If you’ve ever tried to quit smoking you know exactly how difficult the process can be. For many that have smoked for years, getting off cigarettes can be much more difficult than stopping drinking or even quitting illegal drugs.

The commercials that tell people the dangers of smoking and paint a grim description of what’s going to happen to those that smoke are everywhere, yet many continue this unhealthy habit because they just can’t quit.

There may be some help, and it doesn’t involve chewing gum, wearing patches or going under hypnosis. Electronic cigarettes are becoming more popular as they give smokers the feeling of smoking while not ingesting nearly the harmful amount of chemicals they get from a regular cigarette. The active ingredient in cigarettes is nicotine, which helps with the addiction process. It’s not necessarily the nicotine that will kill you; it’s the harmful tar and chemicals that make cigarettes so deadly.

Electronic cigarettes still have nicotine, but they don’t have the same killer chemicals. They are available online and in many retail stores, so you can buy electronic cigarette products very easily. Plus, there are no flames with electronic cigarettes, so no more lighters and no more cigarette burns on the car seat. The smoke emitted from an e-cigarette is vapor, not smoke. It looks like smoke when it first comes out, but quickly fades as a burst of water vapor. There is no secondhand smoke, so kids are not subjected to your habit, yet the smoker still gets the satisfaction of having their cigarette and getting their nicotine.

If you’ve tried everything else, it’s time to try an electronic cigarette. There are so many advantages to smoking them: the effects are less dangerous, the pollution level is decreased, and your needs as a smoker are still being met with the habitual act of smoking.

There are so many places, most of them public places, where there are activities that are prohibited:

• A shirt is required when dining in a restaurant.
• No alcohol can be bought or sold on Sundays in some states.
• There’s no smoking allowed in hospitals, on airplanes, or even in some restaurants.
• Animals are not allowed in restaurants, stores, or coffee houses.

It’s unlikely that these places are going to change their rules, and if they do, there will probably be even stricter requirements in other areas if some allowances are made. These days, you have to think through your whole process of going somewhere when you plan a day out, especially to a public place, because there are so many rules you’ll have to follow.

There are alternatives that let you get around some of these strict rules, and some of these alternative are very accommodating and still allow you to enjoy the things that you like to do.

For instance, it’s a long-standing rule that you can’t smoke in a hospital. Everybody knows that doing so is a no-no, but they didn’t say you couldn’t use an electric cigarette! The neat thing about the device is that it’s odorless and virtually undetectable by sight, smell or sound, unless of course, someone is looking directly at you while you’re smoking it!

Many people who are used to smoking find that it’s a great alternative for their habit, especially when they find themselves in certain uncomfortable situations and need to smoke. A hospital is one of those places, more so if the smoker has a loved one in there and they have to visit them often. Having a smoke takes the edge away, but smoking an electric cigarette satisfies those urges and keeps the hospital security from escorting you out the front door!

What are your coping mechanisms for those stressful moments you experience? Do you cope by exercising, or watching your favorite television show? Or maybe you talk to a friend. Most times, when I have nervous energy I reach for a candy bar or gum, or I twiddle with the fabric at the end of my blouse. There are certain situations in which I often find myself where I am nervous and at a loss as to what to do or how to act. Years ago, I was a heavy smoker and would consume upwards of two to three packs a day because that was how I coped with those stressful moments.

Thankfully, those stressful times are behind me, and I don’t have that incessant need to smoke as I did in the past. Much of it is will power, much of it was the need to pursue a healthier lifestyle, and a lot of it was me understanding the long-term effects that smoking can have on my health.

A friend introduced me to the concept of smoking alternatives like the electronic cigarette and chewing gum to help me with my smoking habit. I had to get used to using the device, but over time, I came to enjoy it and even prefer it over the real deal. And there are the cost savings I enjoy as a result of the change. I also like the fact that I can still indulge in a “cigarette moment” in those places where there is “No Smoking Allowed.”

Today, I am free from traditional cigarettes and very glad about it! I always try to share the information with my friends who still smoke and show them ways that they can kick the stick too. So now that I’ve done this, all that’s left to figure out is how to stop chewing so much gum!

Smoking cigarettes is rude, unhealthy, and it’s getting harder to do all the time. Many restaurants, bars and other public places do not allow cigarette smoking. Cigarettes turn teeth yellow and reduce lung capacity. There is even evidence to suggest it may affect nearby secondhand smokers. Don’t hang on to a dirty, expensive habit. Purchase electronic cigarettes to kick the habit. Quitting is the healthy decision, and electronic cigarettes are a clean, safe alternative.

Electronic cigarettes look and feel like the real deal. Water vapor and nicotine are inside the electronic cigarette, but no carcinogens, tar or tobacco. None of the cancer-causing agents found in traditional cigarettes are present in the electronic version. Smokers will hold and puff their cigarette, as usual, but they won’t be endangering their lives by doing so. A small amount of nicotine provides the addictive substance that smokers crave.

By no means should electronic cigarettes be a lifelong alternative to kicking the smoking habit, but they can be a lifeline for those who want to quit. Often, smokers miss the motion of smoking and miss having something to hold in their hand. The electronic cigarette provides the addictive nicotine users need to help them get over the habit as well as the psychological comfort that comes with the smoking act. There is no patch to wear, no tasteless gum to chew, no tiny sensors to put onto the body…there is only a clean cigarette that won’t be an ugly health risk. Some electronic cigarettes are even customizable, so smokers can make their quitting tool look exactly like the brand of cigs they usually smoke. Sometimes, smokers need just a little help to quit. You can purchase electronic cigarette kits online and in some specialty stores.

The refill cartridges provide up to 80% savings on the traditional tobacco cigarette packs. The flavors vary with different merchants but are normally available in cherry or strawberry, menthol or mint, and the traditional tobacco flavor.

The advantages of the e-cigarette go on and on. They have no fire and no ash or ending stub. The smokeless cigarette is also changing the legal ramifications for cigarette smokers and for companies who make traditional cigarettes. Smokeless smoking simulates the experience of smoking a nicotine cigarette while eliminating health issues because they do not burn tobacco. Instead the e-cigarette activates a flow censor and then releases a water vapor. The water vapor contains nicotine, propylene glycol, and a scent simulating the flavor for the traditional cigarette smoker.

The traditional smoker smokes usually because of the need for nicotine.  With the electronic cigarette, the smoker gets that “nicotine fix” and avoids the cancer-triggering effects found in the traditional cigarette.

Something that the new electronic cigarette user must also understand is that they are a “smoking alternative” but are not to be used as a method for smoking cessation. E-cigarettes benefits the smoker in daily life at home married to a non-smoker, or at the “no smoking allowed” work place or in the smoker’s favorite restaurant. E-cigarettes promote a safety proponent because they do not need to be ignited with a lighter and they prevent accidental fires. The e-cigarette now engages in environmental-friendly smoking and a healthier, more cancer-free option.