The smoking ban was introduced in the UK in 2007, preventing smokers from lighting up indoors and some outside public spaces such as bus shelters and train stations too. This was great news for non-smokers who could finally dine out at a restaurant without the unpleasant odours of cigarette smoke wafting over to ruin their meal, and likewise clubbers no longer had to go home with their clothes and hair stinking of smoke. However, the ban wasn't brought in just for these social improvements, but to try and encourage smokers to break this extremely dangerous and unhealthy bad habit and to reduce the risks of passive smoking for non-smokers. While a smoking ban is great news for non-smokers, those who smoke do so legally and initially through choice (although perhaps subsequently through addiction), yet it can be extremely difficult now for them to find places where they can smoke. The result is that they end up having to go outside in all weathers, perhaps even walking a long way to find the designated smoking area. Work breaks are reduced by the amount of time it takes to go outside and conversations are missed while your friends carry on having fun inside during a night out. While we would never suggest that a smoking ban be lifted or that other people should have to suffer as a result of your habit, we also don't think that you should have to suffer either. A good alternative is to get an electronic cigarette starter kit. An electronic cigarette, or e-cig for short, can be a great way of getting back your time and social experiences which have been lost to the need to go and smoke outside. Many places allow e-cigs inside (although check first), and you'll get the same benefits as smoking a tobacco cigarette, without any of the negative properties which affect other people. There is no harmful smoke, no unpleasant smell, no fire risk and no need to carry around bulky cigarette packets and lighters. How Do E-Cigs Work? E-cigs resemble traditional cigarettes but use a cartridge filled with liquid nicotine, an atomiser and a rechargeable battery. The atomiser converts the liquid nicotine on inhalation to a vapour, which gives you the nicotine hit that you crave as a smoker. A vapour which is mostly water is also emitted from the end of the e-cig, but this evaporates quickly and is not harmful to anyone else, which is why they can be smoked indoors. E-cigs give you the same taste and flavour as a traditional cigarette, and you can use our online refill match to find the perfect cartridge to best match your normal brand and strength of cigarettes. You'll find that an e-cig is a great replacement for your normal cigarettes for all situations, and it can also save you money too because you'll only need two or three puffs to get the same hit as you would from a whole tobacco cigarette. Consequently, a cartridge would usually last you around the same amount of time as two packets of cigarettes, and works out cheaper because the same taxes are not applicable.