I know we all know that e-cigarettes are less harmful and addictive than smoking. But, it’s always nice to see a new story that highlights the obvious. This guest post adds yet more fuel to the fire as it were. As usual, the words are those of the guest authors, not mine.
According to studies conducted by the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health – or PATH for short – those who vape using e-cigarettes are far less addicted to that action than those who smoke regular tobacco cigarettes. This will come as no surprise to a lot of regular vapers, but with the pervasive lies that are spread concerning e-cigarettes it is a study worth completing – for those who sit on the fence about e-cigarettes being an effective method of quitting smoking it’s vital this news is spread far and wide.
Published in the medical journal Preventative Medicine, the study was an ongoing survey that used a huge sample to build the data from – 30,000 people. The sample contain a mixed bag of participants, from young to old from various backgrounds. Once all the answers were collected, they whittled down the survey into those relevant to the study, ie, those were frequently smoked/vaped – this left them with approximately 3500 participants.
95% of this sample were smokers of tobacco cigarettes, compared to 5% who vaped. However, from the vaping sample 93% were former smokers, which is an encouraging sign for those who wish to use vapes to quit smoking.
The study found that the vaping participants were far less likely to have cravings, didn’t have difficulty not smoking when not appropriate (like in private spaces) and didn’t identify as an addict compared to the smoking participants. It is also worth noting that e-cigarette users, on average, have their first use much later in the day compared to smokers, who have their first cigarette much earlier in comparison.
There is a follow-up study planned already for this, that will require those who take part to submit a blood and urine sample to monitor the users’ actual nicotine levels and compare with what they self-reported their dependence on it to be. This follow-up study will also monitor those who use e-cigs and regular cigarettes in order to get a better picture of a large sample that was overlooked in the original study.
What is worth noting about e-cigarettes is that the level of addiction they possess can be altered by the user. Certain vapes come with e-liquids that contain nicotine, the addictive substance found in regular cigarettes, while nicotine of itself isn’t actually harmful, there are plenty of other toxic ingredients to cigarettes that can kill. The fact the nicotine levels in e-cigarettes can be altered means that the user is able to slowly wean themselves off it, without having to go cold-turkey and make the process of quitting so much harder.
This study could spell the end of some of the ridiculous regulations placed upon the e-cigarette industry out of ignorance. This is wonderful news for those who want to utilise vapes as a way of finally kicking the nasty habit of smoking once and for all, rather than being put in the same bracket as those who still smoke – it is this kind of defeatist mentality that can really do a lot of damage to someone who is trying to quit smoking in earnest.
