Everybody has to start somewhere: getting used to vaping

So, you’re looking to give up your tobacco-packed cigarettes and give vaping a go instead. Well, don’t worry; many have done so before successfully and many after you will too, no doubt. In truth, there’s little to be worried or fearful about (not least as you’ll be doing your body a favour; a UK Government-backed body has advised that vaping’s 95 percent less harmful than tobacco smoking) and yet, there are one or two things you might want to bear in mind as you chuck away the ciggies and pick up that e-cig…

Give your life some flavour

Vaping, as with so many (potentially) involved activities in life, is all about dipping your toe in, discovering what you like and discovering more and more things you like and personalising your experience of the activity so you get the most out of it. And nowhere is that truer than with e-juice flavours. Yes, vaping a fluid that tastes of, say, strawberry sundae or cheesecake may seem an odd concept at first, but go with it; dip your toe in and discover what you like and dislike. You’ll never know until you do. And that’s because there’s a whole world of taste when it comes to liquids bought from a vape store to explore. If you’re starting out as a smoker looking to quit conventional ciggies, giving tobacco flavours a try first of all may appeal. Chances are that, sooner rather than later, you’ll find you simply can’t get enough of all the flavour options there are out there.

Do your body a favour

Yes, vaping’s not just about flavour; it’s also about doing yourself a favour. And that’s because you’re likely to notice the health benefits of changing from conventional tobacco smoking to vaping within mere weeks, perhaps even a few days, after making the switch. If you don’t believe me then take a look elsewhere; you’ll discover many a decent testimony of once-upon-a-time 30- or 40-cigarettes-a-day smokers who’ve made the leap to vaping e-liquids from a vape shop and have observed definite health benefits. Sure; we’re not talking about health professionals making assessments on their bodies here, but people, nonetheless, know their own bodies and are capable of recognising changes in how they feel – both bad and good.

And yet, it is worth pointing out that, on first making the switch, you may well experience some coughing; this is because your lungs will be taking the opportunity to purge themselves of all the disagreeable, toxic contents deposited in them thanks to breathing in the tar present in tobacco smoke. In time, though, it’s more than likely you’ll start to notice you’re breathing better, your taste improves and so does your sense of smell.

Upkeep of your kit

So, should you have been a smoker who’s now moving on to vaping; gone will be the days of lighters, ashtrays and rizla – instead, it’ll be all about e-cig devices, e-liquid bottles, batteries, wicks, coils and USB cables. Yes, it’s all going to go electronic and, well, liquid-based. First up, it’s imperative you make sure you heed the battery level of your device (exactly as you do with your smartphone) and, to that end, when you’re out and about or in transit, don’t forget to keep a USB/ charging cable on your person. Additionally, you’ll obviously have to replenish e-fluid – the more you vape, the more e-liquid you’ll use – and you’ll have to do the same with coils in your device. Just how often you’ll have to do the latter will depend on different factors, admittedly; a general range for coil lifespans, though, tends to be between one and four weeks. To be sure, once the flavour of your vaping turns dull and listless, a change of coil may be almost certainly necessary.

Less splashing of the cash

In all fairness, exactly how much of your hard-earned shrapnel you spend on vaping has a direct correlation with how personalised you seek to make your vaping experience. If you’re the sort who enjoys experimenting and playing about with technology and likes to modify things so they’re ‘just right’, then the world’s your oyster in vaping terms. Thanks to the flexibility and capacity to tinker about with mods (e-cig devices you can personalise) you can spend many enjoyable hours modifying your kit – and, indeed, your bought e-liquids, in some cases – to get to that perfect vape. Yet, of course, with this comes the spending of many pounds too. All that said, should you prefer the idea of keeping things simple, then compared to your outlay on ciggies, replacing e-juice and coils is likely to be pretty minimal.