To Vape Or Not To Vape

Vaping From A Smokers Perspective

The Healthier Alternative?

Before we get started with this article allow me to introduce myself to you the reader.
My name is Kaos Valentine, Ex-smoker and the owner of Valentine Corp Vaping and YouTuber on a channel named The Kaos Engine.
Let me start off by saying that I am by no means a scientist, doctor or Pulmonologist (someone that specializes in respiratory health).

What I am though is a first-hand testament of what vaping can do to your health.
A little over two years ago I was what one would consider a “heavy smoker”.
Three packs a day during the week, Fridays and Saturdays was a full carton on its own.
This was my lifestyle for the better part of my early twenties. The result of this lifestyle was the ever lovely morning smokers cough. This lead to an early morning cough with a handful of blood. My cardio vascular system was taking a pretty brutal beating and it became evident in my training. Running became torture, rowing became impossible and sleeping felt like a full time job. Not being able to sleep on your back because you choke on the tar that’s stuck in your lungs is not an easy thing to live with. Add to that sinus issues as a result of the 4000+ chemicals in a cigarette and a new found allergy to almost every pet imaginable and you have yourself a pretty terrible time.

The pivot point in my life came on April the 26th of 2016. I had really grown tired of the way I felt, the way I smelt, the way I breathed. Gasping for air, the mix of cheap cologne and cigarettes is possibly the worst smell imaginable to mankind. I so happen to walk past a tobacco shop, I was running low on smokes anyway so I thought I’d stop by and see if they do sell these “Cloud” machines. (Yes back then I didn’t have a clue what this was called, I didn’t even know there was such a thing as vaping. All I knew is that I needed to stop or I won’t see the age of thirty.

I bought this little all in one kit with nicotine free e-liquid. It was a pen style round device called an IJust 2. Along with my new toy I bought a pack of smokes in case I ran out of the 3 packs in my car at the family braai. Off we went and the night was going well, I’ve been puffing this device red hot until the brandy set in. Now I wanted to smoke because this things battery was starting to get flat. Thankfully my fiancé and her quick sneaky thinking had thrown away every box of cigarettes I had…after that I just didn’t bother again. Having to drive to the garage and get smokes was just too much of a chore and we had been drinking anyway. That was the last day I touched a cigarette. I quite, I gave up, I defeated my demons overnight. Make no mistake about it the next month or two was hard. This vape was glued to my hand like a 5th limb. I remember my body going through changes.

In the first week I was coughing up the biggest balls of black slimey goo. This was the part where I really got scared so research into this subject was in order. Turns out the black balls of goo is not really common, but it was build up from the vast amounts of cancerous chemicals I was inhaling from my excessive smoking addiction. Turns out the vape liquid was cleaning all this stuff off of my lungs.
You see cigarette smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals, including 43 known cancer-causing (carcinogenic) compounds and 400 other toxins. These include nicotine, tar, and carbon monoxide, as well as formaldehyde, ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, arsenic, and DDT.
Whereas vape liquid contains only 4 ingredients. Propylene Glycol, Vegetable glycerin, Concentrates (Flavoring) and nicotine. The only real danger when buying E-Liquids would be when they are not bought from reputable manufactures. Every reputable juice manufacturer uses pharmaceutical grade ingredients and get there concentrates from known, trusted and tested manufacturers.

Now you would have most definitely seen headlines like:
“Vaping causes popcorn lung”, “Vaping worse than cigarettes”  and the latest “Vaping Causes Cancer shows long time study”
All of the above are absolutely false and contradictory to other long term studies. For every article that portrays vaping in a bad light there is one portraying it in a good light. Every independent study on vaping shows that vaping is at least 90% safer and less harmful than smoking. Even with simple tests, clear visual evidence can be seen. A simple test you can do at home and see for yourself is to take a paper towel and blow some cigarette smoke through it and then doing the same with vapor. Repeat this process for the duration of even just one cigarette and compare the two paper towels side by side.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that vaping is harmless, it’s not exactly eating a fresh picked apple, but when you simply observe the difference between smoke and vapor. I would much rather be vaping than smoking. You might be asking yourself, Why doesn’t he just quite completely? Simply put, like millions of other people, I can’t. Addiction is unfortunately in our nature. Every single one of us are addicted to something in one form or another. Social Media, Coffee, Adrenaline, Sport, even watching TV. In my case unfortunately I got addicted to the habit of smoking. Not the nicotine, I can easily vape zero milligram nicotine e-juice and not get edgy. I got addicted to the habit of smoking, having something between my fingers, inhaling and lowing out smoke and it was this addiction, this habit I could not get rid of. Like millions of others this was something that became a part of, a part of who I am. As I mentioned, I am no scientist or doctor, what I am though is a first-hand testament of how vaping has improved my life. Maybe, just maybe it could change yours as well. Consider it, try it and if it does let me know. I would love to hear your story.

Written By
Kaos Valentine
Owner of Valentine Corp Vaping

The Myths and Facts About Vaping

Vaping has become a popular alternative to smoking.

Although the public has started to see vaping in a new light, there are still a few misconceptions surrounding it.

Here are some myths and facts according to the Vapour Product Association.

Myth: Vaping produces second-hand smoke.

Fact: Vape pens and vaporisers do not produce any smoke. Unlike cigarettes and cigars that do when the tobacco is burned, vaping heats a liquid which produces vapour.

Myth: Vaping gets you high

Fact: If you inhale a few too many sharp hits when you’re just getting into vaping, then you may feel a nicotine buzz.

This will wear off as your body adjusts to vaping, but if you’re regularly feeling ‘high’ from it, that’s probably because you’re overloading your body with nicotine.

This isn’t a good idea, and it’s not recommended to vape with the intention of flooding yourself with chemicals – vape responsibly.

Myth: Dark e-liquids stain your teeth.

Fact: It’s an easy conclusion to make when filling your device with chocolate or coffee flavoured e-liquids that you will stain your teeth.

However, there is no evidence to suggest that e-liquids will stain your teeth. If you are feeling particularly paranoid, you could switch to a clear e-liquid, but coffee itself is more likely to make your teeth discoloured.

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