I could go on about this topic forever. Not only do I smoke (and have for something like twenty years) I manage a store where we sell cigarettes and electronic cigarettes. So not only do I have first-hand knowledge of what it's like to be a smoker, I am very well-informed on just about anything you want to know about cigarettes and (to a lesser degree) ecigs.
First off, electronic cigarettes utilize different substances that are vaporized by the electronic activation device (powered by a lithium ion battery that's activated when the user takes a drag). Some are solids and some are oil-based. The manufacturer of Blu ecigs makes a point of emphasizing that their oils are produced
in the US (although the actual ecig device is not). However - like I said before - none of these products have been evaluated by the FDA so all there is to go on is the information manufacturers provide. In the end though there's a niche for this product as smoking is allowed in fewer and fewer places and ecigs offer an alternative that is allowed in most places because they don't produce any smoke (just water vapor). And i have yet to come across one that has any sort of smell to it at all. In fact, the few times I've used an ecig no one around me was aware of it unless they
saw me take a drag.
As for real cigarettes: Years ago I switched to
American Spirits. The selling point for smokers is that they have more tobacco in them and last longer and there are no additives - just plain ol' tobacco. They also have a line of "organic" cigarettes (which only means that the farmers who grow the tobacco used in the organic cigarettes are certified organic growers). The fact that there are no additives or that the tobacco is grown on organic farms does not change the fact that smoking these cigarettes is just as much of a health risk as smoking any other brand. All I know is - and other smokers generally agree - if you switch to American Spirits you find it difficult to smoke any other brands again (e.g., Marlboro, Camel, etc) because you can taste all the additional gunk they put in their tobacco.
As for being a smoker - yeah, it's stupid. I shouldn't do it. And we all plan to quit. It's easy to plan on quitting when you're sitting around smoking a cigarette (like I am right now). Bottom line: if you want to change anything in your life (doesn't matter what it is) you have to want something
else more than what you're doing now. That's the only way to make real changes. And ideally the two options should be as mutually exclusive as possible so it's as starkly either/or as possible. When it comes to quitting smoking it's difficult to set it up as something diametrically opposed to the change you want because you slowly adapt your life and habits around smoking so it's always something you can accommodate. The one time I quit for awhile was when I was golfing everyday and found it much easier to walk up and down the hilly course where I had a membership when I didn't smoke (of course if I didn't have such a wicked slice I wouldn't have found myself schlepping a golf bag up and down so many hills to begin with).
As for places where smoking is allowed/not allowed: I wouldn't say I disagree entirely with smoking bans in bars. There have been times when I thought bars were too smokey even for me. Here - as in most states now I'd imagine - bars and restaurants have adapted to the ban by providing designated outdoor spaces. That's fine. I won't complain about freezing my arse off in order to imbibe some nicotine (like I did last night when I went to see a band). And in my town smoking isn't allowed within fifteen feet of business' entrances so it's not like non-smokers ever have to walk through a cloud of heavy smoke to get to where they're going.
BTW, we sell Djarum clove "little cigars" at my store too. They are now classified as "little cigars" because the government banned flavored cigarettes about three years ago. Clove counts as a flavor, but if they're packaged as "little cigars" they don't fall under the prohibition (talk about things that don't make sense). Anyway, I wouldn't be surprised if someone produces a clove-flavored ecig cartridge. You can already buy plain tobacco flavor, menthol, cherry, mocha, etc.
Also, I won't smoke in my apartment (not that I'm really allowed to anyway) because I've seen what filth it coats everything with (especially electronics, never mind guitars). But when it's really cold I will sit in my kitchen right next to a fan that will suck it straight out the window (like I'm doing now).
Whew. Enough for now.
Steffan
