A Cheaper Way to Smoke: The E-Cig

Cigarette smoking has become a very expensive habit over the years. With the new tax fully in effect, the cost of a pack of cigarettes is now more than $6 in most places. To buy a carton, $50 is now what it will take. There is an alternative that has finally reached the market that can alleviate the costs, in more ways than one. Meet the e-cig!

What is an E-cigarette?
The electronic cigarette, or e-cigarette, is a smoking alternative. It’s an electronic device, powered by a microchip, designed to look and feel like the real thing. The cigarette-shaped device houses a lithium battery and a cartridge filled with liquid nicotine. The major difference between real cigarettes and the electronic alternative is there is no tar or other harmful chemicals in the e-cig. It produces a smoke, but it is not the harmful smoke filled with carcinogens associated with tobacco smoke. The nicotine, once exhaled, becomes a vapor that resembles smoke, giving the smoker the feel of smoking a real cigarette. There are some obvious health benefits to using the e-cig. The absence of tobacco makes smoking the e-cig a much healthier alternative to smoking the real thing. No, smoke in the lungs, no wheezing, emphysema, lung cancer or many other health risks. There are no carcinogens, no chemicals that will slowly kill you. And there is essentially no second-hand smoke either.

Is the Cost Worth it?
The initial cost of an e-cig starter kit runs around $100 – $150. Once the starter kit is purchased, which includes a cigarette, a battery, a charger and usually some cartridges to get you started, the continued purchases will included additional cartridges. After the initial charge of the kit, the cost to smoke a cartridge, which is approximately the equivalent of a pack, will be substantially less than the average cost of a pack of cigarettes today. Depending on what cartridges you purchase, the average cost could run as little as $1.00 per “pack.” The e-cig is still new to the market and is currently still working some kinks out of the technology, but the concept is a breakthrough for all smokers who are looking to get the pleasure of smoking without risking their health.

The smoker still gets nicotine into their system, but there is no tobacco products which alleviates the health risks associated with tobacco use. One of the biggest benefits of using the e-cigarette is the absence of tar, arsenic, formaldehyde, acetone, ammonia and many other extremely poisonous, dangerous chemicals which are all in traditional cigarettes. Eliminating these harmful carcinogens from your body is enough reason alone to invest in the e-cigarette if you are a smoker.