Switch To Electronic Cigarettes For Financial Reasons:

There's simply no way around it: smoking is an expensive habit.

Today, a pack of tobacco cigarettes can cost more than six dollars. Some people smoke up to three packs of tobacco cigarettes a day. Clearly, it doesn't take long for an expense like that to add up. Most smokers don't like to consider how much they spend on smoking every week, month, or year. Even at four dollars a pack and only one pack a day, you'll spend almost fifteen hundred dollars a year on smoking. That's probably more than you spend on your cell phone bill.

Over the course of twenty five years, smokers can expect to pay more than thirty six thousand dollars. As a result, most consider giving up smoking just based on the costs involved. The actual cigarettes themselves are just the beginning. Smokers have to buy lighters and ashtrays, along with breath mints, teeth whitening treatments, and perfumes and colognes to help conceal the habit.

Smoking inside your home yellows the walls and can lower resale value or cause you to forfeit your damage deposit. Smoking in your car can hurt its value, as well. Most smokers also occasionally burn holes in their upholstery, clothing, or carpet. In all of these ways, smoking does nothing but eat at your pocketbook.

Unfortunately, that's to say nothing of the coming medical bills that all smokers know to be inevitable. A single day in the hospital can cost thousands of dollars. Imagine what the cost could be for treatment for any one of the many long-term illnesses that smoking can cause, such as heart disease or lung cancer. In the end, this can be the greatest cost to smokers, both financially and otherwise.

The Dangers of Second Hand Smoke:

Your own medical expenses aren’t the only ones you may end up paying. Second hand smoke is believed by many to be the cause of dozens of dangerous conditions. The people most affected by your second hand smoke are those you spend an extensive amount of time with, such as your family members. This is especially a concern because children are at exceptional risk to the hazards of second hand smoke. This can leave you with the financial responsibility for two smoke-related illnesses -- your own and your child's. Moreover, though, second hand smoking lawsuits seem to be only a step away. Financial culpability for someone else's illness could really cost you and may make you consider giving up smoking.

Switching to electronic cigarettes is a Smart Financial Solution:

Believe it or not, if you're a smoker who's concerned about the many financial issues involved in smoking, now there's a new solution that can save you from the high cost of tobacco cigarettes. This new option is called electronic cigarettes, and it's a brand new way to satisfy your nicotine cravings without putting a huge dent in your budget.

It looks like a cigarette, tastes like a cigarette, and provides the same sensation and sense of satisfaction as a cigarette, but electronic cigarettes are actually far different. Instead of lit tobacco, they provide users with atomized nicotine in a smoke-like vapor. When the user inhales it, a sensor detects it and immediately provides them with the nicotine they need to satisfy their craving. When the user stops inhaling, it automatically shuts itself off, saving product and battery life for later use; there are no on/off switches to forget about.

What makes them so unique is the “smoke” that it produces. Unlike tobacco smoke, which can contain more than four thousand dangerous chemicals, the vapor from electronic cigarettes consists of only three main ingredients: water, nicotine, and propylene glycol (a common food additive found in ice cream and cake mix). As a result, the vapor that they produce is light, odorless, and inoffensive.

While many smokers might think giving up smoking tobacco cigarettes in favor of switching to a high-tech solution like electronic cigarettes must be very expensive, this actually is far from the truth. In fact, electronic cigarettes can save smokers huge amounts of money over even short periods of time.

After an initial investment in a starter pack, electronic cigarettes users pay fifteen dollars for the equivalent of seven to ten packs of cigarettes. This means that the same pack-a-day smoker discussed earlier could save more than nine hundred dollars annually by switching to electronic cigarettes. That's enough for a small vacation.

Over the course of twenty five years, electronic cigarettes can save a smoker more than twenty thousand dollars, enough to buy a brand new car. Plus, with electronic cigarettes, there's nothing else to buy. You won't need lighters or ashtrays, and because the vapor is so much lighter than cigarette smoke, it won't stain your walls or your teeth, and it won’t create a foul smell in your home or your car. With no fire or flame at all, you can also say goodbye to ruining your clothes, carpet, and upholstery with tobacco cigarette burns.

