Vaping is nothing like inhaling a traditional cigarette. A different technique is required.

Naturally, newcomers who are ex-smokers will try to use an e-cigarette in the same way as a tobacco cigarette, especially since e-cigarettes resemble a regular tobacco cigarette.

Using regular tobacco cigarette inhaling techniques doesn't work well, as the two things may look similar but functional very differently.

One is a paper tube where the smoke resulting from burning chopped-up vegetable matter loaded with harmful tar and carbon monoxide is inhaled; the other is a steel tube producing a water-based vapor from a liquid that is vaporized by a battery and heater element - basically, a low-temperature steam.

One contains tobacco that is set on fire at high temperature; the other has no tobacco and generates mist using a battery. There really aren't any valid comparisons between the two.

If you use an e-cig like a cigarette, it doesn't work because very little or zero nicotine can enter the bloodstream. Also, there may be other issues such as a sore throat or lungs.

E-cigarettes don't contain any tobacco though nicotine is present; there is no combustion; nothing is ignited; there is no smoke. The process of an e-cig is low-temperature, producing an odorless mist.

Other than the idea both are placed in the mouth, pretty much everything else is different.

A Step-By-Step Guide to Proper Vaping Techniques

E-Cigarette vapor is not drawn directly into the lungs, as many smokers do with a tobacco cigarette. Instead, the vapor is first drawn into the mouth, using the cheeks to create a vacuum, and then inhaled if desired.

Inhaling the vapor is optional. The vapor doesn't have to be inhaled for the nicotine to still be delivered.

1. First, very slowly and gently draw the vapor into your mouth (not your lungs), then hold it there for a second or two after which it can be inhaled if desired. Then, expel the vapor through the mouth or nose. A hard pull, as is normal with a cigarette, cannot be used since:
   1. The heater coil doesn't work properly unless air is drawn across it gently for several seconds.
   2. There won't be any nicotine in the vapor if a short hard pull is used.
   3. It may pull liquid into your mouth.

With an e-cig you draw into the mouth for between 4 seconds and 8 seconds (yes, 8 seconds), depending on the device, how strong the liquid refill is, and how expert the user is; the average draw length is probably 4 or 5 seconds. As you can see, a slow and gentle 'suck' of 5 seconds bears no resemblance at all to the sharp, hard lung inhale of 1 or 2 seconds used with a cigarette.

1. While it is not necessary for you to inhale when using an e-cigarette to obtain nicotine, expelling some through the nose as after a very shallow inhale will add to the nicotine delivery. Simply holding the vapor in your mouth suits some people, especially with those who use a high-strength liquid.

NOTE: Nicotine delivery via cigarette smoke is unusually rapid—reaching the brain in around 8 seconds, which is part of the grip cigarettes have since this ultra-fast delivery becomes associated with the act of smoking.

Nevertheless, a properly set up e-cigarette, with a sufficiently strong liquid for the equipment and user, used correctly after advice such as provided here, will deliver nicotine in about 30 seconds. After a short period of adapting to the new delivery method, this has proven acceptable to smokers switching to electronic cigarettes.

1. Lastly, the 'inhale' on an e-cig—which as we have emphasized is nothing of the sort; it's more of a 'suck'—is much, much longer than with a cigarette for a couple of reasons:

• There is only somewhere between 10% and 50% of the nicotine in e-cig vapor compared to cigarette smoke, so more vapor needs to be taken in, and for a longer time period, usually about 12 minutes, as opposed to the 5 minutes a cigarette lasts.
• Also, the atomizer simply doesn't work if a 2-second inhale is used, since for at least the first second it is warming up and does absolutely nothing.

What Else You Should Know

E-Cigarette vapor is a water-based mist and not smoke. This has two main significances:

a. The droplet size in vapor is ten times the particulate size in smoke (10 microns vs 1 micron), meaning that cigarette smoke penetrates far more deeply into the lungs and travels deep into the smallest pathways. Vapor cannot go nearly as deep, meaning that nicotine is not available so easily from the lungs, and is, thus, obtained more slowly.

b. It is likely that nearly as much nicotine is absorbed by the mucous membranes in the mouth and nose as within the lungs. In fact for maximum nicotine delivery, all three need to be employed: mouth, lungs, nose—otherwise all the nicotine cannot be delivered. However, the difference on your health between absorbing nicotine and inhaling nicotine is huge.

While getting used to e-cigarettes, ex-smokers also need to beware of old habits:

• Try hard not to apply an actual lighter to the tip of your e-cig. No flame is needed!
• Try to refrain from flicking ass off the end of your e-cig. You'll avoid looking stupid.
• Absolutely, try really, really hard not to throw your e-cig out of the car window after finishing with it.

Eversmoke is committed to providing you the best e-cigarette options. Feel free to contact us if we can help you select the starter kit that's right for you.