Are you trying to quit smoking cigarettes? If you’re open to trying something new, vaping might be the key to reaching your goal.
In 2015, about 68% of smokers said they wanted to quit smoking, but not everyone who tries is successful. For some people, every time they try, their efforts end up failing. Sometimes it lasts for a few days, a week, or even a couple of months, but they always go back to cigarettes. When they can’t quit on their own, they turn to nicotine patches, gum, and even pharmaceuticals to aid the process. These methods don’t always work either.
If this sounds familiar, you may want to try vaping. According to the data, vaping has a higher potential to help you quit smoking cigarettes than other, more traditional methods.
What is vaping?
Vaping is a simulated smoking experience that uses a battery-powered device to literally vaporize liquid containing nicotine. The vapor gets inhaled into the lungs and the nicotine is delivered into the bloodstream just like smoking a regular cigarette, but without burning tobacco or paper.
The original vapes were called e-cigarettes, and looked just like a regular cigarette. These were completely disposable. Soon, manufacturers started making devices that still looked a bit like cigarettes with a tapered mouthpiece and a refillable cartridge inside. Not long ago, vapes with large tanks were all the rage, but today’s vapes have evolved into more sleek designs that look a little less hokey.
Vapes are made of several basic components: a battery, a heating element, a sensor, and a liquid cartridge. When you inhale from the device, the sensor activates the mechanism that heats the liquid into vapor and sends it into the chamber to be inhaled.
How does vaping help you quit smoking?
The way vaping helps you quit smoking cigarettes is by being a replacement for your usual habit. Instead of smoking physical cigarettes with tobacco wrapped in paper, you vape your nicotine from liquid. Some people are addicted to the psychological aspect of smoking, while others are physically addicted purely to the nicotine. Vaping can help both types of addiction.
The benefits of vaping to stop smoking
If vaping becomes a replacement for smoking, you might be wondering why it’s beneficial to make the switch. If you’re still going to be inhaling a substance with health risks, why even bother?
This is a great question and a valid concern. When your goal is to stop smoking and be free from all substances, baby steps can help you get there. Not everyone can successfully quit smoking cold turkey, and sometimes a bridge makes it easier. For many people, vaping is that bridge.
So, what about the benefits of using vaping as a bridge to becoming cigarette-free?
- Vaping can be more effective than other methods. Harvard Health explains that when 61 studies were analyzed, between 9% and 14% of people effectively quit smoking by vaping. This is compared to 4% to 7% who used patches, behavior counseling, or other traditional smoking cessation methods.
Other studies have shown vaping can help people cut back on the number of cigarettes they smoke each day. And other studies found that regular smokers who vaped quit smoking even when they didn’t have any intention of quitting or cutting back. - Vaping is more affordable than cigarettes. Right off the bat, you’re going to spend less money on vaping, including refills. The average pack of cigarettes costs $8 in the U.S. and up to $14 in Canada. Depending on where you live, you might also have to pay a local tobacco tax, which makes cigarettes even more expensive.
Vape kits can cost between $10 and $20. Refills can be as cheap as $15 for a two-pack. Be intentional when you vape to ensure your cartridges or pods last as long as they should.
Whether you use a traditional e-cigarette, a traditional vape, or a disposable pod system, it’s cheaper. For instance, STLTH Pods are one of the most affordable options in the disposable vape market, yet the quality is still superior. You don’t have to buy the highest-end vape to get what you need, but even if you do, you’ll still pay less than you would to keep smoking cigarettes. - It’s easier to cut back. Since vapes provide a strong hit of nicotine with each inhale, it’s easier to cut back on the number of times you need a smoke or vape break. You’ll be more satisfied and you won’t need as much.
Precautions about vaping
If you’re going to try vaping to quit smoking, remember that one cartridge can have as much nicotine as 20 cigarettes. Make sure you aren’t inhaling more than necessary because it is possible to experience a nicotine overdose. Inhaling too much at one time can also train your brain to expect more nicotine than you’d get from a few drags off a cigarette. Try to keep yourself in check and remember that everything should be done in moderation.
Also, be careful with your cartridges, including enclosed pods. Absorbing the liquid into your skin or swallowing it is dangerous and can make you extremely sick. Always keep your vape devices and cartridges/pods away from babies, kids, and pets.
Withdrawal is real
Remember that whether you replace smoking with vaping, or you use your vape as a bridge to quit nicotine completely, you’ll end up going through some type of withdrawal. Depending on how much nicotine your body is used to receiving, and how abruptly you change that dosage (or stop), the impact might be intense.
You can quit smoking with perseverance
More than willpower, quitting smoking takes perseverance because you’ll probably need to try a few times before it sticks. Vaping can offer you a more comfortable way to ease into giving up cigarettes, whether it’s a permanent replacement or just temporary until you give it all up for good.
Whatever you encounter, just keep going. Even if it takes you several attempts, all that matters is that you eventually achieve your goal.
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