Are there any drawbacks to "smoking" electronic cigarettes?

Yes, you will become douchbag of incredible proportions.

It will dwarf the douchbag you are now.

I knew a guy who used one to help him quit smoking. He is a raging douche though.

It's better than smoking a real cig, right? I can see how an e-cig user could be considered a dbag, though.

5445 wrote:

It's better than smoking a real cig, right? I can see how an e-cig user could be considered a dbag, though.

If used to help you quit smoking, they're a great thing. If you're 'thinking' of taking up smoking, but are looking for a safer option, then you're a dbag.

The vast majority of the fluids that are added to the e-cigs contain comparable levels of nicotine to regular cigs.

To make matters worse, I believe the industry is still unregulated (much mile supplements) so you never know exactly what is contained.

They stink. Slightly less than real cigarettes but a bad, pungent odor nonetheless.

You don't get the buzz you'd get from doobies.

PoisonIvy wrote:

The vast majority of the fluids that are added to the e-cigs contain comparable levels of nicotine to regular cigs.

To make matters worse, I believe the industry is still unregulated (much mile supplements) so you never know exactly what is contained.

you do know that nicotine is not what makes cigarettes harmful, right?

The main drawback is that you're still "smoking" and are still putting nicotine into your body.

Here are the benefits:

No smoke or soot, only odorless water vapor.

No second hand smoke.

No tar.

No flame, no more ruining clothes, furniture or anything else.

Electronic cigarettes can be used almost anywhere, bars, restaurants, at work, etc.

They are cheaper than regular cigarettes.

Several previous posters mentioned people using these to quit smoking. They are not a 'quit smoking' device, merely an alternative to the real thing.

Does anyone have actual evidence of these being unsafe? I know they're unregulated and not cleared by the FDA, so it is smart to be cautious before using them.

If you want to see a industry leading E-Cig company and what its all about check out

http://www.jcsmoke.com

(Johnson Creek Enterprises)

"The use of electronic cigarettes (known as e-smoking, or vaping,) is an alternative to smoking traditional tobacco cigarettes. Instead of being lit, an electronic cigarette vaporizes a solution of water, nicotine & flavoring. There's no smoke, no combustion. Even better, you can often use them in traditionally non-smoking venues. Electronic cigarettes are not meant to be a smoking cessation device, but what they can do is leave no lingering odor, have just a few ingredients instead of several thousand, and no longer bother others with second-hand smoke!"

As someone who vaporizes weed and occasional tobacco, I can give a couple of drawbacks from my experience.

First, inhaling vapor is much less traumatic than inhaling smoke, so so people who are accustomed to feeling smoke in their lungs as an indicator of the dose might underestimate how much nicotine they're taking in. The harshness of the smoke acts as a limiter of intake, so without that, possibly e-cigarettes are easier to abuse and overdose.

Second, the effect may be (and probably is) different. Tobacco isn't just Nicotine. There are probably several psychoactive chemicals in Tobacco, each of which has it's own boiling point. Whatever temperature your e-cig operates at might not be high enough to vaporize some of the active compounds, so you get a different effect that might not feel like the high that you get from a combusted cigarette. I know this is true of cannabis, but I actually like the vape high better than a smoke high of a given strain. It seems to me a little more mellow and less stoney.

A third downside is social. Among people who smoke cigarettes, smoking together is kind of a ritual bonding. If you whip out some high tech gadget then you're not really part of the smoker club. For some people this is a big part of smoking.

Another drawback: Electrical. Most E-cigs are battery powered. That means you have another little battery to keep charged. And they run out pretty fast.

Only this thread on lets run....

Why are you talking about smoking on a running website?

TF? wrote:

Why are you talking about smoking on a running website?

Some runners enjoy the occasional cigarette, cigar, clove, or what have you. Plenty more enjoy cannabis on a routine basis. I'm sure none of that helps in running, but there is no denying that it happens.

I enjoy a nice cigar or cigarette on the rare nights that I get a little tipsy. Then again, maybe that's why I'm a 15min guy and not a 14:30 guy.

21st Century wrote:

Several previous posters mentioned people using these to quit smoking. They are not a 'quit smoking' device, merely an alternative to the real thing.

It may not be recognized as a "quit smoking" device, but I personally know two people who, after smoking for more than 30 years, successfully quit smoking using one.

There is a small, but very real, risk of electrocution.

I wonder what the legal repercussions are for using an e-cigarette in a manner inconsistent with its labeling? Like, can you get in trouble for using it as a smoking cessation aid when it's just intended to replace cigarettes?

As long as they contain nicotine, then yes - highly carcinogenic. Better than smoking the real thing and good if you're using them to wean off and quit smoking for good.