What is “Vape to quit”?
If you have ever tried to quit smoking, you know that it isn’t easy. Will power alone most often just wont hack it.
A new technique that has enjoyed moderate success in recent days is the “vape to quit” – trend.
According to an NHS study published in 2021, using an e-cigarette as part of nicotine replacement therapy while receiving expert support and guidance can mean that you will be twice as likely to successfully quit smoking.
The drawbacks of vaping
Yes, e-cigarettes cut out tar and carbon monoxide, which are two of the most dangerous chemicals produced by cigarette smoke, but they are not completely risk free.
Vaping is better than smoking, but it’s by no means risk free.
The problem with any discussion about vaping is that it is often couched in extremely accommodating terms. Because there are so many people who use vaping as a steppingstone to quit smoking, we cannot completely bash e-cigarettes and alienate these people, who are seeking help.
Vaping is more than 90% safer than smoking. But that should actually just tell us how bad smoking is to start with.
If you are a smoker, switching to a vape with the right amount of nicotine is one of the best things you can do for your health.
However, if you are not a smoker, taking up vaping is a terrible and risky decision that can lead to any number of health concerns and irreversible damage to your lungs, throat, and heart.
Unknown addiction
The problem with vaping is that, just like cigarettes, it is addictive. Because e-cigarettes are a relatively new technology, we just can’t be sure about the long-term side effects of vaping on your health. Initial signs indicate that although vaping cuts out many of the original harmful chemicals contained in cigarettes, the vaping liquid, or Vape Juice, contains many other similarly harmful chemicals, the dangers of which are still not entirely understood.
Serious risks of injury
There have been numerous accounts of vapers, particularly young people and teenagers, who have suffered from e-cigarette or vaping induced lung injury. (EVALI).
EVALI is a serious medical condition in which a person’s lungs become damaged from substances contained in e-cigarettes and vaping products.
The long-term outcome of patients diagnosed with EVALI is still unknown and although there are indications of medication alleviating some of the symptoms, the only real course of actions is to stop vaping completely, and hope for the best.
Are there any benefits?
The only benefit of using an e-cigarette is to utilise it as a step in the direction of quitting smoking completely. Vaping should not be taken up as a stress relief tool, a social activity or a “fun trend”. Vaping still poses serious health risks, and even more so because we do not have all the facts yet.
Governments are stepping up
Australia is one of the first countries to crack down on vaping. They have already banned the sale of all non-prescription vapes and e-cigarettes containing nicotine and seem set on banning any form of vaping within the near future. This is largely due to the mass of so called “new” vapers. Young people who have never smoked conventional cigarettes and are now taking up vaping as a social habit.
Educate yourself
For more information on the health effects of vaping, follow these links to a wide array of well researched and peer-reviewed academic and scientific articles.
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