Electronic Cigarette is a Better Smoking Alternative:

Finding a Smoking Alternative:

Despite mounting to the evidence to the contrary, many are not convinced that smoking tobacco cigarettes is really as unhealthy as some might make it out to be. People frequently credit a relative or a friend of a friend who smoked three packs a day yet still lived to be ninety. Even with this type of anecdotal evidence, however, most individuals understand the dangers of tobacco cigarettes.

If you smoke tobacco cigarettes, you probably don't need to read the warnings printed on the side of the box to know that what you're doing can't be good for you. You know the dangers every time you cough. If you've been smoking for any time at all, you've probably also noticed that even a half a flight of stairs is enough to leave you short of breath. That's to say nothing of the stains on your fingers and teeth, or the wrinkles that have or will set into your face long before your time. Even if you have managed to ignore these signs that your own health is obviously declining, medical science has shown over time that cigarettes can rob the body of so much vitality.

Cigarettes contain hundreds of chemicals. Scientists have detected some pretty scary stuff in cigarette smoke including arsenic (rat poison), ammonia (glass cleaner), formaldehyde (embalming fluid), carbon monoxide (car exhaust), and hydrogen cyanide (also rat poison). Needless to say, ingesting even a few molecules each of all of these chemicals could seriously affect your health, and these chemicals can be found in varying concentrations in every tobacco cigarette.

While each of these chemicals is present only in trace amounts, with each cigarette, smokers receive a little more poison. As if that weren't enough, tobacco cigarettes have been scientifically linked with a long list of painful, unfortunate, and even terminal diseases. Not only are there obvious concerns like lung cancer, heart disease, hypertension, and emphysema, but there are also less deadly but more embarrassing conditions like impotence and sexual dysfunction.

Of course, if you're a smoker, you probably already knew all that. If nothing else, reading the government warning on the side of the pack should alert you that your habit is eating at much more than your pocketbook. Ironically, some anti-smoking experts believe that hearing about the health concerns associated with smoking causes smokers to become extremely nervous, which in turn makes them light another cigarette.

A Smoking Alternative:

Electronic cigarettes are a brand new way to smoke, a way to enjoy yourself. That's because they contain no tobacco and no actual smoke. Electronic cigarettes are a better smoking alternative that delivers nicotine to its users through a cloud of water vapor instead of a heavy chemical-ridden smoke. The vapor produced contains mainly three ingredients: nicotine, water vapor, and propylene glycol—an ingredient found in food coloring that helps to give the appearance of real smoke.

Compare that to the long and scary list of chemicals found in tobacco cigarettes, and it's easy to see why electronic cigarettes users are excited about the health benefits associated with switching to electronic cigarettes. Plus, because there's no flame involved with them, you can stop worrying about potentially burning your house down if you fall asleep in the middle of a cigarette.

Furthermore, electronic cigarettes users don't have to worry about yellowing fingers, teeth, and skin, and won't find their faces aged by their habit. Not only are electronic cigarettes better for you, but it's also better for those around you. You can quit worrying about the effects of second hand smoke on those you love. The vapor electronic cigarettes produces doesn't carry the same health risks that second hand smoke does, which can really help to put smoker's minds at ease.

Other Great Benefits:

After the initial start up cost, electronic cigarettes can save smokers an amazing amount of money. The equivalent of seven to ten packs of cigarettes costs less than fifteen dollars. In some states, ten packs of cigarettes can cost upwards of fifty dollars. How much would you save in a year? There are other benefits, too. Because the vapor emitted by electronic cigarettes is odorless and harmless, not only can you smoke in your own home without fear of yellowing the walls, but you may find that smoking in public loses much of it's social stigma. Once people realize how unlike tobacco cigarettes truly are, you may find that friends, employers, and restaurateurs don't mind your use of electronic cigarettes inside, even if they normally prohibit tobacco cigarettes.

Four Reasons To Smoke An Electronic Cigarette:

If you smoke tobacco cigarettes, odds are that you worry about the many downsides associated with your habit. After all, even if tobacco cigarettes didn't contain thousands of cancer causing chemicals and weren't sapping your health, there would still be several serious negatives.

