Oh, the audacity of those darned marketers. They are so, so good. Just when I thought my cravings for nicotine were gone for good. I have not used tobacco in almost 12 years, yet some of these ads make me salivate with the opportunity to make nicotine a part of my morning ritual!
I was standing outside one of our many neighborhood Starbucks shops one recent evening when I noticed a plume of smoke rise above a gaggle of teenagers waiting in line ahead of me.
“Wow,” I thought, “that takes some serious chutzpah.” These kids were smoking in public without the fear of getting caught.
A few minutes later, I realized that it wasn’t actually smoke coming out of their mouths; it was vapor, being inhaled and exhaled from battery-operated electronic cigarettes. Of course, as a counselor for an online tobacco class I knew exactly what they were doing.
E-cigs are devices that vaporize an addictive nicotine-laced liquid solution into an aerosol mist that simulates the act of tobacco smoking. Also known as “personal vaporizers” and “electronic nicotine delivery systems,” e-cigs are sold in trendy shops and are increasingly turning up in bars, clubs, workplaces and other spots where traditional tobacco cigarettes have long been outlawed.
I was like Pavlov’s dog, salivating at the memory of a nicotine fix. Even as I write this I need a break and will finish this for tomorrow’s blog!