A Guide To Vaping For Newbies
Vaping is becoming very popular among smoker but I will personally recommend trying the NRT (Nicotine Replacement Therapy) in UK first as this is government approved safer means of quitting cigarettes. The following article is informative and should not be considered as advice. Before starting to vape one should do his/her own research and consult the GP.
What is Vaping?
In simple words, vaping is turning a liquid often termed as E-Liquid/E-Juice/Vape Liquid into vapour which the user takes into the lungs like smoke from a cigarette and exhale out in order to enjoy a specific flavour or to reduce the craving for a cigarette.
Why do people Vape?
There are primarily two reasons why people vape.
The first one being as an alternative to smoking cigarette. A lot of research including NHS Smokefree has stated that though vaping can’t be considered as a harmless habit but is considerably less harmful than smoking cigarette and this is why most smokers move to vaping. Another reason that some smokers now prefer vaping is the availability of the vape liquids in so many varieties of flavours which unlike cigarette taste nice and doesn’t leave an unpleasant smell.
Second reason for people taking up vaping is purely to enjoy the different flavours. This group of people, usually vape at zero nicotine for recreational purpose.
Is Vaping Safe?
Surely vaping with nicotine is an addictive substance and can’t be considered as safe for everyone. However, there are thousands of people who have been vaping for more than a decade and yet haven’t got any health-related issues due to vaping. In fact, lots of testimonies have shown that in some smokers there have been significant improvements in health after quitting smoking and taking up vaping.
The question can be looked at from two perspectives, Safety Relating Health and Physical Safety.
Safety Relating Health can be related to how the user using the e-liquid. Everyone should carefully consider whether he/she has got any underlying health condition that can become worst because of the ingredients used in the vaping. If not sure, ask the retailer/supplier about the detailed ingredients and consult the doctor before starting to vape. One should only vape the e-liquid that is tested and regulated by government bodies like MHRA, UK and never modify/mix e-liquid with any substance that is not tested with the e-liquid in question. Any E-Liquid sold in the UK has to follow the EU TPD regulation and must be submitted to the UK’s MHRA. Details of submitted e-liquid can be found on the MHRA website, List of submitted products. Check whether your e-liquid is in the list or not. If it’s not in the list ask your retailer to give you the MHRA Product ID for that particular e-liquid.
Physical Safety relates to how safe is the physical device, which produces vapour, to use. Due to misuse/modifications of devices, there have been cases where the devices exploded. One should always use AUTHENTIC devices from a reputed manufacturer as these companies perform rigorous tests in their labs before releasing the products in the market. One should never use/modify a device in a way that is not specified by the manufacturer. One should never use a device that is not authentic and from a manufacturer who doesn’t have strong testing facilities.
Can I quit smoking?
The most important thing needed to quit smoking is determination. Vaping and NRT (Nicotine Replacement Therapy) Products will help in calming your craving for a cigarette, but before you take up these means of quitting smoking you have to absolutely make your mind that you will avoid or totally abandon cigarettes.
A lot of smokers started vaping but after a few weeks went back to smoking again. IYou have to understand that STOP MEANS STOP. There can’t be exceptions/excuses. Whenever you get craving don’t think let’s have a cigarette and next time will use the vape or NRT products. If you have stopped you have stopped. Every time you get a craving for cigarette use the NRT products like chewing gums as prescribed by the specialist if you have chosen NRT or take few puffs of vaping if you have moved to vaping. If you still get a more frequent craving and on NRT talk to the specialist to increase strength or move to different product combinations. If you are vaping and keeps getting craving for a cigarette you can consider to use e-liquid with higher nicotine strength or take more frequent puffs.
What do I need to start vaping?
In order to vape, two things are needed. The 1st one is the hardware that is often referred to as vape kit/e-cig/electronic cigarette/vape pod kit/vape mod kit/vape pen kit. The 2nd thing is E-Liquid often called E-Juice / Vape Juice / Vape Liquid / E Liquid and comes in either plastic bottles or in pods/capsules. If you have chosen any of the above hardware that is not pod kit, you can use the e-liquid to fill the tank of the hardware with e-liquid in a plastic bottle. However, now there are several pod kits that you can refill using the e-liquid in the plastic bottle instead of replacing pods when you run out of e-liquid.
How to choose the right Vaping Hardware and E-Liquid?
When someone moves to vaping, ideally a starter kit is most suitable. The kit can be starter mod kit or starter pen kit or starter pod system. These starter kits/system come with everything you need except e-liquid and requires minimal to no knowledge of selecting settings like wattage and temperature.
Vaping Hardware
Most, first-time Vapers starts with Vape POD Kits as there is nothing to do except pressing a button or drawing-in (breath-in through the mouth) to start puffing. When the liquid runs out, the user can take out the pod from the device by just pulling out and replacing with a new one by just pushing it back. There is no need to worry about what resistance of coil or what PG of E-liquid suitable for the device. It’s very convenient but can be more expensive for daily use than the kits that require filling E-Liquid from a plastic bottle and the vaping coils can be replaced.
If the user wants to go for something cheaper, he/she can start with starter vape mod kit or starter vape pen kit which comes in a price range between £50 and £20 and refilling E-Liquid can cost as low as £1.00 per 2ml bottle. Both mod kit and pen kit has a rechargeable battery often called mod and a tank. The tank can be replaceable or fixed. The tank houses the E-Liquid and a Vape Coil often called an atomizer that heats up the e-liquid to release vapour. The vape coils in the tank is replaceable and may come in different resistance. Take advice of the retailer to find out which coils are suitable for your chosen kit. Another advantage of Vape mod/pen kit is that you have larger choices of E-Liquid Flavours and based on the resistance of the coil you can produce smaller vapour like a cigarette or large cloud. Coils with resistance value 1.0 Ohms or above will produce small vapour and used with E-Liquid with VG Value of less than 50. Coils with less than 1.0 Ohms often referred to as sub-ohms coils produce larger cloud.
E-Liquid
Choosing the right E-Liquid is the most Vital part that determines the success of cutting down a cigarette or quitting it altogether. When someone just moved to vaping from smoking, he/she gets a more frequent craving for a cigarette and choosing the right e-liquid may satisfy the craving more efficiently. Someone who has smoked for a long time normally chooses tobacco flavoured higher nicotine 12mg or above content e-liquid with 50/50 pg/vg value. If starting vaping causes any health issues, the user should immediately stop it and consult the specialist.
Most of the MHRA submitted E-Liquid in UK may have the following contents/ingredients.
- Nicotine that satisfies the craving for a cigarette
- Polyglycerol (PG) determines the throat hit. With Higher the value of PG you get more throat hit.
- Vegetable Glycerine that determines how thick the liquid will be. Higher the value larger the cloud and more powerful kit is required
- Food Graded Flavourings that give the flavour of the E-Liquid
E-Liquid comes in hundreds of flavours and different nicotine strength. Currently, in UK a nicotine strength of 0 to 18mg is very common but there are some products called Nicotine Salt that may have the value of up to 22mg. Higher nicotine may satisfy the craving for cigarettes more quickly but may give a bit of burning sensation in the throat. In this case, user may consider moving to lower nicotine strength and lower PG value
References:
- https://www.nhs.uk/smokefree/help-and-advice
- Rossat Vape
- Picture credit: Vaping360
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