Tobacco cigarettes yellow your teeth, hands and walls, and produce an offensive odor that can often cause the non-smoking population to avoid you. Anti-smoking laws have forced smokers to confine their habit to the smallest and most private of places.

Luckily, if you've been considering an alternative to tobacco cigarettes, you'll be pleased to learn about electronic cigarettes. Instead of burning tobacco, electronic cigarettes provide you the smoking enjoyment you're accustomed to by electronically atomizing nicotine into an odorless non-staining vapor. Electronic cigarettes are battery operated, and each starter pack comes with a charger and two batteries, so one is always charging while the other is in use. You never have to worry about dead batteries getting in the way of enjoyment.

Many smokers might not realize the positive impact switching to electronic cigarettes can have on their lives. If you've been considering an electronic cigarette, but you still need a few reasons, here are four great ones to switch to them.

Smoke Virtually Anywhere, Anytime You Have a Craving:

Let's face it - there are essentially only two kinds of public places in the world: those that have banned smoking and those that will eventually. While there will certainly be establishments that refuse to submit, if the current trend continues, it seems like smokers will soon have nowhere left to smoke legally.

However, because an electronic cigarette produces nothing but an odorless, harmless vapor, many establishments that refuse to allow tobacco cigarettes will have no problem with you enjoying a puff indoors. In fact, some trendy night clubs in London have already made this their official policy. Over time, it's likely that even more public places will allow electronic cigarettes.

One place you'll really notice the difference is when you're visiting a friend's house. Whereas it might have been poor taste to even ask a nonsmoker if you could smoke inside their home, once you're friends learn how truly inoffensive electronic cigarettes are, you'll probably be able to enjoy your friend's company throughout the night, without having to excuse yourself for a cigarette. Because you won't have to excuse yourself to step outside, you won't feel socially stigmatized for being a smoker. It's the perfect way to avoid smoking bans. Plus, you won't have to suffer through the heat, cold, snow and rain, just to satisfy your cravings.

No Second Hand Smoke from an Electronic Cigarette = No Health Problems for those Around You:

If the vapor from electronic cigarettes is safer for you, you can rest assured that it's also safer for those around you. No smoker likes to think that their second hand smoke could be a contributing cause to someone's illness, especially if that someone is a close relative or friend, but the odorless vapor produced by electronic cigarettes is far safer for those around you. In fact, the “smoke” that this electronic cigarette produces is actually more than ninety percent water vapor.

You don't have to feel guilty about the effects that second hand smoke might have on those around you. In fact, you can even use electronic cigarettes in the presence of children without exposing them to the potential health risks associated with second hand smoke. This is great news to parents who might be worried about the effect their tobacco cigarettes might have on their children.

No Yellow Teeth:

Every one wants to look their best, but for smokers, the habit can often get in the way because smoking cigarettes stains the teeth and fingers. Many smokers are self-conscious about their yellow teeth, but usually no amount of brushing can overcome the daily staining process that smoking tobacco cigarettes cause. For many, there seems little point in having their teeth whitened, only to watch them yellow again over time.

The vapor of electronic cigarettes won't turn your teeth ugly colors. With its three ingredients, and vapor like consistency, electronic cigarettes can help you reverse the cycle and look your best. Now when you meet people, they won't know that you smoke as soon as you open your mouth or smile. This can be a huge help not only in social settings, but in job interviews and other instances when looking and feeling your best is important.

Stop Smelling Like An Ashtray:

Finally, as if the rest weren't enough, this electronic cigarette is completely odorless. You can satisfy your cravings without smelling like a wet cigarette. Many nonsmokers are completely turned off by the smell of smoking. Now you can get kissably close to almost anyone, because electronic cigarettes can free you from the tell tale stench of tobacco. These are only four of the many reasons why people everywhere are turning on the benefits of switching to electronic cigarettes. When you've tried electronic cigarettes for yourself, don't be surprised at how many other great benefits you discover.

