VAPE BLOG

The first law of politics is, of course, that one must stick one’s nose into everything one can, even if it means passing legislation which is daft as a brush: It still proves that one is terribly important and powerful. Vaping is a classic case in point the world over. And it is indeed revealing to consider the whole wide world.

Brickbrains in several countries have banned e-cigarettes; from massive Brazil to tiny Seychelles by way of Singapore, Norway, Panama, Uruguay, United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong and New Zealand. Some particularly annoying politicians, for example in Finland and Australia, opted for deliberate confusion by contriving laws whereby e-cigarettes can be sold but not the e liquids to fuel them, in much the same way as people really like an empty glass of wine…

Presumably this was done because politicians like to be seen to be doing something and they don’t generally know what to do about most things. On the other hand, perhaps they want potentially deadly cigarettes to be legal and potentially life-saving e-liquids to be illegal because they really cannot abide the voting public and would relish millions of them dying asap. Who knows what goes on in one’s head when one is so damned important?…

New Zealand To Un-Ban E Cigarettes
New Zealand is an instructive case, because its government looks likely to un-ban vaping, which has effectively been illegal there since Hon Lik registered his e-cigarette patent in 2003.  Naturally the Prime Minister, John Key, apologised; “I am truly sorry for the pig ignorant and draconian nastiness of our bonkers ban on vaping and I sincerely regret overseeing this blithe stupidity.” No, wait, that was a dream I had… He just hummed and hawed and hinted with positive comments about vaping.

In all fairness, Key he has only been in power for eight years. And politicians are very busy and important: Enabling millions of people to drastically reduce their chances of dying from a deeply distressing disease is hardly a cause worthy of attention when one can jaunt about the planet looking glamorous and global on the telly. The poor man was in office for almost a year before he got the hallowed chinwag with Obama. It’s hard work proving you’re important…

Key is not technically ‘a poor man’. In fact, he is technically stinking rich. In fact he is the richest MP in the country, reputed to be worth a cool NZ$50 million. And this might feed into his complacency about saving lives, because the lives most at risk in NZ are the lives of those pesky poor people, notably Maoris.

The sensible people of NZ have often chosen to ignore their government’s gormless ban on equipment which might rescue them from death. For years they have been buying vaping paraphernalia and liquids online from overseas retailers. Unfortunately, that requires internet facilities, bank accounts and credit card authorisation – which is very often beyond the lowest socio-economic groups. But hey ho, who cares about those losers when you can get photographed by the world’s media with Barack and Michelle Obama at the Metropolitan Museum in New York? How cool is that?!…

The NZ situation is at least moving in the right direction, albeit sluggishly. It would be nice to believe this might chivvy along the other brickbrains around the world who have cheerfully spat in the face of science and glaringly obvious sense. But, alas, the most influential country on Earth, the USA, is moving in the other direction, and doing so with gusto.

US Anti-Smoking Group Posotive About E Cigs
This one is ominous. US anti-smoking groups – rarely noted for their level-headed sense of proportion – ran into a problem some years ago; the world and his wife agreed with them. Even smokers conceded that smoking was bad. And bans and restrictions were manifesting at a rate of knots in every state.

It was rum times, trying to parade one’s virtuous beliefs when nobody was arguing with you. Their raison d’etre was going up in smoke until vaping came along. And – hallelujah! – this looked like smoking and was linked to smoking QED it must do similar stuff to smoking; in much the same way as a pint of water affects the human body in the exact same way as a pint of vodka…

And it got better. The evil tobacco giants moved in on the vaping industry; the old enemy, pitching up for another battle, oh joy unconfined! The good times were back; shrieking and finger-wagging a go-go!

Many anti-smoking groups were low-key, thoughtful and positive about vaping. Consequently, they made little noise. As ever, empty vessels make the most noise… So the perennially outraged types, harbouring in the fundamentalist wing of the anti-smoking campaign, bawled their empty heads off; championing the nonsense notion that the dangers of vaping were akin to the dangers of smoking.

Their remarkable achievement – and it is all the more remarkable when one considers that they know not a jot about vaping – was to persuade the mainstream media to be wary of these sinister e-cigs. By happy coincidence, the media was particularly vulnerable to tosh at this time.

