Can I use a Vape to quit smoking?

Recent studies and statistics have been released for the public to view which has shown that the number of adult smokers has reached an all time low within the UK, which is fantastic to read! And to go hand in hand with that, the number of adult users of E-Cigarettes has also now reached the highest number it’s ever been, even more fantastic to read! 

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out that with the smoking rates going down, and e-cigarette use going up, more people are opting to give up on the smokes, and use an e-cigarette instead. And this is likely done a large majority of ex-smokers who used an E-Cigarette to help them quit smoking, and have managed to continue to abstain from relapse and gone back to smoking. 

So, in answer to the question of this blog, YES, you can use a vape to help you quit smoking, just like the millions of people that have done so already! The NHS website have published a dedicated help page regarding this matter, and in this article, I’m going to take a look at it and analyse and break it down in my own words and views and give a full explanation why using an e-cigarette to help you quit, as well as using 2X Vape juices as your vape juice of choice will make this process even easier! 

Vaping to get your Nicotine is substantially less harmful than smoking cigarettes

This is the first claim that is made on the NHS website on the subject of using a vape to quit smoking, and the reason they’ve said this is because it’s been factually proven that vaping is substantially less harmful than smoking! And to give more back up to this statement, Public Health England made the claim that “Vaping is 95% safer than smoking” back in 2016, and in a report commissioned by them at the tail end of last year, they further lamented this statement by standing by what they previously said 6 years prior. 

When a cigarette is lit, there’s over 7000 different chemicals created and released within the smoke from a cigarette. And it’s known that there is a minimum of 250 of those chemicals are harmful to a person, with Carbon Monoxide being one of the main perpatraitors that is prominent within cigarette smoke.

And to add in one more fact, nearly 70 of these chemicals are known to cause cancer. Crazy to think that there are that many chemicals on the whole present in cigarette smoke, and even crazier knowing how many of them are actually cancer causing chemicals as well! 

Now looking at Vaping, you can see why this is 95% safer than smoking, because there are zero cancer causing chemicals found within vape juice, or in the vapour produced once the juice has been heated up and expelled. There are a few chemicals found in vapour that are the same as the ones found in cigarette smoke, BUT, the levels of them found within the vapour are so miniscule they are not considered a risk. 

Vaping cannot be deemed 100% safer than smoking due to the fact it has not been round long enough for any long term research to be carried out on the potential risks, however, short term research has not shown any significant risks. 

How vaping can help make the process of quitting smoking easier

Vaping is the closest replicant of smoking a cigarette that you can get, without actually smoking a cigarette or tobacco. Instead, you use an “electronic cigarette” to deliver the nicotine to your system, and create vapour rather than smoke. 

This vapour is created from the e-liquid you use being heated up, and turned to vapour. And in doing this, the nicotine is absorbed into your system as the vape juice you use will likely be containing a specific level of nicotine that is relevant to how much you previously smoked.

Vape juices comes in varying different nicotine strengths, and it’s important that you get the right strength based on how much you smoked, as if you pick a strength that’s too low, you won’t be getting enough nicotine that you were previously accustomed to, and the cravings will still be rife. And if you were to get a strength that was too high, this will probably be too harsh on your throat and not be a pleasurable vaping experience for you! 

Nicotine is not harmful!

A lot of people’s misperceptions about Nicotine is that it is one of the harmful chemicals that is found in a cigarette, this is WRONG. And the NHS website even says that it’s not very harmful and has been safely used in medicines to help people quit smoking for many many years.

If Nicotine was harmful, would Doctors be prescribing things like nicotine patches, and other forms of Nicotine Replacement Therapy to their patients? I don’t think so! 

Nicotine is a highly addictive chemical though, and people can easily form a dependency on it once they start smoking, and that’s the hardest thing to overcome when it comes to quitting smoking.

Which is why people are recommended to use a form of Nicotine Replacement Therapy to help them along as it prevents going cold turkey, and then withdrawal symptoms setting in which can be quite nasty. 

Why vaping is the most successful form of Nicotine Replacement Therapy today

The NHS website has this quote which summaries it perfectly; 

You’re roughly twice as likely to quit smoking if you use a vape compared with other nicotine replacement products, like patches and gum.

I’ve also written a separate article documenting another reporting that shows Vaping is the most effective form of Nicotine Replacement Therapy that is available today. GPs and local Stop Smoking Services are recommending E-Cigarettes to help people stop smoking. However, E-Cigarettes are not available on prescription like other forms of NRT like patches, gum, and sprays.

BUT some Stop Smoking Services around the country have been trialling out a “Voucher to Vape” scheme which has seen success, and if funding from the Government happens like we are all hoping, this might be happening a lot more in the hopefully not so distant future. 

Breaking the routines and rituals of smoking cigarettes 

The NHS website talks about the above mentioned, of breaking the routines and rituals of what you used to do when it came to smoking a cigarette, and I’m going to touch on this subject with my own input. 

When I used to manage a vape shop in my home city, I always used to talk about this in depth with my customers who came to see me wanting to quit smoking. At the end of the day, you’re breaking a habit, and this may be a habit you may have had for a long time. And it won’t be an easy task, but making small and sleight changes can make all the difference. 

Using an E-Cigarette to quit smoking is one of the best tools to help break these routines and rituals. People like having something in their hand, like a cigarette, they like blowing the smoke out also which can be replicated with the vapour produced from an E-Cig, and also people really enjoy the “social” aspect of smoking, sitting outside the local pub having a cigarette, or dipping out at work to the smoking area and having a natter. All of this can still be achieved, but you’ll just be using a considerably safer method in the form of an E-Cigarette rather than smoking an actual cigarette. 

Little changes like putting your vape where you normally kept your cigarettes at home so you reach for your vape rather than them, enjoy your first vape of the day like you would your first cigarette of the day. Small changes make big differences!

What E-Cigarette will be the best to use to help you quit? 

There are several different styles of e-cigarette out there, and it can be quite confusing if you’re looking at it without knowing anything about vaping! To put it in short, you’ll want a simple and straight forward vaping device to get you started, no need to break the bank and get an all singing and dancing device if it’s your first! 

Conclusion

If you didn’t already know the answer to the question which is the subject of this blog…YES, you can use a vape to quit smoking! 

It’s not a magic wand however, and you will need a certain level of determination and willpower to be able to succeed, but if you truly want to overcome this habit of smoking cigarettes that you may have, then an E-Cigarette is the right choice to turn towards to help you make this desire to quit a reality! 

I highly recommend reaching out to your local stop smoking service if you haven’t already, as these are made up of teams of experts that can give one to one advice and guidance on quitting smoking, and offer their support through what could be a potentially tough time for you. 

The NHS website I’ve been referencing a lot in this article has some really good tips and advice on there which is well worth checking out if you’re wanting to quit smoking. And also have a read through some of my other blogs I’ve written on here also as you may find them useful and answer any questions I may have missed in this one!