Vaping can help smokers quit, even when they don't plan to
There are already many studies that support vaping as a way of helping smokers quit. A recent study[1] found that those who take up vaping are even more likely to quit. This is the case even if they didn’t plan to stop smoking.
The study took place in the US and looked at the behaviours of 1600 people. The participants all smoked and had no intention of quitting. 28% of those who used an e-cig stopped smoking. Whereas, only 5.8% that didn’t vape decided to quit. Although we would like to see more quitting this is still a sign that vaping goes a long way to helping.
The Benefits Of Switching To Vaping
The are many benefits to vaping over smoking. Although not directly linked with health, cost is a big one. Vaping has been shown to be much cheaper than smoking, with one bottle of e-liquid costing much less than a pack of cigarettes. A recent ASH study[2] showed smoking is more common in low income households. This indicates that smoking is a huge financial burden on those with low incomes. Switching to vaping will take a massive weight off their shoulders as the costs come down.
There are different ways to transition. However, one of the best is to use both. Start off by still smoking but not as often. when you feel the need to smoke then use an e-cig. Over time start smoking less and kick the cravings by vaping instead. This method of dual-use[3] has been shown to help people quit smoking all together. Although, the most proven method to quit completely is to not smoke at all. This comes from the NCSCT that provide smoking cessation training.
Studies continue to show vaping is much safer than smoking. Even Public Health England[4] and Cancer Research UK[5] agree that is is 95% safer.
Vaping Has Already Helped Many Smokers Quit
Many ex-smokers across the UK and the world are feeling the benefits of switching from cigarettes. The NHS[6] found that 58-74% of those who used Stop Smoking Services to quit, managed to do so by vaping. However the public perception isn’t where it should be. The same study showed 38% of those surveyed believed vaping was just as harmful. A further 15% thought it was more harmful than smoking. Luckily the NHS and other health experts continue to endorse vaping. This should help to inform smokers about the benefits of using it as a tool to quit.
References
[1] Kasza, K.A., Edwards, K.C., Kimmel, H.L., Anesetti-Rothermel, A., Cummings, K.M., Niaura, R.S., Sharma, A., Ellis, E.M., Jackson, R., Blanco, C., Silveira, M.L., Hatsukami, D.K. and Hyland, A. (2021). Association of e-Cigarette Use With Discontinuation of Cigarette Smoking Among Adult Smokers Who Were Initially Never Planning to Quit. JAMA Network Open, [online] 4(12), pp.e2140880–e2140880. Available at: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2787453
[2] Smoking: Low income households. (n.d.). [online] Available at: https://ash.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/HIRP-Low-income-households.pdf
[3] Jackson, S.E., Shahab, L., West, R. and Brown, J. (2019). Associations between dual use of e-cigarettes and smoking cessation: a prospective study of smokers in England. Addictive Behaviors, p.106230.
[4] Public Health England (2015). E-cigarettes around 95% less harmful than tobacco estimates landmark review. [online] GOV.UK. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/e-cigarettes-around-95-less-harmful-than-tobacco-estimates-landmark-review
[5] Shahab, L., Goniewicz, M.L., Blount, B.C., Brown, J., McNeill, A., Alwis, K.U., Feng, J., Wang, L. and West, R. (2017). Nicotine, Carcinogen, and Toxin Exposure in Long-Term E-Cigarette and Nicotine Replacement Therapy Users. Annals of Internal Medicine, [online] 166(6), p.390. Available at: https://annals.org/aim/article-abstract/2599869/nicotine-carcinogen-toxin-exposure-long-term-e-cigarette-nicotine-replacement
[6] NHS Digital. (n.d.). Statistics on NHS Stop Smoking Services in England April 2019 to March 2020. [online] Available at: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/statistics-on-nhs-stop-smoking-services-in-england/april-2019-to-march-2020