During the last ten years – i.e. since e-fags were first marketed in the US and UK (2006 and 2007 respectively) – most of the traditional media has been charging downmarket in panic, chasing a dwindling number of consumers because the internet has rendered them superfluous to leisure time requirements. Dramatic, sensational and utterly dodgy stories abound. Claptrap about e-cigs exploding fitted the bill. So did the notion that we don’t know what is in this mysterious vaping liquid (as if it wasn’t actually made by humans who could read labels and mix specific quantities of specific liquids). And any half-baked research that suggested vaping just might be even a teensy little bit bad for you was seized upon as prima facie evidence of the apocalypse-in-waiting. This was Tobacco Giants Murder Folks Part II.

Unbelievable And Alarming Statistics
The stats are alarming: six years ago 84% of smokers in the US believed vaping was safer than smoking. Three years ago that figure had dropped to 63%. A study in 2015 revealed that 33% of people who had stopped vaping and resumed smoking did so because they were worried about the health effects of vaping.

The good guys in the global battle about vaping received a famous fillip from Britain last year, when the Royal College of Physicians concluded that vaping was about 95% safer than smoking. Attention was drawn to the notable caveat that no longitudinal studies have been done because vaping is too new, but even so there was some interesting and varied research to draw upon. And the Royal College of Physicians are just doctors with no axe to grind – worth heeding.

In fact American public health mandarins came forward to say they found the RCP’s conclusions agreeable. It follows that they believe 95% of the 480,000 smokers who die each year in the US could, potentially, be saved by e-cigs. But this is politics and the right hand often doesn’t know what the left hand is doing. And even when it does know it might just flip the bird at it anyway.

So we are left with the dispiriting spectacle of the FDA overseeing the vaping industry in the US; partly driven by public hysteria and partly pandering to the political will to just stick your nose and draw up some rules and regs and laws… and just generally interfere in people’s lives and ban what you can to show how important you are.

This puts things in perspective in the UK. Perhaps we should even be grateful for the bumbling no-marks in Brussels who introduced daft laws earlier this year. After all, we could be stuck with a shameless PM who knows his country’s ban on vaping is stupid but drags his feet for eight years anyway. And maybe for longer; Key still hasn’t legalised vaping, though he did find time to visit Fiji this year where he looked damn important talking about the hurricane and historical bonds and blah blah who really listened?…

Alternatively, we could be subject to a system driven by the perennially outraged, those noisy sorts who always want something done! They make up for in anxiety and anger what they lack in knowledge and sense. Alas, they are very good at shouting. One could say they live to shout. At least our rulers are just quietly clueless; content to inconvenience rather than prohibit.

“You can’t smoke that in here.”

“I’m not smoking. I’m vaping.”

“Yes, but you cannot do it in here.”

“Why not? Everyone knows the difference between smoking and vaping these days.”

“OK. You can’t vape in here.”

“I can. I was doing it right then.”

I was only bothering to be so bold because I could sense the woman – an usher in a theatre – didn’t really care about me vaping, and possibly found this whole policing business very tiresome. Also, it was pouring outside.

“But you’re not allowed to.”

“But I’m not bothering anyone, there’s nobody near me.”

“That’s not the point. It’s not permitted.”

“And what is the point?” I was pushing my luck. She was getting the bit between her teeth. But I was warming a tad myself…

“The point is: you are not allowed to vape here!”

“But why not?”

“You’re just not.”

“You’re enforcing the rule. Surely you can give me a reason?”

“No. It’s just the rules.”

“So, you would say, ‘Step right this way, Missus Goldstein, right into the gas chamber, and bring your kids, it’s just the rules’…”

The conversation, though brief, had given me enough time to work up a head of steam, fuelled by those righteous rant-mantras which flow through all our minds when we are confronted by the blithe stupidity of vaping bans. ‘Oh yes, great idea, prevent someone from doing something which is enjoyable, troubling nobody in the universe and likely to lower one’s chances of dying young, which would have inflicted enormous sorrow on innocent loved ones and cost the NHS a packet [blah bah]’… The blood was up, sabres were drawn…

“If you don’t stop I will have to ask you to leave.”

“Ask me? If you ask, I will say no.”

She raised her eyebrows. I continued; “Don’t you mean tell me?”

On reflection, we had reached the stomping off point, at least for most rules maniacs. By rights, she would turn tail making some sort of harrumphing noise, possibly with her nose on the air, and return shortly and triumphantly with the big guns, meaning manager or security.

I might be ejected for the rest of the evening and thus miss the second half of the play but, frankly, hallelujah! It was a school production; adolescent over-actors enjoying themselves enormously at the expense of The Merchant of Venice.

