I watched my father smoke cigarettes all through my childhood and thought nothing of it. But when he was diagnosed later on in life with lung cancer, I wanted to scream out in rage at the things I attributed to his pain and suffering. What alternative could there have been for someone like him with a habit, an addiction, so strong that only an illness could break it? I began researching things that could help my father cope with the physical discomfort and irritation that can come with nicotine withdrawal. I came across an interesting product called an e cigarette, or electronic cigarette.

At first, the concept of an electric cigarette is a little mind-boggling. But it really is very simple. Though some of the e-cigarettes looked more like ball-point pens, there were many that looked very much like a regular tobacco cigarette. The insides are completely different, of course. Instead of tobacco, e-cigarettes are made of a rechargeable battery, circuitry, an atomizer and a mouthpiece. The individual inhales air through the mouthpiece and the air intake triggers the atomizer, which subsequently turns the nicotine and propylene glycol liquid into a vapor. There is no flame or fire involved in the process at all. And image my excitement when I found out that the vapors deliver the nicotine without any of the cancer causing carcinogens that had already so harmed my father.

The electronic cigarettes would also save money. I remembered my father complaining about the continued rise of cigarette prices and marveled at the fact that electronic cigarettes cost on average only $2.50 per pack in comparison to the regular tobacco cigarettes. My father’s biggest concern thus far was the convenience factor. For years, all he had to do was go to the local store and pick up his favorite brand of tobacco cigarettes. But the electronic cigarettes are even more convenient, as one cartridge can be the equivalent of two packs of regular tobacco cigarettes and multiple cartridges can be ordered at one time, all in varying degrees of nicotine (high, medium, low or zero nicotine). All parts of the E-cigarette are replaceable through such companies as NJOY, Smoking Everywhere and Green Smoke Electronic Cigarettes and you can easily buy electronic cigarettes online and have them sent to you.

Could these electronic cigarettes actually help wean my father from his nicotine addiction finally? Although they make no claims to aid with smoking cessation, many of the electric cigarette reviews I read stated that some individuals did begin to use electric cigarettes in lieu of regular tobacco cigarettes successfully. The positive feedback I found motivated me to order electronic cigarettes for my father. It was the best decision for him. He beat his cancer and his addiction to tobacco cigarettes. The alternative of electronic cigarettes was the right choice for him, and neither one of us could be happier. So, if you have a loved one who is a smoker, investigate e-cigarettes and see if buying them is the right decision for you.