Smokers Of Zymic.

[SerkanTR]

I don't smoke. It is very unhealthy.

[ciaraa]

Hello,
Mainly i smoke bond or camel cigarettes but some time i also smoke marlboro cigarettes i really like them they are also very good but my first choice is camel.

thanks!!

[1Bigbear]

Used to smoke Benson & Hedges but they coat nearly 10 euro a pack so now smoke Amber Leaf rolling tobacco, much nicer..

[Black Eagle]

I've never smoked or drunk and never will.

[Jehanzeb]

Hey smokers of Zymic. What brand(s) do you smoke?

75% of the time I smoke Marlboro reds. But I get Winston reds, Camel Wides, Camel Frosts, Newports, Kools and a few other types when I am in the mood for something different.

Oh also, how much do you smoke?

I smoke Marlboro reds GCC, and its awesome... Marlboro (King of Cigarettes)

Reason for edit: Removing Ad Links *Staff*

[kenishie]

Easier said than done. I know heroin addicts who have successfully given up heroin but cannot seem to quit cigarettes. In regards to your other questions, I smoke because I have no choice. I started smoking because it would calm me down and give me a nice little buzz. Eventually those affects disappeared and I found myself addicted.

Yeah I am totally agree with you, people can say that because they don't smoke.. I do smoke and my brand is Marlboro Lights and 7-10 stick per day.. My new years resolution is to stop smoke but I can't stop it.. Well, I hope I can stop smoking..

[room divider nyc]

I stopped smoking but I used to smoked Marlboro Menthol

[dhsun]

Do not smoke, smoking is harmful to health, harm to others, harm families and children

[hvysmker]

My Experience with E-Cigs
How those nasty things have changed me.


I’m 72 and an unrepentant smoker. I have no intention of quitting and have never considered trying. If I ever stop, I'm afraid my toes will curl into the ground and leaves grow out of my ears as I turn into a vegetable.

At one time, I had just about every vice in the world --- at least for that time frame. Now an occasional cigarette is the only one left. A pack lasts me two to three weeks but I refuse to quit.

Have you heard of the fairly-new “electronic cigarettes”? Not that I’m trying to get you back in the habit.

Sold as “nicotine delivery devices,” they can be as cheap as $20 or as expensive as $150, according to where you get them -- and sometimes for exactly the same product. Having only been available in the US for a few years, there are no Federal regulations or taxes established yet. It’s a free-for-all with many scams.

On my first purchase I fell for one of the commonest. I’d heard briefly about them existing. When the Weather Channel had an ad for a “Free e-cig. You pay only postage and handling for a week’s trial. Money back if not satisfied.” I fell for it. A couple of weeks later, the e-cig arrived and I thought it was wonderful. It was very, very, close to a real smoke. However, that’s when the scam came in, fueled by fine print in their contract.

A few days later, I found my week’s free trial started when I ORDERED it, not when it arrived. I received a charge for $99.95 on my credit card. A few days after that, a package came with ten cartridges, along with another charge, $30. It seems I’d agreed to have them send me new cartridges whenever and of whatever strength they deemed necessary and with no choice of opting out.

It took a long time and a canceled credit card to stop those charges.

After that, I found another Internet site that charged $35 plus postage for TWO similar e-cigs. I also found that expensive cartridges were a lazy-man’s way to smoke them. Most users bought bottles of nicotine juice and dripped it into old cartridges. For me, three or four drops lasts all day, sometimes into the next two. A tiny 30ml bottle lasts me more than a year. The bottles also cost only $25 plus postage. In other words, after the initial $40 investment, another $30 and I can smoke for a year. Compare that with a year’s worth of normal cigarettes.

The juice doesn’t seem to evaporate from the e-cig, so when the cig’s low I drip a few drops in and lay it down. Also, it doesn’t burn -- there’s no fire involved -- so anytime I wish I can pick it up for a draw or two, lay it down or put it in my shirt pocket, then puff on it later and at my convenience. With regular cigarettes, I have a habit of laying them down and letting them burn out. No such waste with an e-cig.

Now, the best part. The things use propylene glycol mixed with a nicotine solution which is vaporized by a heating element (up to maybe 200 degrees. Not hot enough to light paper), taken in as a fine mist with water vapor as a by-product. No second-hand smoke is involved.

