“I’d rather fight than switch” was a very popular cigarette advertising blurb many years ago. The ad showed a man with a black eye but smiling while smoking his favorite cigarette.

Now with the introduction of the e-cigarette, many smokers have come to discover that it’s better to switch than fight. Many have abandoned their favorite cigarette brand for the “new kid on the block” – and for good reasons. The e-cigarette, a much safer smoke than the cigarette, can be used in many places where the cigarette is banned.

Puff for puff a better “smoke”

Puff for puff, the e-cigarette is a better “smoke” than the cigarette. It doesn’t burn like a cigarette; instead of smoke, it emits vapor that’s odorless and disappears in seconds without leaving any trace. (“Vaping” is the new term used for the e-cigarette instead of “smoking”). There is, therefore, no harmful and bothersome second hand smoke. It has no tar to damage the smoker’s lungs or leave ugly stains on his teeth and fingers. The e-cigarette contains only three substances – nicotine, Propylene Glycol and artificial flavorings – none of which is carcinogenic. Contrary to misinformed belief, nicotine does not cause cancer.

The cigarette, on the other hand, has been found to contain over 4,000 chemicals and substances, 250 of which harmful to humans and 69 carcinogenic (among them arsenic, benzene, beryllium, butadiene, cadmium, chromium, ethylene oxide, nickel, polonium and vinyl chloride). Every year over 400,000 deaths from cigarette-related ailments are reported in the United States. The US government spends every year close to $100 billion on direct medical expenses for those afflicted with aliments attributed to smoking.

The e-cigarette costs much less, too. A one-pack-a-day smoker spends about $300 per month with a cigarette costing $10 a pack. After the initial expense for the starter kit of about $70-$100, a vaper spends only $30 – $50 a month, six times less than a cigarette smoker would spend on a cigarette.

The many advantages that the e-cigarette offers have made many smokers, celebrities and non-celebrities alike, to switch from the cigarette to the e-cigarette, now a multi-million dollar industry, grossing $200 million annually and still growing at a rapid rate.

Celebrities join better-switch-than-fight band wagon

Yes, celebrities, too, have joined the better-switch-than-fight band wagon. Of course, it’s not the savings that these celebrities get from vaping that attract them to the e-cigarette; it’s something else and something more. Among the celebrities photographed smoking the e-cigarette are Leonardo Dicaprio while riding his bike in LA, rapper and actor Kevin Federline while in a bar, “Twilight” movie star Nikki Reed while at the airport. In the movie “The Tourist”, Johnny Depp was shown in one scene smoking an e-cigarette. Other celebrities who were seen smoking the e-cigarettes include radio/tv personality Danny Bonaduce, TV star Kevin Connolly, musician/song writer Tom Petty, Ryan Seacrest of “American Idol” , baseball star Jose Canseco, actress and singer-song writer Taryn Manning and fashion supermodel Kate Moss.

“This is remarkable!”

The most impressive endorsement of the e-cigarette happened lately on the popular TV show “The Late Hour” hosted by David Letterman. The guest was the celebrity Katherine Heigil, star of the TV series Grey’s Anatomy.  While a lively exchange was going on between her and Letterman, Katherine took out an e-cigarette from her purse and started vaping.  This aroused the curiosity of David Letterman. Katherine explained what her e-cigarette is all about, its advantages over the cigarette and the satisfaction she gets from it. Still curious, the TV host requested to try Katherine’s e-cigarette and after taking three big puffs, excitedly exclaimed: “This is remarkable!”

The “better switch than fight” is a great slogan for all smokers.