E-Cigarettes, they’re tobacco free. You might have seen them pop up without even realizing it. Commonly referred to as vapes and vaping, e-cigs are taking the consumer market by storm. They’re marketed as the “safe way” to quit smoking and satisfy the need to light up, but the truth is there isn’t enough scientific evidence to support the current marketing strategy. Should you use e-cigarettes to quit smoking? The facts might surprise you…
A British Study in Vaping
In 2014, WebMD reported on a British study, the results of which hinted that e-cigs could help people stop smoking. According to the study’s findings, people who wanted to kick cigarette smoking to the curb were 60 percent more likely to succeed when vaping versus relying on anti-smoking nicotine patches or gum. But before you run to the nearest e-cig seller, consider this excerpt from WebMD’s report:
“Smoking is a notoriously tough habit to beat…quit rates were still low: Only one-fifth of people who tried e-cigarettes as a stop-smoking aid succeeded in quitting long-term, the study found.”
While electronic cigarettes might be a viable tool to kicking your smoking habit now, their long-term success for people seeking to quit altogether is noticeably low. But just what makes the juice that fills e-cigs and vapes?
What’s In E-Cigarettes?
Did you know that the liquid heated by e-cigs, commonly referred to as juice, contains nicotine and other chemicals? It may be tobacco free, but it still contains the main ingredient that makes smoking so addictive — nicotine.
According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, nicotine is a highly addictive substance that absorbs into the bloodstream in as little as 10 seconds. One puff of a cigarette or e-cig is all it takes to introduce it. It rapidly reaches the brain after entering the bloodstream, causing the brain to release adrenaline. The result is a buzz or sense of pleasure and energy. The buzz dissipates quickly, which is why smokers light up so often. And as the body builds a tolerance to nicotine, the need to smoke grows exponentially.
Tobacco companies mixed nicotine with tobacco and other additives to make cigarettes. The results are well known and consequences range from addiction and dependence to lung cancer, permanent loss of quality of life, and even death. E-cigarettes offer a tobacco-free product, but they fail to taper down nicotine intake – a fact that could very well explain the low long-term quit rates in the British study referenced above. More on hazards of nicotine intake find at https://www.absoluteadvocacy.org/use-e-cigarettes-quit-smoking/.
More importantly, the nicotine in e-cig juice is mixed with other chemicals, many of which are proving to have a negative impact on health.
The FDA Works to Regulate Vaping
According to SmokeFree.gov, the FDA is still working to regulate e-cigarettes. Some research has revealed the presence of harmful chemicals in the juice, and scientists are endeavoring to chart the health effects of vaping. But research takes time. In the meantime, e-cig makers are not legally required to divulge what exactly is in the e-cigs they manufacturer and sell.
Experts warn that e-cigarettes may be especially dangerous for children and teens as their brain development is still in progress. Nicotine alone can negatively impact brain development, leaving young vapers more susceptible to addiction and mental illnesses. The effects of the other chemicals potentially contained within the juice, often known to be harmful, is unknown. But you do the math. Is it a risk worth taking?
Understanding the Quitting Process
Smoking is an infamously difficult habit to kick, but there are proven methods. The CDC has tracked the trend of smoking among high school students and adults in the United States since 1965:
Smoking is trending down, and some of the most effective methods focus on treating the quitting process like a real addiction. The top five proven ways to quit cigarettes for good include:
- Counseling and Medication: The top method for quitting is to enroll in substance abuse counseling and supplement it, as needed, with medication. This process allows for the tapering down of nicotine ingestion so the body can withdraw, and counseling addresses behaviors and thinking that fuel addictive actions.
- Varenicline (Chantix®): The FDA approved varenicline as a prescription medicine to assist adults with quitting smoking. When taken as directed, it has been proven to more than double the chances of successfully quitting, but it does have side effects.
- Nicotine Patch: The most popular patch available is Nicoderm CQ®. When used as instructed, the patch can significantly increase success. It’s based on tapering down the amount of nicotine your body takes in.
- Nicotine Gum: Don’t like the idea of wearing a patch? Nicorette® is the most commonly used nicotine gum available. It’s equal to a patch, just a different delivery system.
- Nicotine Lozenge: Nicorette® is the leading brand for nicotine lozenges, which operate in the same manner as nicotine patches and gum.
Could e-cigarettes eventually make this list? Maybe, but at present, experts don’t know enough to endorse them safely. The biggest difference between these five approaches and vaping is that 1) there aren’t unknown, dangerous chemicals at play, 2) the physical and/or psychological addiction to nicotine is addressed, and 3) the body is allowed to withdraw from a highly addictive substance, nicotine. E-cigs aren’t made to taper nicotine intake. They could very well amplify addiction in the long-term, and their overall health impact is still in question.
Can I Use Vaping to Quit Smoking?
Technically, yes. If your goal is to get rid of cigarettes for good, you could use e-cigs as a replacement. But a replacement is not the same as quitting. If your goal is to stop smoking because you want to be free of the addiction, e-cigs aren’t up to the task.
Your best action is to look into one of the top five methods for kicking cigarettes and smoking for good. Some people quit by using self-help guides, telephone counseling and support, or in-person counseling. Find the method that works best for you, but remember, e-cigarettes are NOT nicotine free and still present an addiction risk.