Propylene glycol is a chemical used in industry and generally considered safe. I think it’s used in potato chip bags to keep them fresh. At least no one has been known to suffer any ill effects. There is another formula of it that is used in anti-freeze, but not the one in e-cigs. Detractors often bring up the latter point. “My God! You’re smoking anti-freeze.” Reputable dealers use the more expensive much safer type.

Nicotine, in itself, is not any more harmful than the caffeine in coffee. The water vapor cloud emitted to give the appearance of cigarette smoke is harmless.

What is missing is the thousands of questionable elements and substances born by a burning tobacco cigarette. As a matter of fact, nicotine is found in other vegetation. Even tobacco can be taken out of the equation. Something like lettuce can provide the nicotine.

Experts have mixed opinions. For one thing, there have never been extensive tests. The FDA made one test with the worst possible choices (the scam artist producers) and banned them from being imported. Later, both a Federal judge and an Appeals Court reversed those finds. The consensus is that they can be up to 10,000 times safer than regular cigarettes.

Pharmaceutical and cigarette companies are lobbying strongly to ban them. Without regulation, there’s no profit in entering the field. That will change when the government gets around to making laws. Like with other products, quality and consistency will improve, even as prices and taxes go up.

Because of legal specifications, sellers are NOT allowed to advertise their product as “Smoking Cessation Devices” such as nicotine patches and other medications containing nicotine. That would put them directly under FDA authority. Instead, the advertising is careful to class them as “Nicotine Delivery Devices.” Go figure.

However, they have a popular reputation as being much more effective to those people who want to quit smoking. I hear a nicotine patch, for instance, has a 10 or 15 percent success rate, while e-cigs are up to 60 or 70 percent. But don’t tell anyone I said that.

I often check e-cig forums and find a lot of smokers quitting real cigarettes in favor of the electronic kind. Many experts, including doctors, swear by them. My own doctor told he was all for their use for patients like myself. That a growing number of his patients have switched. He even asks his smoking patients to try e-cigs. They’re supposed to be thousands of times safer than regular cigs. Of course, there hasn’t been time for long-term studies, so it’s not certain.

A huge plus is that many, some say hundreds-of-thousands, have quit altogether -- both cigs and e-cigs -- by slowly lowering the nicotine content of their e-cigs. Such testimonials are found everywhere on the Internet, on both e-cig forums and in articles. It seems to work better than any smoking cessation device.

On one hand, politicians want that lobby money. On the other, some realize they might be dooming many smokers if they accepted it. I think the best thing to do would be to do exhaustive tests then take appropriate political action in regulation. Since when have they ever done the right thing?

***

Now, I’ll give you a brief explanation on my own use of e-cigs.

When I first tried one, about three years ago, they were much more expensive. I believe all the e-cigs and nicotine juice came from China. It was ordered and repackaged here in the US by American sellers. Presently, it’s become more of an American industry.

At that time, they cost up to around $150 each, which put them out of the price range of kids. Now, I buy mine much cheaper.

I’m not going to mention specific brands, but they come in either two or three parts.

The three-piece e-cigs includes:
A battery component in the shape of a cigarette-tube that can be charged in several way. One is with a wall-socket adapter. Another way would be a USB charger plugged into a computer with a long cord. You can leave it plugged in as you smoke. A third way is with an adapter for your auto cigarette lighter for on the go. The battery can be either automatic or triggered by a small switch along its length. I have both and have no real preference.

At the other end of the e-cig there is a disposable mouthpiece. Typically, it comes with a fiber filler containing e-juice. The e-juice can be replenished at least a few times before the fiber breaks down.

In the middle, there is an “adapter” which contains a simple computer chip and a heating element. Many hotwater heaters get up to about 180 degrees; this element goes up to about 200. Enough to become uncomfortable to your fingers if you grip it but not to burn flesh or even paper. In other words, no flame.

The adapter requires user maintenance, another strike against kids using it. They don’t have the patience for constantly charging batteries, changing fillers and otherwise maintaining an e-cig. It’s much simpler and cheaper for them to grab cigarettes from parents or buy them by the pack. Besides, they’d probably lose the things in a week.

The newer, two-piece e-cigs include:
The same as above except that the mouthpiece includes a cheaper throw-away heater and adapter. The battery is still separate and has to be recharged and screwed in. Personally, I see the two-part e-cig as an attempt to sell more filled cartridges. If so, it backfired. It’s still possible to reuse them.

***

The juice (e-juice) can be bought and used in several ways:
Mouthpieces containing specified amounts soaked into fiber fillers. They’re designed to throw away after use. Most are advertised as holding the equivalent of two packs of regular cigs. Don’t believe it. They usually come in five-packs that cost $10 to $15.

