The Electronic Cigarette Alternative

I was born in the 1970s, a time when smoking was entirely socially acceptable and very common. Although my mom quit smoking while she was pregnant with me and never looked back, almost every other adult I spent time with as a child was a heavy smoker. Everyone in my family was accustomed to being around smoke, and it was simply a way of life. Unfortunately for me, I was asthmatic and frequently sick with respiratory ailments. If only it had been possible for people to buy electronic cigarettes back then, I would have probably spent a lot less time in doctors' offices and hospital emergency rooms.

Back then, people didn't know as much about how damaging second hand smoke can be. They didn't think twice about smoking their kids out in the car, or making them sit in the smoking section when going out to dinner. I remember having headaches, nausea, coughing fits, and difficulty breathing when I was around smoke. That didn't seem to concern anyone. They probably thought I was just whining when I complained about it. I probably did complain quite a bit, but it was because I was genuinely miserable!

Before our first baby was born, we vowed never to let our children around smoke. We maintained a smoke-free home right from the start. But when Bethany was a few months old, we hosted a big family Christmas party at our house, and decided to allow smoking in the basement on this one occasion, mainly so my grandma wouldn't have to go outside in the cold to smoke (refraining from smoking for several hours was not an option that was considered, unfortunately). We kept Bethany upstairs, until a well-meaning relative took her down in the smoke den to pass her around. We'll never know with certainty if that was the true cause, but just a couple days later she did end up in the emergency room with RSV. We learned our lesson! Since our girls have asthma, it is especially important to keep them away from smoke. 

I'm glad to see the trend of banning smoking in public places. I'm also glad that more and more people are smoking outdoors to limit the smell of smoke in their homes. Smokers as a whole seem to be much more considerate of children these days, commonly refraining from lighting up at all in front of them.

We know a few people who have switched to electronic cigarettes and they seem to be happy with their decision. I have personally never smoked, so I can't attest to the similarities between electronic cigarettes and the genuine real deal. But they do seem to be a satisfactory alternative for many people, who can still have the taste and sensation of smoking, with or without the nicotine. Most importantly, though, electronic cigarettes are lacking the harmful tar and the second hand smoke effect. As far as I'm concerned, that is the most important consideration.

This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.