I used e-cigarettes to quit smoking after 10 years trying in vain to stop. Hong Kong’s ban is wrong
Peyton Chan was a smoker for 20 years. For 10 of those years he tried in vain to quit, and only succeeded when he switched to e-cigarettes. He thinks other smokers should have the chance to do the same
As a smoker for 20 years, the advent of electronic cigarettes was a boon for me. Like many heavy smokers who have tried to quit the highly addictive habit, I always succumbed in the end to my desire to light up again, especially when stressed at work or in the throes of personal setbacks.
During my 10-year struggle to stop smoking, the occasions that most tested my willpower were drinking sessions with business associates in China. Inebriated and surrounded by hard-partying men who swill glass after glass of alcohol, I was most vulnerable to a relapse.
Why Hong Kong should shun vaping: the risks aren’t fully understood yet
To my great surprise, my Sisyphean quest to quit tobacco became plain sailing when I switched to e-cigarettes six months ago.
Gradually, my nicotine urge subsided. A month ago I stopped vaping too, with none of the typical nicotine withdrawal symptoms such as irritability, poor concentration and weight gain.
I would never have believed that the price of saving my health from carcinogen-induced doom was just 409 yuan (US$59) – the cost of a vape pen – plus 100 yuan a month for e-smoking paraphernalia such as atomisers and smoking oils (less than the 1,000 yuan a month I used to spend on tobacco products).
