Electronic Cigarettes

Recently, electronic cigarettes, or “e-cigs”, have received a lot of attention in the news. “E-cigs” are gaining in popularity among smokers trying to quit or searching for a healthier alternative to smoking tobacco products. An “e-cig” uses a battery to vaporize a water-based solution which closely mimics smoke. At the same time, “e-cigs” supplying a controllable amount of nicotine to a “smoker” without any additional carcinogens and chemicals. “E-cigs” are effective because they substitute the harmful smoke with vapor allowing smokers to gradually wean off of the dependency of nicotine. Also, “e -cigs” allow smokers to gradually change behaviors and habits developed while smoking.

Smoking kills! Smoking cessation programs will keep people who actually quit live longer. In a 2008 study assessing the relationship between cigarette smoking and smoking cessation on total and cause-specific mortality in women approximately 64% of deaths among current smokers and 28% of deaths among former smokers were attributable to cigarette smoking (Kenfield et al. 2037). The good news is that a smoker who quits has a much better survival rate from smoke-related deaths.

Many different programs have been created to help people quit smoking, but we all know that quitting smoking is very difficult. Nicotine is a very addictive substance. Most smokers have tried to quit more than just once. After repeated failures, many ask themselves; “can I really do this?”Quitting means that you will most likely experience withdrawal symptoms, like cravings, anxiety and depression. Also, quitting could mean that a smoker will have to change the activities and behavior that they engaged in while smoking. For some smokers this results in a significant change in their daily routine.

Most smokers typically link their habit to a daily activity lops into a ritual. Many smokers will see a cigarette after a meal as one of life's simple pleasures. Others look rely on a wake-up cigarette in the morning to go with their coffee. At work, there are the mid-morning-break smoke, the stress-release smoke, and maybe a meeting of co-smoker-colleagues smoke. When we think of smoking, we often link the habit to some sort of activity. “E-cigs” require fewer initial changes in behavior from a smoker who is trying to quit making it less traumatic and less stressful.

Unlike gums and nicotine patches, the e-cigs mimic the sensation of smoking while delivering a nicotine rush. Ever since doctors determined that cigarette smoking is hazardous to health, cigarette companies have searched for ways to reduce tar and nicotine levels in an effort to create a safer smoking experience. However, nothing else has come close to the electronic cigarette in accomplishing it. Electronic cigarettes simulate cigarette smoke, and at the same temperature a smoker experiences when drawing a puff of smoke from a common cigarette. This mimics the

At this time, the FDA does not allow e-cigarette companies to market the devices as aids to quit smoking yet. Although, there are many articles about smoking cessation, one in particular from Harvard Trained Doctors discusses the efficacy of “e-cigs. Renowned doctors and physicians involved in smoke cessation treatments conclude that “The electronic cigarette is an effective harm-reduction therapy in the treatment of nicotine addiction” (Free Press Release). “E-cigs” is an effective treatment to help smokers escape free of nicotine addiction.

Works Cited:
Kenfield SA, Stampfer MJ, Rosner BA, Colditz GA. “Smoking and Smoking Cessation in Relation to Mortality in Women” JAMA. 299.17 (2008) : 2037-47. Print

n.p. “Electronic Cigarettes Get Endorsed by Harvard Trained Doctors.” Free-press-release.com. Nov. 2009. Web. 12 August 2010

Essay 3- Summary Final Draft.

The article, “Is Google Making Us Stupid”, by Nicholas Carr, reveals an alarming change in the way our minds work in the age of the internet. Carr presents plenty of evidence suggesting that the immediacy and efficiency of the internet could actually be conditioning our learnt behavior. Carr introduces numerous quotes from experts that give compelling reasons why relying on search engines could hamper our thinking capacity and limit our minds to a fixed and robotic process.

I have never seen the 1968 film, “2001: Space Odyssey”, which Carr uses as an analogy. Yet, I can easily relate to when he says that he feels like someone or something has taking over his mind when he is using the internet. Frequently, I feel my own mind is hi-jacked by pop-up advertisements when I open a web browser. My eyes seem to automatically stare at pop-up ads, especially if they feature fashionable products.

Researching any topic is now easier and less time consuming with the internet. I agree with Carr when he says, “the web has been a godsend to me as a writer”. Carr and I both like using the web when we’re conducting research for a paper. As he says, “the advantages of having immediate access to such an incredibly rich store of information are many”. The internet certainly helps me save a lot of time. Unlike Carr, I do not enjoy reading for pleasure. I usually avoid reading at all costs. So, I value the quick access to information that the internet provides. Until reading this article by Carr, I never really considered how the web could be hindering my intellectual development.

In a key section of the article, Carr describes work done by Maryanne Wolf, a developmental psychologist from Tufts University. Her work suggests that depending solely on the internet to gain knowledge can actually weaken our ability to stay engaged for long periods of time to develop critical areas of intelligence.

Now, Carr’s article has me thinking about the 2009 movie “Surrogates” directed by Jonathan Mostow. In the film, humans hibernate at home while living their lives vicariously through robot surrogates. The robots in this movie play a similar role to the computers Carr describes in the article – they solve daily challenges for humans.

Relying solely on the web for instant access to information in lieu of focusing and absorbing information over a period of time could be affecting more than just our ability to sustain prolonged concentration. It is likely dampening our cognitive skill development. We need to develop concentrated thought processes to tackle complex topics. If we don’t, we might become even more dependent on computers and technologies, not only for accessing information, but to think for us altogether.