I’ve heard of vaping, but I don’t really know how it works. Is it much different from smoking cigarettes? Is it healthier? What exactly is going on when somebody vapes, and what’s the difference between vapor and smoke? While I don’t personally vape or smoke, I know some people who do one or both, so I’m curious about what the deal is.
Vaping and smoking may look similar, and some people think they feel similar, too. But they’re different in important ways – ways that, in the opinion of those in the e-cigarette business, should make vaping the clear choice. Let’s take a step back and examine what’s going on here.
“Vaping” gets its name from the thing that user inhale: vapor, which is not the same as smoke. A vape pen or electronic cigarette heats a liquid – called e-liquid – to create vapor. The idea is that the sensation is similar to that of smoking, and that the substitution of vapor for smoke makes things safer.
Is this true? It’s hard to say for sure at this stage, though some research seems promising for e-cigarette fans. For now, most experts have stopped short of endorsing vaping. Still, there’s a clear difference between the well-established science on the dangers of smoking and the sense that the jury is still out on vaping, and studies suggest that smoking is significantly less healthy than vaping, a finding that many in the e-cigarette industry use to push vaping as an healthier alternative to smoking. Given the serious health consequences of smoking and the studies that suggest it’s worse than vaping, it’s quite possible that this idea has merit, even if vaping does not turn out to be perfectly healthy in every way. And some research suggests that it well might – at least one recent study found regulation unwarranted for vaping, which the study concluded was perfectly healthy.
The perks of vaping aren’t limited to health, of course. Because of e-cigarettes use of e-liquids, say the retailers at Ejuice, it is possible to create a wide range of experiences by varying the flavor and other factors within the e-liquids. Using the same device to vape, users can change their experience simply by changing the liquid, which makes vaping a more flexible alternative.
On top of that, vaping proponents argue, vaping offers other benefits. For instance, vaping is quite clearly more environmentally friendly than smoking.
Vaping is very different, then, from smoking cigarettes. Vaping is almost certainly the healthier of the two, even if there is not yet a consensus about its full health consequences. It is a modern and customizable alternative and offers users a wealth of flavor options. These factors are likely part of the reason that vaping has grown so popular – and is now eclipsing smoking among teens.
“Never underestimate the power you have to take your life in a new direction.” – Germany Kent