My Review of the Knight Sticks Electronic Cigarette:

www.knightsticks.com

(Be sure to click on "Terms and Conditions" at the bottom of the webpage and read the "fine print")

Knight Sticks is without a doubt the worst electronic cigarette I have tried so far.

Not only is it the most expensive one of them all, it is a really bad deal all around. When you sign up for their "Free Trial", they say they will send you the starter kit free of charge. All you need to do is pay for Shipping & Handling at the rate of $9.95 HINT: If you try to close the page, a pop up window will show saying all you need to do is pay $5.95 for a ten day trial period. Other brands offer much longer Free Trial periods.

It took six days for the starter kit to arrive, which left only four days to try the product. Then they will charge your credit card $99.90 and you won't be able to return the starter kit. It comes with only two nicotine cartridges, a battery unit, and a USB charging unit. It arrives in what looks like a regular cigarette pack made out of thicker cardboard than a normal Box type pack. There were no instructions in the Box, just a little card with tiny writing on it telling you the webpage to visit to see the user manual.

They only offer the nicotine flavored cartridge, and do not offer any options to select how many milligrams of nicotine. Green Smoke offers eight different flavors, and six different strengths so that you can wean yourself from the nicotine if you are trying to give up the habit all together.

The nicotine flavor tasted much more bitter than some of the other brands I've tried, and one of the two cartridges in the starter kit made a bubbling noise when I puffed on the cigarette and a foul tasting liquid spat out of the mouthpiece into my mouth.

After only the tenth charging cycle, the battery malfunctioned while I was charging it. When I unplugged the charging unit from a USB port on my computer it wasn't hot right away, but within a couple of minutes the end next to the charger got so hot I couldn't hold it without getting burned.

This happened last weekend, so I had to wait until today (Monday) to talk to Customer Service. They had never heard of a battery unit burning up like mine did, and were nice enough to send me a new starter kit for free. They said I won't have to pay for Shipping & Handling this time. I sure hope they don't try to charge me for this, and if they do they will not like what I have to say when I call them the next time.

This round of talking to Customer Service was a good one, but when I ordered my first round of additional cartridges a week ago, they messed up and forgot to take me off of the recurring billing cycle. I quite clearly asked them to take me off of this, and told them that I would call them when I wanted to re-order cartridges. Their replacement cartridges are a lot more expensive than other brands. You'll pay $59.85 for only fifteen cartridges (Green Smoke gives you twenty cartridges for the same price), and they don't last as long as the ones they send you in the starter kit.

Overall, their product is much more expensive than other brands, and has no options for ordering flavors or different nicotine levels. Other brands offer much longer Free Trial periods. The battery unit became defective in less than six weeks, and some of the cartridges were defective too. Customer Service was a call center, and not in house. While they were nice enough to talk to, they didn't do what I asked them to. Shipping took a lot longer than I had expected, and the packaging was kind of cheap. Their website is kind of cheesy, and hard to navigate. It is designed with the main focus on getting you to sign up for the Free Trial.

If they hadn't made good on sending me a new unit today, this product would have gotten a grade of a D+. As it stands now, I'll give them a C-, but if they don't fulfill the promises they made to me on the phone this morning it will go straight to an F-.

There are better brands out there that are much cheaper and offer many more options. I've had my Green Smoke unit for a couple of months now, and am very satisfied with everything about it. Shop around for the best deal before you buy the Knight Sticks brand. If I could return it and get my money back, I would...

NEWS FLASH - Federal Judge: FDA Has No Authority Over Electronic Cigarettes

Posted January 14, 2010 at 1:06 pm at e-cig.org

US District Judge Richard Leon has ruled in favor of Smoking Everywhere and Njoy lawsuit against the FDA. He found that the electronic cigarette suppliers “are substantially likely to succeed on the merits and are likely to suffer irreparable harm if I do not return the parties to the status quo ante, their respective motions for preliminary injunction are GRANTED pending a final disposition of this case.”

Judge Leon goes on to say, “This case appears to be yet another example of the FDA’s aggressive efforts to regulate recreational tobacco products as drugs or devices under the FDCA.”