A much cheaper way is to buy the juice in bulk. I buy 30ml bottles for about $30 counting postage. One lasts me up to a year. I can’t say for certain because I keep several bottles of different flavors around. Over the last three years I’ve bought seven bottles. Three are still unopened, two have been emptied, and the other two in use. That size bottle comes with a built-in eyedropper. With it, some people refill the used fiber in their disposable mouthpiece. I consider it less efficient than dropping three or four directly onto the heating element. Reusing the filter, though, keeps from clogging the mechanism. Either way works.

There are many flavors of liquid, many that WOULD appeal to kids. Besides menthol and tobacco flavors, there are spices and fruit flavorings.

***

Maintenance:

A tough one, changing somewhat because of brand and, of course, whether a two or three-piece e-cig. I can only tell you of my own experience with a typical three-piece one, my favorite.

Some of the e-juices are stickier than others. Menthol and tobacco flavors are less sticky and the fruit flavorings more so. I hear grape and banana are the worst. I use mainly menthol.

Every day or two, when changing batteries I’ll blow strongly into both ends of the adapter in the middle section of my three-piece e-cig. That increases its life by loosening and blowing out some of the gunk. It only takes a moment. Out of 13 adapters I’ve owned, I’ve only had to throw away three.

When an adapter becomes partially clogged and hard to draw on, I soak it in a small bottle of rubbing alcohol for up to three days. I keep the bottle next to my kitchen sink, shaking it a couple of times whenever in the kitchen. After that time, I’ll blow excess alcohol out of it and let it dry for a day or so before reuse. They normally come out about as good as new and I haven’t lost one since using that method. Of course, being both mechanical and electronic, they’ll fail eventually.

I normally use about three battery charges a day and have bought enough extras for that purpose. When I have accumulated two or three, I plug them into wall chargers. I keep five charged and have never run out. I’ve found the USB pass-through that plugs into my computer more trouble than it’s worth. The long cord keeps getting in my way. Also, my cat likes to play with it, meaning I’ll find the e-cig lying around on the floor. I own ten batteries and, so far, none have failed. Even though being charged hundreds of times.

***

Conclusion: I’m happy with my e-cig setup. The reason I started using them was to save money and it has served me well in that respect. I still smoke regular cigarettes when driving, though not many. A pack seems to last me forever.

Out of a possibly $300 investment over three years, I still have most of the equipment in working order and at least half the juice I’ve purchased. It’s been a good investment, considering how much I would have paid for regular cigs over that time-frame. I’m not iconoclastic about the things, but am used to the maintenance regimen and it doesn’t bother me. I could have done the same for a fraction of the money except that I like the convenience of always being ready.

Although I’d like regulation in regard to quality control, it would no doubt bring on higher taxes as with regular cigarettes. I can also see that regulation would mean Big Tobacco getting involved, probably with restrictions in nicotine level. For myself, I love strong cigs with oodles and oodles of nicotine. Actually, it is possible to make my own e-juice. All the ingredients are sold in major drugstores and without prescriptions. Hey! Something to consider. I could make e-juice myself, cheaper by the gallon.

If you’re a smoker, you really should check these out. Once you get past the initial investment, they’re both safer and cheaper than regular cigs. I purposely didn’t give brand names or URLs. If interested, you but have to ask and I’ll tell you the brands and websites I use.

Charlie

[promdresses624]

Smoking is unhealthy

[JayB]

I used to smoke but I stopped since the 18th of June and I am still smoke free.

P.S I intend to stay that way but who knows... Only time will show

[adammiller]

i smoke gold leaf cigrates......never change my brand in any case

[iAssistant]

Same with my partner, he got lung problems. Well if people love to smoke and don't care if they got health problem that's fine but we know that they are also a threat with other humans who inhaled their cigarette, so I guess if you can't quit, just be responsible enough to stay away from innocent people and if you do get lung problem, stay away even more.

I quit smoking. Had bad lung problems and still do.

[davidmichal]

No guys, i don't like to smoke its bad for health ...

[Kiddo]

I still give up smoking! It is really harmful to my health! It makes me feel terrible sometimes!

[iAssistant]

I still give up smoking! It is really harmful to my health! It makes me feel terrible sometimes!

Congratulations! You did the right thing but you should quit gradually, it might have some effect to your health. Better go to your doctor to be sure.