by Apryl Mock
Staff writer
I almost missed the Vape Escape the first time I visited. A bright, tie dyed sign caught my attention, proclaiming, “Don’t choke on the smoke, vape at the escape.”
When I first walked in to the Vape Escape, I carried with me a sizable grain of salt. I had tried other electronic cigarettes and was less than impressed. I asked myself, “What could possibly make these e-cigarettes better than others?
I began smoking cigarettes at a very young age. I used to steal them from my mother’s purse, beginning at the age of 13. Loryne Perkins, a “mixologist” at the Vape Escape, has a similar story. She started smoking at the age of 12. The Vape Escape, located on Washington Street here in Durant, is an electronic cigarette retailer and home to an oxygen bar. Loryne runs the Vape Escape along with her parents Lori and Stacy Reid. Loryne was more than happy to fill me in on the basics of e-cigarettes.
In the fall of 2001, Lori’s mother, Donna Townsend, passed away from breast cancer. The cancer metastasized in to her lungs because of her tobacco use. Shortly thereafter, Lori discovered that she had cervical cancer. A family friend then sent Lori an e-cigarette kit. Loryne said, “My mom was done with cigarettes in four days.” Loryne was able to quit within three months.
In March of 2012, Lori and her family opened the Vape Escape. Here in Durant. I get all of my e-cigarette supplies because it’s close to campus and the staff is friendly. Any time I have had a problem or a question the Vape Escape staff has helped me out. They even repaired my e-cigarette when I broke it.
The main difference in reusable e-cigarettes and disposable ones are what’s inside. The “juice” that is inserted in to most of the reusable e-cigarettes is currently unregulated by the FDA, specifically the ones that are manufactured in China.
Although there are more inexpensive versions of electronic cigarettes (disposables) than those sold at the Vape Escape, Loryne advises against them. Loryne said that some e-cigarettes, “…can be just as harmful as a real cigarette.”
According to the Food and Drug Administration, because these e-cigarettes are unregulated there is no way of knowing whether or not they contain harmful ingredients.
However, the e-juice at the Vape Escape only contains four ingredients; vegetable glycerin, propylene glycol, food flavoring and prescription grade nicotine, all of which are approved by the FDA for food use. I feel much safer buying my e-juice from the Vape Escape because I know what I’m putting in to my body.
If you are considering e-cigarettes, I would highly recommend that you do your research, and find out what ingredients your e-juice retailer uses. An online store I would recommend would be www.johnsoncreeksmokejuice.com. Johnson Creek’s juice contains only distilled water, flavoring and nicotine.
I think that electronic cigarettes are quickly becoming a replacement for traditional tobacco, although they are not marketed as smoking cessation aids. Some of the many benefits of switching to “vaping” include no foul odor to stick to your skin, clothes and breath as well as decreasing your chances of developing lung cancer and other tobacco related diseases.
Also, the juice for reusable e-cigarettes allows the user to choose how much nicotine they want to vape per mL, so if you want you can wean yourself off of nicotine all together.
A major benefit for me, as a Southeastern student is that since the Southeastern campus has gone tobacco free, vapor based e-cigarettes offer a convenient alternative. They are un-intrusive to other students and I get my nicotine fix until I’m off campus, I even use them during class.
April Lehrling of student health services said that e-cigarettes are “obviously a better choice than cigarettes.” However, she emphasized that they still contain the drug nicotine, which is addictive.
The prices of the e-cigarettes vary. Starter kits range from $20 to $80, and e-juice ranges from around $1 per milliliter and up. The popular Blu e-cigarette reusable starter kits are about $80 and about $6-7 for the disposable ones sold in retail stores.
This may seem a bit pricey, but considering that DailyFinace estimates that the average pack-a-day smoker spends about $2,000 a year on cigarettes, the average price being $6 a pack, it’s really not. One 15mL bottle of e-juice can last more than two weeks depending on the user. I did the math and came up with an average of $260 per year; not including the initial cost of the e-cigarette- a vast improvement.
I have been so satisfied with the e-cigarettes that I have my whole family using them, including my father who smoked four packs a day. Now that he has started using e-cigarettes he is down to one pack a day. While I prefer sweet flavors like cotton candy and pina colada, my father sticks with a traditional tobacco flavor.
The Vape Escape offers over 80 different flavors to choose from, so you’re sure to find something you like. The Vape Escape has recently started “The Quitters Wall,” a wall in the parlor of the shop where those who have quit smoking using e-cigarettes can proudly proclaim their success.
Linda Walker, an employee at the Choctaw Casino and Resorts said, “It’s fantastic! They’re a life-saver.” Walker said that e-cigarettes have prevented her from backsliding into smoking real cigarettes again. She enjoys flavors such as pink champagne. According to Walker, the majority of the people she works with now vape. “There’s never anyone in the smokers tent anymore!” said Walker.
I for one thank my lucky stars that Loryne and her family decided to bring e-cigarettes to Durant. I think anyone who uses tobacco products will benefit from switching from smoke to vapor. Loryne said, “Everyone quits at their own pace…” I am down from a pack of cigarettes a day to three to four cigarettes a day; it won’t be long until I get to sign the wall.