The vaping industry has soared in popularity over the recent years and is now a multi-billion-pound business even though second generation vape devices are still pretty new on the scene. On the one hand, you have people who swear by them and believe they are the best thing since sliced bread, and on the other hand, you have people who completely demonise the practice and view it as a way to introduce nicotine to a younger audience.
However, a lot of people still hold misconceptions about vaping in general and don’t know the many benefits and actual dangers that might be associated with it. In this article, we’re going to expose some of the most common myths and misconceptions floating around about vaping in general.
Not All Vape Devices are Created Equal
A lot of people still have this archaic view of vape pens and aren’t aware of the many types that are available on the market.
First, you have analog lookalikes, which are similar to actual cigarettes in appearance. They were the first type to be introduced and their main goal was to get smokers out of the habit. They also were very limited in their features and functionality. However, they’re also the cheapest on the market and the easiest to use. They also aren’t as customizable as other devices, which may be good for beginners, but won’t be enough for intermediate or seasoned vapers.
Then you have vape pens, which are the models vape devices got their claim to fame from. They are the ones that are literally shaped like pens and do offer some level of basic customization. They also have separate components which makes them modifiable and allows people to repair spare parts if needed. They also allow you to refill them with liquid instead of buying cartridges.
Then you have your vape mods. Vape mods are the cream of the crop when it comes to vaporizers and they can range from the very simple, to completely outlandish designs with tonnes of added features. They offer the best experience out of the three options and are also more expensive. However, they’re also much more durable and usually made of higher-grade materials.
If your goal is to ultimately stop smoking, mods and pens are the way to go. This is because they both allow you to control your nicotine consumption and output and reduce it gradually over time.
You Can Never Tell What’s in Vaping Liquid
Well, that’s not entirely true. While, in some cases, it can be difficult to know what’s in your e-liquid, buying from a reputable supplier will allow you to check the kind of ingredients that are found in the liquid and in which conditions the liquid was made.
In most cases, e-liquids from reliable sources will only contain four main elements: vegetable glycerine, artificial and natural flavoring, propylene glycol and nicotine. These should clearly be marked on the bottle, provided you are getting them from a legitimate source of course. UK e-cig store greyhaze.co.uk has tonnes of great e-liquid flavors available and they only use the safest ingredients. It’s always better to go with a local supplier than a little-known overseas supplier since they have to obey stricter regulations in many cases.
No One Uses Low or No Nicotine Juice
That’s another misconception. A lot of people vape simply for the fun of it and enjoy the many flavors available. As a matter of fact, some manufacturers reported that the demand for their low and no nicotine juices was actually higher than for their nicotine options. There are even manufacturers out there that sell nicotine free juices exclusively. So, if you think vapers were just a more sophisticated type of nicotine junkie, guess again.
They Aren’t an Efficient Tool to Stop Smoking
The original intention behind the first electronic cigarette was expressly to help smokers stop smoking. Hon Lik, the pharmacist who created the first ever e-cigarette, did it to avoid the complications that led to his father’s demise who was a heavy smoker.
The number of smokers worldwide has been on a downward trend in the last few years, and a lot of it can be attributed to the increasing popularity of vaping. Vape devices allow users to control the amount of nicotine they consume by buying liquids with less concentration. They can then gradually reduce the dosage and switch to low or no nicotine options. The smooth transition also allows them to reduce withdrawal symptoms, increasing the chances of successfully kicking the habit.
E-Cigarettes Can Explode
While in some cases there have been incidents where e-Cigarettes have exploded, in many cases, this was caused by the user’s behavior. For instance, a lot of people aren’t aware of how to store their batteries correctly, which can lead to burns from overheating and fires as well. Buying cheap or imitation mods are also one of the reasons many devices end up malfunctioning. The only way to avoid issues is to only buy from reputable suppliers with a strong history for providing quality products and knowing the basic safety guidelines around using and carrying your batteries.
Smoking and Vaping are Just as Dangerous
A lot of people might be sceptical about the benefits of vaping and simply can’t see the difference between vaping and smoking. However, the act of burning material and inhaling it introduces a lot of toxic by-products inside your body. Not only does tobacco become a strong carcinogen when burned, but smoking regularly can completely dull your sense of taste and smell.
In addition to various carcinogens, those who smoke regularly are constantly exposed to things like vinyl chloride, arsenic, tar and carbon monoxide. The only ingredient you’ll find in both vaping liquid and cigarettes is nicotine, which doesn’t have as disastrous an effect as the other harmful components you get exposed to when smoking. Not only that, but when used responsibly, vaping can even lead to quitting nicotine completely.
And no, while nicotine has been correlated to lung disease and cardiovascular issues, it is not recognized as a carcinogen. People often conflate the other types of carcinogens that are found in analogue cigarettes and automatically assume that nicotine has to be one of them. But various studies have found that nicotine in and of itself isn’t a substantial cancer cause, making vaping that more much healthier as an option.
Second-Hand Smoke from Vaping and Cigarettes is Just as Bad
Vapour coming from e-liquids that contain nicotine can get in the air and affect the people around, however, it is much less harmful than the smoke that comes from cigarettes. The many carcinogen elements in tobacco smoke can easily travel in the air and cause complications to the people around after being inhaled. So, while vapor from vape devices isn’t 100% safe all of the times, it is usually much safer.
Vaping can be a great alternative to smoking and can also be enjoyed as a recreational activity with little issues. It can also be a great way to transition from cigarettes and become free of a nicotine addiction altogether. However, it is still very unregulated as an industry, which makes buying from reliable suppliers only that much more important.