Before the arrival of the big guns, I would have to choose between the continuance of my utterly pointless stance – a habit which the wisdom of years ought to have killed stone dead, I know – or slinking off while I could, as befits a man who is all mouth and no trousers.

However, the stomping off point passed. It turned out this was one confident lady, happy to go the distance on her lonesome.

“Vaping is always banned in public buildings,” she declared, in a voice that suggested her anger – indeed her interest – had now burst and she was finding this little chinwag about as interesting as the atrocious play taking place on stage. “You must know that?”

“Yes, but I think it’s wrong. That doesn’t make me a wild crazy anarchist. I’m just sticking up for common sense.”

Now she looked like boredom might soon make her weep. “My brother has one of those things [indicating my e-cigarette], I know they’re good. But they’re banned in public buildings.”

“It’s not against the law. Every proprietor and employer decides for themselves. Why don’t you suggest to your employer that vaping is permitted, at least in a vaping area?”

“It’s Council policy.”

“Council policy?! Who, in the entire history of humanity, has ever actually cared a shirt button about Council policies? Apart from the tin pots who concoct them and the minions who enforce them?”

“Oh, just stop would you?”

“Talking or vaping? And don’t say ‘both’.”

“Both.”

And off she stomped but with a sarcastic half-smile. Mark you, I didn’t take another puff. She had won.

Yet I didn’t feel entirely dejected as I usually do when I take these demeaning, futile stances (never in front of my children but sometimes in front of my long-suffering, embarrassed wife). It was a minute or two before it dawned on me why: It was that suggestion that she ought to take this up with her boss. I was right and she was wrong, obviously, but we both knew that. She might actually mention the idea to her boss, just in passing, no big deal, even just to say that some stubborn vaping bigmouth had suggested this… But even so, this could be a fine thing if we consider the big picture.

Like most ex-smokers, I am far too long in the tooth to care about radically changing the world. The idealistic zeal of youth merits only a stifled smirk or a patronising smile. Yet, it occurred to me, in the theatre during the second half of the play, that we vapers could win a quiet revolution just by protesting – carefully, concisely, articulately and politely – every single time we are told to stop puffing.

As it stands, we have lost the war for puffing in public spaces. They had wilful and mindless authority on their side. We were merely armed with truth and common sense.

However, we really can counter-attack, like children nagging at every opportunity until the parent caves in. We can even campaign actively by puffing when we know we are going to be stopped. We can load up our polite protest – gently mockery is inevitable so the tone must be ever so friendly to carry it off – knowing we are going to lose this battle, but hopefully win the war.

The poor soul burdened with enforcing the ban is made to feel like a jobsworth, which is what stupid rules always reduce people to. As I accidentally discovered, that is the key: Always be sure to convey to the person ticking you off that they are behaving like a jobsworth.

Nothing will change quickly, but an endless flow of gentle insults into managers offices across the land could eventually shift the blockheaded will to ban vaping. One by one, assertive thoughtful managers might cave in to common sense. And it only takes a few to start a stampede… Our polite, persistent nagging could one day make it deeply unfashionable to ban vaping.

After all, even by the Olympian standards of pointless bullying to which all municipal authorities aspire, this one is just too brick-brained to last, surely?…

If you are one of the millions of Britons who enjoy vaping, then you have probably heard about the new trend of DIY E-Liquid. Vapers across the country have recently discovered ways to design and create their own safe, tasty and effective DIY E-Liquids, an act that not only allows them to have complete control over their vape, but also saves them heaps of money!

Why are so many people moving to DIY E-Liquids?

To put it simply – money! DIY E-Liquids are, on average, 10 times cheaper than purchasing ready-made products on the market. By following simple instructions and utilising affordable ingredients, you can create a 10 mL bottle of E-Liquid for around 30 p. Most other retail vaping liquids for purchase are at least £3 to £6 for 10 mL – just do the simple maths: by making your own E-Liquids, you can save 10 to 20 times less.

Every penny counts

Maybe you chose to switch to E-Liquids because you are in the process of quitting smoking, or maybe you just enjoy the vaping lifestyle and experience: either way, you can’t help but notice that vaping can save you a lot of money compared to traditional cigarettes and tobacco. Now that you are already saving some money, it’s fantastic to be able to save even more.

The average person goes through about 15 x 10 mL bottles of E-Liquid per month (some a little more, some a little less) – at £4 per bottle, you are looking at about 60 quid each and every month. If you start mixing your own custom liquids, you can reduce that to less than £10. That £50 per month will add up to over £300 annually – that is an entire sun holiday or some new designer duds, all without sacrificing flavour, nicotine or fun.

