What is Vaping & What are it Pros and Cons?

Today’s era is the era of technology and e- everything. Medical field is certainly not behind in using all that technology for itself. So, the newest trend is the use of e-cigarettes or vaping.

Vaping is a term that refers to the use of an electronic device called e-cigarettes that uses a flavored liquid which is vaporized and inhaled by the user. The concept was first started by Hon Lik who was a Chinese pharmacist. The vaping liquid consists of a mixture of nicotine, propylene glycol, glycerine and flavorings. This liquid is called an e-liquid.

There are three main kinds of vaping devices or e-cigarettes namely-

• Cigalikes- These, as the name suggests, look quite like the traditional cigarettes.
• eGos- Here, the e-liquid tanks can be refilled. These are usually bigger than cigalikes and shaped like a pen.
• Mods- Again, as the name suggests, they are formed by the modification of the already available e-cigarettes.

A traditional vaping device consists of three parts-

• A battery which operates the vaping device.
• An atomizer that vaporizes the vaping liquid.
• An inhaler that lets the person inhale the vapor from the vaping liquid.

Well, they say that a good decision is an informed one. That is true for vaping as well. No one can choose for you but facts can certainly be provided to make your decision an informed one.

Here are all the pros and cons associated with vaping.

There are many benefits of vaping over traditional cigarette smoking. Some of them are listed below-

• Vaping devices contain lower levels of nicotine as compared to traditional cigarettes. So in a way, vaping is preferable over traditional cigarette smoking.
• Different kinds of vaping liquids are available in the market with various quantities of nicotine. So, nicotine quantities can be monitored in vaping which is definitely a pro part. As the liquid gets heated slowly in vaping, it has comparatively lower level of toxicity than cigarette smoking.
• Vaping can especially be beneficial for people who are trying to quit smoking as they can slowly lower the level of nicotine as well as get nicotine hit without tobacco.
• Vaping is comparatively cheaper than cigarette smoking in the long run.
• Vaping is virtually odorless, so you do not have to deal with that tobacco smell which can be quite offensive to some people.
• In vaping, there is no fear of burns, no ash and no use of ashtrays therefore it reduces all the hassle too.
• For some reason, vaping has the support of its users who are quite passionate when it comes to vaping and they swear by it. Can we just say positive feedback, people?

As much as there are pros of vaping, there are far greater number of cons too. So before you start vaping, make sure you are well aware of those cons. We can help you in knowing some of the most prominent ones, such as-

• First and foremost, as it is a comparatively newer process, vaping is not yet tried and tested. So there can be yet unknown side effects.
• Vaping may cut down on the nicotine use but it certainly doesn’t eliminate it. There is still nicotine present in vaping liquid, folks!
• Vaping may help the smokers quit, but it is also luring non-smokers towards smoking.
• Vaping is especially becoming common in college students as it is so much cheaper than cigarettes.
• One other reason for the susceptibility of all types of people towards vaping is its easy online availability.
• People who vape have much higher chances of becoming smokers than non-smokers.
• Vaping can actually lead people into smoking world due to wrong and tempting advertisements.
• Vaping can also cause nicotine addiction in people just like cigarette smoking.
• Vaping devices can be used for taking psychoactive drugs such as THC as well as for smoking weeds by using soluble cannabinoids.
• The vapor from vaping devices can contain toxicants, harmful chemical as well as traces of heavy metal.
• Vaping is also used by many people to get around smoking laws.
• The odorless quality of vaping sometimes encourages people to vape when they would not otherwise do so.
• Vaping is also used by the young generation for thrill seeking and therefore is not at all helpful in quitting smoking. Instead, it can actually encourage smoking.

In light of all this information, it is advisable to use vaping only when all other traditional methods to quit smoking have been tried and failed. Even WHO believes that there is not enough evidence to qualify vaping as a safer alternative to smoking. That being said, some people believe that vaping has helped them to quit smoking. So if you are using vaping as an alternative to traditional smoking, be sure to be very cautious about it.