There are many different ways to quit smoking, from chewing gum and nicotine patches to going all out cold turkey. But could it be that vaping and the use of reliable e-cigarettes could help people trying to stop smoking to quit for good? Recent studies suggest that as little as 8 hours after quitting smoking the amount of oxygen in your blood will begin to return to normal levels, even if you’re already vaping. Within five years the long-term effects of smoking begin to decrease, as the risk of having a heart attack will have reduced by half, whilst within ten years the risk of lung cancer will also reduce by half, approximately the same as that of someone who has never smoked. So how can vaping help smokers quit for good?
One of the most common reasons for someone quitting smoking is the health risks associated with smoking, whilst suggest vaping has significantly lower levels of health and safety risks. Studies on the vapour produced by e-cigarettes illustrate a significant reduction in the number of carcinogens found in e-cigarette smoke compared to cigarette smoke. Public Health England issued a study in 2015 claiming that vaping is 95% less harmful than smoking, whilst The American Heart Association released a statement concluding that vaping can help smokers quit for good, whilst also confirming e-cigs are less unhealthy than tobacco. Vapour produced by e-cigs doesn’t cause damage to heart cells, whilst the effects of nicotine on the heart through vaping is the same as those of caffeine.
Another reason people may quit is due to the harm of secondhand smoke on children or others around them. The NHS confirmed that effects of vaping have an extremely low risk of harm compared with second-hand tobacco smoke, suggesting that e-cigarettes are a much safer alternative to smoking.
Vaping is also an attractive alternative to smoking in financial terms, as a study by Tobacco Control in the USA in 2017 concluded vaping costs less per month than smoking does for a week. A pack of 20 cigarettes is an average of $13 a day, with five packs a week totalling $65 a week, costing a smoker over $3,100 a year. However, vaping is considerably less costly, with the main cost being the purchase of a vape starter kit for $50. This kit is an investment in quitting, as e-cigarette e-liquids cost $15 per week, with $60 a month and $720 a year, almost half the yearly cost of smoking harmful cigarettes.
The NHS official website affirms that out of the 2.9 million adults in the UK who are using e-cigs, 1.5 of these smokers have quit smoking. The NHS also advises that e-cigarettes are particularly effective when used with extra quitting support, and ad uses that smokers may not fully benefit from using e-cigarettes unless they quit smoking completely and only smoke e-cigarettes, showing e-cigarettes are invaluable in helping smokers quit.
Vaping can also help lower nicotine levels and gradually reduce the smokers dependency, helping them quit for good. Smokers are addicted to nicotine, a highly addictive substance found in cigarettes, whilst vaping with the use of vape shortfills allow a smoker to gradually reduce the nicotine levels in the e-liquid to reduce dependency on the substance and ultimately quit for good. Vaping for beginners is made easier by the availability of starter vape kits, making it a simple step to take towards better health.
