It's that time again: the end of the year is almost upon us, and 2016 will begin before you know it. If you're a cigarette smoker, there's a good chance that you will make a New Year's Resolution to quit tobacco for good. In 2013, around 38% of Americans surveyed reported making a resolution to quit smoking. Last year, however, that number jumped to 54% who wanted to kick the habit once and for all.



But quitting smoking can be tough, despite what we know about its dangers. Smoking cigarettes is linked with heart disease, lung disease, cancer, and plenty of other life-threatening conditions. As a result, smoking decreases life expectancy: on average, smokers live 13 fewer years than non-smokers do. And that figure alone says nothing about the quality of life for those who smoke, especially if their health has suffered as a result.



The good news is that quitting smoking can help add those years back to your life, and with more Americans than ever before quitting, the process is becoming easier through the support of others. Today, nearly 50 million people in the United States are former smokers, and they make up more of the population than current smokers do. Where quitting smoking may have posed a challenge years ago for some, especially if they primarily hung around others who light up, today those same individuals are more likely to have at least one former smoker in their immediate circle.



Health is just one of the many reasons to quit, but it probably factors in as the number one cause for quitting. In fact, quitting smoking can have immediate benefits for even the heaviest of smokers, and over time the functions of the former smoker's body are on par with those of someone who has never smoked.



Once you quit smoking:

Your heart rate and blood pressure drop after 20 minutes

Your circulation and lung function can improve within three months

Your risk of coronary heart disease is cut in half within a year

Your risk of mouth, throat, esophagus, and bladder cancer are all cut in half after five years, and

Your risk of coronary heart disease is the same as the risk for a non-smoker after 15 tobacco-free years. Is it your goal to quit smoking? Will it be your new year's resolution? Have you tried the patch, gum and lozenges? By using a product designed to fail and the constant guilt you are surrounded with, have you had enough? There are quit lines and a slew of advice. According to experts, if you fail it's your fault. You didn't try hard enough. Scolding and Psychology aren't working? You're already smoking. I encourage you to try an e-cigarette. You don't need commitment. You don't need a coach. You don't "have" to stop smoking right away. You don't need a counseling program. You or someone you love needs proper information. Aside from not being afraid, you need to remember three things that could mean the difference between success and failure when you walk into a vape shop.

Taste. You want to taste a flavor you already like. Nicotine Strength. Nicotine is extremely important. That creates your "throat hit". If you smoke lights, you may want lower nicotine strength at first. If you are a full flavor smoker, you may want higher nicotine strength. Backups. All things can fail, batteries, tops & chargers. Plan on two of each at first. Don't be persuaded to purchase the most expensive type at first. We recommend an "eGo" style for ease and effectiveness. This year let us help you achieve all your goals while enjoying the experience. We are excited to be a part of your vaping journey and look forward to continuing to support our vaping community in the upcoming year. Let's make 2016 the best year yet! Have a very Happy New Year and Vape on!

Quit Smoking Success Information – A national survey conducted by Forum Research found that two-thirds using e-cigs to quit one-quarter to one-third are successful. Search the web and you will find story after story about people who picked up an e-cigarette with reserved optimism and are now tobacco free. A Clearwater business is steering smokers away from cigarettes by selling e-cigs, or electronic cigarettes. At Downtown Vaporium in Clearwater, smokers will find an alternative to regular tobacco cigarettes that allows them to have what they enjoy about smoking, whether it be the nicotine or the simple hand-to-mouth motion, without any of the negative side effects.

Downtown Vaporium has on display a cigarette graveyard of packs of analog cigarettes containing tobacco that customers disposed of and replaced with the safer alternative, e-cig's or electronic cigarettes. Smoke from cigarettes create more than 4000 chemicals. They contain at least 50 carcinogens with several of them being poisonous. Tar from cigarettes is a toxic residue produced by the burning of tobacco. Inhalation of this residue results in damage to the mouth by staining teeth, damaging gums, and desensitizing taste buds. Tar also causes long-term damage to the lungs and contributes to lung diseases such as emphysema, chronic bronchitis, and lung cancer.

Downtown Vaporium offers electronic cigarettes and accessories from starter kits to tank and everything in between. An e-cig basically consists of a battery-powered device offered in a wide array of colors, and the e-juice or e-liquid that contains nicotine. The juice is the element that is inhaled and which also creates the vapor clouds that many smokers enjoy.

A typical starter's kit at Downtown Vaporium costs around $30 and consists of a battery, tank, and a charger. For the essential juice, customers will pay $10 for a 10ml bottle, which will last about two weeks for the average pack-a-day smoker. There is no tobacco in the juice, Commonly known as e-juice or e-liquid, (it) is a solution of propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, flavoring, optionally, a variable concentration of nicotine. Juices are offered in 24mg, 12mg, 6mg and zero mg nicotine levels.