E-Liquid Mixology is fun and easy!

You might be excited about all of these money saving opportunities, but intimidated by the actual process of mixing, creating and designing your own E-Liquids at home. While it is true that you do have to pay attention to a few numbers and get the measurements precise, this process is a lot easier than you might think, even if maths are not your forte.

Thankfully, you don’t have to whip up these E-liquids all on your own; a number of online e-juice calculators have begun to pop up on the internet. These calculators and recipes can help you to ensure that your mixture is perfectly measured and ready to use. It only takes one or two experiences with these recipes for most people to feel confident and able to customise their E-Liquids to their exact specifications. Most people report that this process takes them less than 20 minutes – that is not a lot of time to save money and even have a bit of mixology fun.

If you are convinced that making your own E-Liquids is well worth your while, head to The Vape Shop in order to get started today. It’s well worth your time – and your money!

Despite the ongoing debate on whether it is actually better for you than traditional smoking or not, the ever growing e-cig business is currently valued at over £1.76bn, with 2.1 million users in the UK alone.  Yet, one question remains unclear – where exactly are you allowed to use them? Legally speaking you can vape anywhere. E-cigarettes emit a water vapour that can contain PG and/or VG, this is prduced through heating up the e liquid via the e cig atomizer and which then produces the vapour.  The lack of carbon monoxide, odour or fire means it is not a hazard, drug or any kind of banned substance.  But, much like smoking cigarettes, there are different restrictions on where you can and cannot use your vaporizer or mod although technically you’d only be breaking company policy, not than the law.

The vaping bans have caused some controversy.  In most cases, they are not to do with health or legal concerns, but on the belief that other people will mistake them for authentic cigarettes and feel it’s acceptable to light up themselves, although as vaporizers and mods take on increasingly un-cigarette like looks this seems to be a shaky argument at best.

Public transport

Generally, it is a no, no.

Bus companies such as National Express Coaches won’t permit vaping on any service. The majority of rail companies including Network Rail won’t allow it either and neither will the London Underground.

Generally speaking, vaping is banned on most flights and in fact, some countries’ laws have banned them even being in your checked baggage as the batteries pose a fire risk.

E-cigarettes are strictly forbidden on board all Easyjet, British Airways, Virgin Airlines, and KLM flights.  Ryanair, doesn’t allow e-cigarettes on board but it does sell its own “smokeless” cigarettes, which aren’t electronic and work like nicotine inhalers.

Sports stadiums

Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United are among the big name clubs who have banned vaping in their stadiums, but some clubs such as Burnley have designated “vape friendly” zones and sponsorship deals with vaping companies so it really does depend on who you support.

Hospitals

In England, there’s no blanket ban, but some hospitals have implemented their own policy and stopped people from smoking e-cigarettes both inside and outside the hospital grounds.

Bars and Restaurants

Again, there is no blanket rule.

Most pubs and restaurants will probably let you smoke an e-cigarette, although it’s worth checking first.

The office

It depends who your boss is. Many offices take the view that e-cigarettes are not the equivalent to tobacco cigarettes and therefore have no strict policy on using them in the workplace. Best check with your HR department.

Museums and galleries

This one’s a flat out no I’m afraid.

Cinemas  

The consensus across both independent picture houses and multiplexes is a no here too.

While it is clear that there is a lot of misconception and uncertainty about vaping in general when it comes to public spaces, if you are courteous of people around you and respect the rules there shouldn’t be any problems.

Celebrity Vaping

Is This You?

– You want to give up smoking cigarettes but you are not sure whether vaping is the route to go down or not?

– Think you might feel a bit strange or look a bit weird with an E-cigarette or Vape MOD?

– You are not sure whether it is something that goes with your image?

– You are not sure whether vaping is a faze or if it is something that is going to stand the test of time?

Here are some things that might help ease your mind about using an e cig:

There is a massive vaping community out there, in fact, over 300,000 Brits have now switched to using e-cigs and with medical and ‘quit smoking’ organizations throughout the western world endorsing the use of e-cigs and Vapes as a means to escape your addiction to cigarettes, even A list celebrities are jumping on the Vape wagon.

