Electronic cigarettes, thanks to massive advertising campaigns, are gaining popularity as a magic cure for smoking cessation. But they were not created for these purposes, and in many countries their advertising and free sale is prohibited.
The first electronic cigarettes were created back in the 60s of the 20th century, but this invention was officially advertised only in 2004. Since then, e-cigarettes have gained unprecedented popularity, especially in countries with tough anti-smoking laws. In Russia and the CIS, electronic cigarettes are presented as a means of helping to quit smoking, although this is fundamentally wrong. In the Western world, this substitute for conventional cigarettes is bought in order to be able to receive nicotine in the usual form while in a public place.
Electronic cigarettes were developed by Hong Kong inventor Hon Lik to minimize the harm from smoking. At the same time, there was not a single claim that such cigarettes can help to quit smoking.
How electronic cigarettes work
Electronic cigarettes contain nicotine and are designed to help smokers to be in public places without disturbing others with acrid and unpleasant smelling smoke. These cigarettes consist of a battery, a vaporizer and a liquid containing essential oils and nicotine. The sensation of smoking an electronic cigarette completely repeats those that a smoker experiences when inhaling with ordinary tobacco smoke. To do this, the liquid of an electronic cigarette contains propylene glycol, which irritates the receptors of the upper respiratory tract in the same way as ordinary tar in tobacco smoke. In combination with the fact that the vapor of the evaporated liquid is about the same density and taste as in the smoke of expensive brands of cigarettes, the smoker has the feeling that he is smoking real cigarettes. The only advantage of electronic cigarettes is that they do not contain carcinogenic resins that cause cancer. But they do not remove either physiological or psychological dependence on cigarettes. It turns out that it is impossible to quit smoking with the help of electronic cigarettes due to the fact that they do not even have the properties of an ordinary nicotine patch or gum, but imitate traditional tobacco products by 100%.
Even despite the absence of carcinogenic resins in electronic cigarettes, they still cause significant harm. Indeed, thanks to them, the smoker receives "safe" cigarettes, which means he can continue to smoke.
The reason for the popularity of electronic cigarettes
In Russia, smoking electronic cigarettes in public places falls under the prohibitions of the anti-tobacco law, since their use is also a promotion of smoking. In Russia and around the world, electronic cigarettes have become popular only thanks to online advertising. After all, their cost is one or two dollars, while the profit from their sale reaches several thousand percent. Repeating all the same mechanisms of influence on the human psyche and physiology as ordinary cigarettes, their electronic counterparts do not eliminate the true cause of the craving for smoking. The fact that it is useless to use any form of substitute for cigarettes with tobacco is perfectly proven in the book by Allen Carr - a time-tested and millions of people way to finally defeat cigarette addiction.
