Vaping vs. Smoking - The Reality

If you're reading this, chances are you belong to one of these two groups - you want to quit smoking or you want to switch to vaping.

Just so you know, the fundamental addictive element - nicotine, is present both in regular cigarettes and e-cigarettes.

What distinguishes them is the way the nicotine is delivered.

While cigarettes deliver nicotine by burning tobacco, e-cigarettes heat an e-liquid to do the same, hence reducing some of the health risks.  

Purpose of Vaping  

A lot of people get it wrong when the argument of vaping vs smoking begins. Vapes were introduced primarily to reduce the harmful effects of smoking amongst avid smokers, by introducing a less better alternative.

While it is true that vapes contain nicotine, a highly addictive substance, the way vapes deliver it has been proven to be very less harmful than smoking, according to the American Heart Association (AHA).

That being said, it is not recommended to take up vaping as a habit. While it is not as harmful as traditional cigarettes, there are still some health risks attached to it.

Youngsters should be discouraged from taking up vaping if they haven't been former smokers.  

An advantage of vaping is the customizable nicotine content in E-liquids. Traditional cigarettes do not give you the option to choose the amount of nicotine that goes into your system.

Vape juices, on the other hand, come with a variety of nicotine content options, which can be reduced with time, to completely quit the habit, rather than suddenly stopping, which almost always relapses.

Side effects - Vaping vs. Smoking  

To make a straightforward comparison, traditional cigarettes contain over 7,000 chemicals, some of these are unknown while around 70 of them are proven to cause cancer. 

While vaping contains nicotine, it is seen to contain lesser contaminants and chemicals than cigarettes. 

According to CDC, smoking is responsible for-

• 90% of deaths caused by lung cancer
• Millions of deaths caused worldwide
• COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), a lifelong ailment in 80% of smokers

The devils of smoking are well known and researched.

Using Vapes to Quit Smoking- is it possible? 

All of us who have tried to quit smoking know that it is easier said than done. Vaping can be a stepping stone to gradually quitting smoking and reducing smoking hazards.

While your purpose for vaping should be to quit smoking, you can always opt for 0 nicotine e-liquids.

Tips to quit smoking with vapes 

It should be remembered that a switch to vaping is only a temporary fix until the main aim of quitting is achieved. There are a lot of ways to achieve an addiction-free life. Here are a few:  

• Opt for higher nicotine e-liquids. They may not produce a lot of clouds but you will successfully curb your cravings.  
• Do not buy vape devices or e-liquids from unauthorized sources.  
• There is no one-size-fits-all for e-liquids. You have to go through a plethora of them before finding the perfect one for yourself. 
• When beginning to vape, there are a lot of things that you should be mindful of. Here's a quick guide to vaping for the rookie vaper.  

Conclusion 

The topic of smoking vs vaping has always attracted a lot of argument and flak. Regardless, the only way you can quit smoking is by believing you can do that.  

Sure, it doesn't happen overnight, but vapes can take you closer to your goal if used correctly.  

Be kind to yourself while keeping your mind on the mark. Most transitioners slowly reduce their nicotine intake in the course of a year and finally quit it.  

All the best on your journey to recovery!