Many famous people are giving up smoking for the healthier and more convenient option of vaping. Here are just a few of the famous actors, actresses and singers who have been spotted vaping to help them kick their dangerous tobacco habits.
Although Leonardo DiCaprio is rumoured to still enjoy the occasional fine cigar, he has been spotted several times in public using his PVD (personal vape device) to help wean himself off cigarettes.  He is actually an avid defender of e-cigs, and is credited with convincing many Hollywood A-List personalities to give them a try – among them are Dennis Quaid, Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears, Charlie Sheen (who is now promoting his own brand, called Nicosheen), Cristina Ricci, Ashton Kutcher, Sienna Miller, Colin Farrell and even Jack Nicholson!

The electronic cigarette made its movie debut in the hit 2010 movie The Tourist starring Johnny Depp, but that is by no means the last we have seen of it on both the big screen and popular TV shows like House of Cards.

Even the everlasting, ever puffing, Dot Cotton in Eastenders has taken up using E-cigs – not to mention numerous members of The Only Way is Essex and Made In Chelsea, as well as Katy Perry, Paris Hilton, Cheryl Cole, Simon Cowell, Barry Manilow, Kevin Ferdaline and Rolling Stones guitarist Ron Wood – to name but a few.

So you see, it looks very much like Vaping is here to stay and if Leo, Johnny, Jack and Ron can do it, it’s a pretty strong bet you wont look strange or weird.  Electronic cigarettes come in all shapes, sizes and colours so you are bound to find a MOD that goes with your look and it is of proven, beneficial use to help you kick the smoking habit, so why wait any longer?

Still not sure?  Feel free to chat to one of our experienced advisors who are vapers themselves and more than happy to answer your questions and help you follow in the footsteps of the A-listers!

Is 2016 The Year You Start? 8 Tips to Improve Your Chances

It is now here – that year end tradition of promising the universe to do an act of self-improvement that for many people will probably last about 5 minutes.  In fact, research has shown that as few as 8% of people who make new year’s resolutions actually manage to keep them.  So what is the point of making them?

New Year’s Resolutions

The tradition of starting out the year with a resolution has been around for a while.  The Babylonians made promises to their gods to return borrowed things and pay their debts, the Romans made vows to their January God Janus and in medieval times knights took a ‘peacock vow’ to reaffirm their commitment to chivalry.  That is a lot of years of people not keeping their new year’s resolutions. Still, most of us will make at least one as the clock strikes midnight on the last day of the year, however serious we may mean it or not.

How To Improve Your Odds

If your resolutions from last new year lasted about as long as your hangover, you’re not alone. No matter what your resolution goal is this year, these 8 tips should help you keep it.

1. Be Realistic – You are more likely to succeed if you break your resolution down into small manageable goals that are specific, measurable and time-based.  There is no bigger deterrent to achieving your goal than a fail at the first hurdle.  Focusing on a series of concrete sub-goals that are easily achievable is the way to go, but be realistic – it is better to over achieve than under achieve in this arena – and reward yourself when you achieve them.

2. Make a Plan – Fail to plan and plan to fail (as the saying goes).  It is a lot easier to do stuff when you know what it is you have to do and when. Don’t wait until New Year’s Eve to think about your resolution, take some time out a few days before and reflect upon what you really want to achieve.

3. Is It What You Want? – Don’t make a resolution that you think you should want or what other people are telling you to want.  Make a resolution that resonates with what you want out of life.

4. Keep Track – make sure you pay attention.  Keep track of your progress.  Bore your facebook friends to tears with regular updates. (You will find that the majority will actually boost your confidence with every update).  This also stops you forgetting about it.

5. Don’t Overdo it! – make one important resolution, not lots of different ones.  You have a greater chance of success if you focus on one thing at a time.

6. Don’t Give Up – Seems straightforward enough but nothing is that easy.  You will revert to your old habits from time to time – it is human nature – don’t berate yourself too much about it.  Treat any backwards step as a temporary setback rather than a reason to give up altogether. Experts say it takes about 21 days for a new activity to become a habit and six months for it to become part of your personality. It won’t happen overnight, so be persistent and patient!

7. Keep Trying – If you have totally run out of steam when it comes to keeping your resolution by mid-February, don’t despair. Start over again! Recommit yourself for 24 hours. You can do anything for 24 hours. The 24-hour increments will soon build on each other and, before you know it, you will be back on track.

8. Take The Help – If you want to lose weight, join a weight loss group.  If you want to get fitter, join a gym.  If you want to quit smoking speak to your doctor and/or get yourself a vape.

We at The Vape Shop can’t help you with weight loss or fitness but we can certainly get you the right e cigarette and e liquid for you. Contact our staff today.