Problems Only Vapers Have
It took you months, maybe years, to finally make the switch. You listened to your friends go on and on about how much healthier it is for you, how much cheaper, and of course, way more convenient. You rolled your eyes for a while, until, little by little, their reasons started to make sense. So, you did it. You gave up your beloved cigarettes and took the vaping plunge, knowing life would be all rainbows and puppy dogs for the rest of your days. Right?
Not quite. While vaping truly is healthier, cheaper, and more convenient, it does present its own set of unique challenges, which we imagine those well-intentioned friends of yours failed to mention when singing the praises of their e-cigs and vaporizers. Well, you learned the hard way out in the trenches of life, but worry not, I’m here to commiserate with your plight and offer a few solutions along the way.
So, without further ado, the top three problems only vapers face:
One: Let’s get right to the biggest challenge vapers face, especially those folks who are new to the vaping game: finding quality products. Unfortunately, there are quite a few cut-rate e-cig businesses around putting out useless crap so they can make a quick buck. Maybe you’ve fallen prey to these companies and the allure of their dirt cheap prices. As it turns out, the old adage, “You get what you pay for,” applies just as much with vaping as with anything else in life. This means research is a must, both online and amongst other vapers. Everyone will have an opinion about, say, the best vape pens on the market, but if you want to find what works for you and your vaping needs, you’ll need to put in some legwork, do a little trial and error, and make an informed decision. On top of finding your ideal product, you’ve got to find a way to keep your e-cig charged. If you’re regularly on the go, you may want to bring a portable charger with you. No one wants to be the guy that asks the bartender to plug in his vape.
Two: You just followed my above advice, did some research, some trial and error, and found the right e-cig or vaporizer for you. Then what happens? You lose the damn thing! Did you leave it at the bar? At a buddy’s place? In a taxi? Is it buried between the couch cushions or at the bottom of the laundry pile? Who knows? When smoking cigarettes, losing a pack of smokes was a bummer but hardly the end of the world. But with vaping, you’ve invested time, money, and yes, a bit of your heart into your gear, and to lose it really stings. Avoid this with a simple solution like using a lanyard to wear your gear around your neck while out and about. Or, if that’s too cheesy for you, consider investing in a tracking chip to always know the whereabouts of your vaping gear.
Three: Maybe for you the most compelling reasons to switch to vaping were health and convenience. No more destroying your body with Big Tobacco’s poisons. And no more sitting out on the curb like some kind of leper to smoke your cigarettes. No secondhand smoke, no ash, no stink: all of this meant you could stay indoors like a human being and vape to your heart’s content. Right? Well, yes and no. In reality, the above is all true. However, in the mind of the non-vaper, you’re still just a dirty smoker. The larger social world hasn’t caught up yet with the vaping revolution. That means, for the time being, you’ll be misunderstood. And you may still get lectures about cancer and all the rest. It can be tough to swallow, but vapers just have to suck it up and live at the mercy of other’s ignorance. Soon enough, the rest of the world will catch onto the truth, and instead of shaming you for your vaping, they’ll be congratulating you for leaving cigarettes behind you.
So, there you have it. While vaping brings with it a whole host of positives, I’d be lying if I didn’t admit the very real challenges vapers have to face. Choosing the right gear, not losing that gear, and dealing with the world’s unfair judgements: these are all annoyances, no doubt. But when compared to the long list of negatives that come with smoking cigarettes, I’d say vapers are still coming out ahead.
Ethan Jarvis
