainly use at the moment), a couple of 18650 batteries and a charger. Having more than one battery means you can have one constantly charging, and carry a spare when you’re out to avoid battery anxiety (always carry it in a case/sleeve to avoid accidents). Anything with a built-in battery will fail to hold charge over time (in my experience often noticeable over 12-24 months)
- And for liquid, I tend to favour Zeus Juice now (typically Black Reloaded and Dimpleberry), but there are lots of good brands out there, and I tend to order something different every few months to avoid getting bored.
- Clean your vape regularly – it doesn’t take long. The ‘drip tip’ that goes into your mouth definitely benefits from frequent cleaning when you’re doing the washing up.
- Pay attention if you’re on medication, as one of the main ingredients of vape liquid (along with mouthwash and lots of other products) is propylene glycol. which needs to be avoided if you’re prescribed various medicines, including Metronidazole. And most doctors or dentists probably won’t be aware that it’s a potential complication for vapers.
- And make sure you stay hydrated, especially when you’re starting out. Most of the experiences of slightly discomfort come when you’re puffing away without drinking enough water etc.
