Does Vaping Helps to Quit Smoking?
There’s something undeniably cool about putting an electronic device in your mouth, sucking it for a bit, and feeling the rush of nicotine. That is why more and more young people are getting hooked on vaping. Completely understandable. Some people start using various vaping products because they believe it will allow them to limit their cigarette use. Is it only an unsubstantiated claim, or is it a viable option? Let’s find out!
The youth
The biggest problem with vaping is that, although it is less harmful than smoking cigarettes, it still damages your body. The times when smoking cigarettes was cool are refutably gone, now the marketing campaigns guide us toward the next cool thing. Most adults don’t have trouble seeing through smart marketing tricks.
Unfortunately, it is harder for kids to see that vaping can be dangerous as well. Nicotine addiction is one thing, but some of the students are lured in by the futuristic-looking equipment. Most high-school students know what is the best RDA on the market, whereas most adults won’t even know what RDA is. Vape cartridges often have flavors that are specifically meant for kids – strawberry, watermelon or orange.
Is it better for you?
It is undeniable that the adverse effects of vaping are much less severe than those of normal cigarettes. Regular cigarettes contain about 600 different ingredients. But when they are burned, about 7000 new chemicals are created. 69 of them are proven to cause cancer. Those numbers are astonishing.
The harm done by vaping is incomparably smaller, but it’s still there. There are cases of lung injuries caused by vaping. What’s most important is that vaping products contain nicotine, which is highly addictive. It is toxic, but it also increases your heart rate, which means that you are more likely to suffer a heart attack. Vaping became popular relatively recently, so the researchers still aren’t sure about the true extent of the possible damages.
The research
Okay, but are vaping products helpful in fighting the cigarette addiction? The short answer is: yes. This study claims that they are more effective than other nicotine-replacement therapies. Although after one year, the abstinence rate was twice as high in the case of e-cigarettes as compared to nicotine-replacement therapies, 18% is not a high rate. Additionally, participants who used e-cigarettes reported an increase in cases of throat and mouth irritation.
So what now?
Although its success rates could be higher, vaping can be used as a replacement to traditional cigarettes. It still poses a risk to health, but the effects are noticeably smaller. If you think that you are in the lucky 18%, then you may give it a try. To make this attempt the most successful, you should start with a significant amount of nicotine. Why? Isn’t the nicotine the culprit, of which you are to stay clear from? If your addiction is somewhat strong, too little nicotine wouldn’t satisfy the urge enough. Only a relatively high dose will ensure that you won’t return to real cigarettes.
Once you get used to vaping, you should lower the amount of nicotine. It shouldn’t be done too hastily – your efforts should be meticulous, without one false move. Okay, that’s maybe too much, but it’s better to delay the progress than to revert to your previous practices. Most companies offer products with varying levels of nicotine content, so you can delay your eventual victory until you think you are ready.
Once the nicotine content is low enough and your body no longer craves it above everything else, from time to time, you’ll find yourself in a peculiar situation. You’ll go to your work, and you’ll find out that you have forgotten your little oblong friend. And your irritation levels will be mediocre. With time, similar occurrences will become more and more frequent. Of course, it is easier said than done – achieving a victory over your nicotine addiction will take time and effort, but it is certainly possible. Just don’t bite off more than you can chew and take baby steps.
The aftermath
Although there are more damaging types of addictions that nicotine addiction, the fact that it is socially acceptable makes it harder to escape its claws. Your eventual victory will only come after many failed attempts. Is it hard to get rid of it? Absolutely, but it is worth the struggle. Vaping products may not be perfect tools in this fight, but in the absence of better alternatives, they’ll have to do. On no account are they a failsafe method. They pose risks on their own, but if you think that through a systematic lowering of the nicotine levels, you can end up triumphant, then give it a try.
