Smoking is becoming less and less socially acceptable because of the increase in general awareness of just how dangerous to health the habit is. It is the nicotine in cigarettes that people desire since it can have a mild stimulating effect similar to caffeine, giving a slight "high" and some use it as a "pick-me-up" to help their concentration. Other people find the nicotine helps to relax and calm them when they are frustrated by work problems, or that lighting up a cigarette is just a habit that they get into and the ritual is reassuring and boosts confidence. Thus nicotine is not the real problem with smoking, but it is rather the accompanying smoke that is so dangerous to health, containing as it does many toxic chemicals and tars that are known to induce cancer.
It was a great triumph for technology when, back in 2004 the electric cigarette, also known as the electronic cigarette or e-cigarette for short, was invented by the Chinese pharmacist Hon Lik .
It has taken some time for the e-cigarette to become generally accepted, but in recent months it has really taken off with endorsements from several celebrities and thousands of people realizing at last that this is a real alternative to smoking tobacco and is without most of the harmful effects. (more...)
