The social smoker vs. the e-cig eremite

Originally invented by Hon Lik, a 52 year old pharmacist in China, as a way to quit smoking, the commercial e-cigarette has come to replace the real thing for smokers and non-smokers alike.

While there is evidence to suggest that vaping could be diverting young people away from smoking overall, it’s also well established that young people likely to try vaping are more likely to try a cigarette.

This isn’t wholly disparate from the nicotine dependency that vaping can trigger in young people. However, according to a study carried out in 2021, this is only true for a minority of cases.

While in many cases vaping is considered a healthier alternative to smoking, the NHS website stresses that “vaping exposes users to some toxins, and we do not yet know what the risks might be in the longer term.”

Furthermore, while the UK government has already introduced a new age-restriction on buying tobacco in an attempt to phase out smoking, there are already “some disposable vapes on sale (which) are illegal and do not meet UK safety regulations. They can contain high levels of harmful substances.”

So, aside from the fact that vaping looks kind of silly, it could be exposing users to toxic chemicals, the effects of which we’re still unaware of.

By contrast, smoking had yet another resurgence recently (the longevity of which is sparking controversy online) despite the undeniable harm it has on people’s bodies. It also remains a great way to make friends.

Over the years, countless conversations have been started by the question: “Hey, have you got a lighter”, or “Do you mind if I nick a cig?” An ice breaker that is timeless in its simplicity, almost transcendent in the brevity of its transactionality, and by no means necessarily confined to the smoking area – although that, of course, is where the phrase truly flourishes.

“Hey, you know those things are killing you!” passersby by heckle at us, as we stand huddled together against the rain, not that anybody asked.

But of course we know. And we revel in it. Defiant in our youth as we put the killing thing between our teeth, and give it the power to do the killing.

Even flaunting our vitality as we breathe out smoke through lips we use to kiss each other, holding a lit cigarette in one hand and the hand of the person next to us in the other.

There remains nothing sexier than someone you fancy like crazy leaning across to light your cigarette for you, or leaning in for a kiss with the scent of smoke still on their breath.

By contrast, no one’s leaning across to light your vape for you, and raspberry ice flavour tastes too much like adolescence to be a turn on. Maybe that’s just me.

In fact, there’s not even a real reason to go outside to vape if you don’t want to, not if you’re subtle.

Thanks to the ergonomic design of most e-cigarettes, not only are they easy to keep ahold of, but they’re also dangerously easy to conceal. Some people are even sleeping with them clasped in their hands.

While this might seem convenient, it prevents the sometimes necessary interaction that comes with asking if anyone’s got a spare lighter, or having to step outside into the cold night air away from the flashing lights of the nightclub to be able to satisfy your craving – and maybe have a conversation in the process.

I’m not a smoker but there’s something very sweet about how strangers will go up to each other and ask for lighters or cigarettes and then just stand together and chat for a few minutes and smoke together

— (@peachmilfshake) July 28, 2021

What’s more, researchers have identified a correlation between how much young people smoke and the amount of time they spend online.

The truth is that young people are becoming increasingly more isolated as they allow more and more hours to pass them by while they scroll.

The idea then, of having yet another harmful device, this time one that you inhale, to keep a hold of while the brain rot sets in, without even a reason to step outside (even if the concept of fresh air is by this point essentially mute) cannot be good for our mental health as a generation.

Has the loneliness epidemic reached a level that even damaging our health has become a solitary activity rather than – at the very least – a sacrificial offering of your lungs in exchange for friends and good memories?

And if it’s not cigs, what will get us to step out from within the confines of our rooms?