For smokers who feel pressured to quit, but can't face it

On 2nd January 2011, a new all-out smoking ban came into force right across Spain. As it did in the UK, it finally means an end to smoking in bars and cafes, and indeed ALL ‘enclosed' public areas, including outside areas near hospitals, and in school playgrounds. The ONLY public places you are now allowed to smoke, according to the local radio news, are at a casino or bingo hall.

Many smokers, as well as a large percentage of bar and restaurant owners across the nation, are fuming (excuse the pun) at this new law, claiming an extra government-imposed loss of freedom and/or earnings in addition to the already tough economic times faced by all of us for some while now. Many are angry and seeking solutions, and various try-out schemes are no doubt in progress to try and get around the new law.

These include secret whispers of some bars becoming ‘private members clubs' which charge a nominal membership or admission fee, thereby making them non-public areas and immune to laws governing public areas. Others intend to simply flout the law and risk prosecution, or sit it out until they might get a reprieve… IF the government loses the Spanish national election this year, and IF promises to reverse the law are upheld once the elections are over...

Yet more bars are following the Dutch method, which saw some in Holland charging a ‘voluntary' 1 euro for each patron who stated their intention to smoke at the bar. Then, whenever the bar was prosecuted and fined, the euros from the smokers' jar were totted up and paid out, and the whole cycle started again. It is understood that on the day the smoking ban came into force in Spain, around 6,000 ‘denuncias' (police tickets / fines) were issued by the Guardia Civil. Bar owners found to have patrons smoking onsite face a fine of up to several thousand euros, and the smokers themselves will also face legal and financial penalties.

A better method of circumventing this law in my opinion, and one that is easier to adopt, is the introduction of the electronic cigarette, or e-cig. Originally invented in China in 2003, the e-cig has undergone several major improvements and design overhauls in the last few years, and the new generation of e-cigs is now positioned to explode onto the scene locally.

So what is it? The e-cig is an Alternative Smoking Device (ASD) which simulates the sensation of smoking, by delivering nicotine to the user in a vapour-mist form which looks, feels and behaves very much like real smoke. Modern e-cigs are now often similar in shape and size to a traditional cigarette, and can come in a wide array of colours, depending on the manufacturer. They are a no-risk alternative to traditional tobacco smoking, and restore the freedoms and personal rights of the user.

Like the mobile phone or personal computer, this is a product that has the potential to shift human behavior permanently. Think about it! Not for 500 years has there been a product so likely to change the way we think about smoking. There are many brands of professional e-cigs on the market, but they all share similar principles. So what's in them, and how do they work?

A rechargeable battery containing a tiny ‘suck-activated' micro-switch delivers power to an atomiser - a tiny device which superheats in milliseconds - turning the liquid nicotine contained in the disposable cartridge at the end of the e-cig into a vapour mist that is inhaled by the user. This is achieved using propylene glycol, a safe and common vapourising mixture found in many medical treatments such as asthma inhalants, among other things. The user exhales a cloud of water vapour which looks and feels like smoke, but which disappears within seconds. There is no lasting smell from an e-cig, no need for ashtrays or lighters, and best of all, no second-hand smoke for non-smokers to endure!

The look and feel of the newer e-cigs is now very similar to traditional cigarettes, although they are still a little heavier than your usual brand due to the battery component (a typical e-cig weighs in at around 13-15g and should be gripped with the teeth rather than the lips). The latest designs incorporate the atomiser (a semi-disposable item) into the nicotine cartridge itself, making the unit smaller, sleeker and completely replaceable. Every time the nicotine cartridge is replaced, the atomiser is replaced as well. A new-style combo cartridge is the equivalent of around 36 traditional cigarettes or the best part of two packets, also making them cheaper than traditional tobacco smoking - especially if you order cartridges in quantity (4 packs or more) to share with friends and family, or if you own a bar or restaurant and bulk-buy for your customers.

When the e-cig is in use, its tip will glow with an in-built LED (often in a colour other than red) which attracts a lot of interest and attention in itself; but it makes it obvious to concerned bystanders that whatever you are doing, it's not smoking. In fact, it's a guaranteed conversation starter!

No smoke = no smoking ban, yet the user gets to indulge in their need for nicotine in a familiar, socially acceptable yet publicly unobtrusive way. It's the PERFECT answer!

There are various immediate benefits to being able to smoke e-cigs freely - no more standing outside in the cold or the rain for a ‘quick smoke break', no more being excluded from social situations, no more travel anxiety due to smoking restrictions… You get the idea. It's all about the restoration of personal freedom that has been slowly eroded away by various governments over the years.

Then, of course, there are the huge health benefits to switching from traditional cigarettes to e-cigs.

Whilst nicotine is an addictive and habit-forming substance, it is often incorrectly linked with tobacco and cancer, especially since the advent of the e-cig. Nicotine on its own (without tobacco) is not known to be harmful in small doses!

Nicotine actually occurs naturally in low levels in many vegetables such as peppers and potatoes, and in higher levels in plants like tobacco. It is the act of burning itself (or carbonisation), as well as the tobacco plant's makeup, that can trigger health problems including cancers. With e-cigs, there is no burning process. The nicotine contained in the best e-cigs is extracted from non-tobacco plant material, and the best e-cig cartridges are manufactured in sterile laboratory conditions under strict regulations. A typical cigarette contains over 4,000 chemicals, including 63 known carcinogens. An e-cig, in comparison, contains only water, propylene glycol (the vapourising agent), food flavouring, and laboratory-dosed nicotine in varying levels for different users' needs. Cartridges also come in menthol flavour, at various nicotine levels. To date, there are no known health risks associated with e-cigs. Users who have switched from traditional tobacco smoking to e-cigs have reported increased lung capacity, higher energy levels, and better immune systems. There simply doesn't appear to be a down-side to switching to e-cigs!

E-cigs are not designed for people trying to give up smoking - they are however a modern, logical, legally and socially acceptable alternative to tobacco smoking that has been long overdue.

That said, many people report their traditional cigarette use dropping dramatically as they switch to e-cigs, which is to be expected; after all, it's a replacement to tobacco smoking - not a supplement! My friend has gone from smoking 20-30 cigarettes a day (outside, in all weathers) to just TWO a day - one upon waking in the morning, and the second after an evening meal. He enjoys the familiar taste of ‘real' cigarettes at those times, but has exchanged his usual daily bad habits for the healthier option of an e-cig (which he has nick-named his sixth finger) during the day. His wife and baby daughter are much happier too, as he can now smoke freely in the house, whereas he wasn't allowed to, before the e-cig came along! I myself have not smoked a SINGLE traditional cigarette since receiving my own e-cig at the beginning of December 2010. Not one!

A great idea for bars and restaurants is to keep charged e-cig batteries behind the counter, as well as a mains charger or two. They can resell nicotine cartridges to their patrons at a small profit, and regulars can borrow the batteries to use whilst at the bar (newbies might be asked for a small deposit). When they leave, the battery is returned and the cartridge kept by the user for their next visit. This allows bars to provide a way for their customers to smoke, whilst obeying the letter of the law and making a small extra income on the side. Of course, bar owners who become distributors have the world at their feet, potentially, as they will get trade discounts AND have the perfect platform from which to launch their own e-cig business…