Read the complete ruling at the e-cig.org website:

http://www.e-cig.org/2010/01/14/federal-judge-fda-has-no-authority-over-electronic-cigarettes/

Or click this link to view the PDF file:

http://www.e-cig.org/pdfs/FDA-Lawsuit-Ruling.pdf

This is a battle that was won by our side, but the war with the FDA on this matter may still be far from over. Stay tuned for developments on this matter in future posts.

"On behalf of INSTEAD and all of our smoking customers who find the electronic cigarette a great alternative to tobacco cigarettes, thank you Judge Leon."

My Review Of The Green Smoke Starter Kit:

www.greensmoke.com

It's been over a week since my GreenSmoke Basic Starter Kit showed up, and I've had a fair amount of time to try it out and here is my my review of this product.

This is the very first Electronic Cigarette I have ever tried, and it was a gift from my wife to me on my 55th birthday. She knows how badly I've been wanting to quit smoking for many years now, and I've tried many different types of products that didn't perform as well as I had hoped they would.

My wife showed me what she ordered from the GreenSmoke website. When you go there, you can choose from eight different flavors and five different levels of nicotine. The flavors are: apple, coffee, menthol, tobacco, vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, and tobacco Marl. The strength of nicotine atomizers you can choose from are: 0mg, 4mg, 6mg, 8mg, and 16mg, which is great if you're trying to slowly cut back on your nicotine intake over a period of time.

After three hours of charging I got my first puff off the unit, and it tasted OK! I made sure not to smoke for a couple of hours to see if it would stop the nicotine craving I was having, and it did. I actually got a pretty good head rush off the first few puffs, just like you would from a tobacco cigarette if you hadn't had one in a while. I was surprised at the amount of smoke that came out of my mouth after a good puff.

And the great part about this product is that I can smoke it inside of our house. Both my wife and I have been smokers all the years we have been together, but we have never smoked inside of our house because we hate the way it makes it smell. We have a screened in smoking area on our back porch overlooking the lake that has a couch and a portable heater for winter and a big fan for summertime. But I loved it that I didn't have to go outside in sub-freezing weather to smoke anymore.

Before this kit arrived, I had cut back to only about ten cigarettes per day. Now that I've been using this electronic cigarette for a little more than a week, I have cut it back to only one or two tobacco cigarettes per day. And when I do smoke one of them now, it makes me feel a bit sick. Plus it's still really cold outside, and that helps to keep me from going out there to smoke.

Overall, GreenSmoke electronic cigarettes got a high rating in just about every category from me, and I highly recommend this brand. The ordering, billing, and shipping went off without a flaw, and the product worked as advertised. I called Customer Service to test how good their service was, and it was very good. They actually convinced me to sign up as an affiliate, to sell their products and get a 15% commission.

This got me thinking, and searching online for other good affiliate programs that will help us to earn a residual income as we near retirement. As I type this, I am awaiting delivery of a new electronic cigarette from NJOY Cigarettes. It didn't arrive today, but I expect it to arrive in tomorrow's mail delivery. I will try it out for a week or two and then review that product here.

So that's my plan...I plan to test out many different brands of electronic cigarettes (and cigars) to see which ones are the best. I will post a review of each one after I have tested them for at least a week or two. I will become an affiliate seller of the brands that rate the highest in my review of them. They say to stick with things you know, and I'm an expert at smoking since I've been at it for almost forty years now. Now I want to become an expert on quitting, and sharing my knowledge with the many, many other people who could use this kind of knowledge.

I was reading another blog today on the subject, and a comment by one man struck me as very true. He said he had never heard of such a thing as an electronic cigarette before, but he was very happy to learn about them since he was really trying to quit and nothing else he had tried had worked for him. That sounded so much like me it wasn't even funny. I now find out that they've been on the market for a number of years already. So how come I haven't ever heard of them before a couple of weeks ago? It's obvious there's a potentially huge market out there, and it's our job to let everyone know about these wonderful products that will do so much to improve the lives of millions of people.

My next subject will be about the NJOY Electronic Cigarette:

www.njoycigarettes.com