A lot of people are divided over the use of e-cigarettes, or what’s more commonly known as vaping. Supporters say that it’s a good way for people to quit smoking. While those who are against it say that the effects of vaping can actually be worse than smoking.
And according to a new study, vaping was found to be more effective in making people quit smoking than nicotine replacement surgery. In fact, people who vaped had a success rate that was twice that of those who quit using nicotine patches, gums, and similar products.
If you want to quit smoking, vaping might be the way to go
The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine and was conducted with 900 smokers in the U.K.
The smokers belonged to centers that were helping them kick the habit. Half of the smokers were assigned more traditional forms of smoke cessation: nicotine patches, gums, and lozenges. The other half were given an e-cigarette kit, as well as e-juice, and were instructed to start vaping.
Aside from these, both the groups were given counseling sessions to help them with quitting. In order to observe the smokers’ progress, the researchers measured the amount of carbon monoxide in the air that they exhaled.
The researchers found that most of those who started vaping were more likely to quit smoking entirely. They also didn’t suffer as much from the effects of withdrawal such as irritability, a lack of focus, and a tendency to relapse into smoking. This meant that vaping might actually be a better solution compared to traditional forms of treatment for smoking.
Near the end of the study, almost 18 percent of the group that used e-cigarettes have completely stopped smoking. On the other hand, only 9.9% of those who underwent the regular treatment were able to quit.
These numbers might seem a bit low, but long-time smokers know just how difficult it is to kick the habit. And compared to other forms of smoking cessation, vaping seems like the best way to go about it.
Should you start vaping?
There’s no doubt that a lot of smokers do want to quit smoking. However, smoking is very addictive, and it’s extremely difficult to quit completely.
This is why a lot of people have turned to vaping, which provides a similar buzz and experience to smoking, and reportedly without the harmful effects.
But the problem is that vaping is a relatively new trend. Scientists still don’t know what the long-term effects of vaping could be, and whether it could cause more health problems compared to cigarettes.
Vaping has been linked to lung problems such as popcorn lung, and a recent study found that it can increase the risk for stroke and heart attack. Vaping itself can also be addictive, especially for those using e-juice that contains nicotine.
This is why for smokers who are looking to start vaping to kick their habit need to do a lot of research beforehand. It’s always a good idea to weigh the risks and benefits before trying something new.
