Vaping hasn’t been around that long, but it’s already become quite popular, with vape shops and vape stores popping up everywhere. But there’s still a lot of misconceptions about vaping and many questions about its safety and effects on health.
Many of those who start vaping do so because they want to quit smoking. But are e-cigarettes really better for you? Or is vaping just as bad as smoking nicotine-filled cigarettes? Let’s jump into the vaping vs. smoking debate and look into why vaping is the healthier option.
These are just some of the many health benefits of vaping vs. smoking:
There are fewer harmful chemicals like carbon monoxide and ammonia in e-cigarettes
According to the NHS, while e-cigarettes sometimes contain nicotine, they don’t have any of the other harmful substances you inhale when you smoke tobacco.
Cigarettes contain a deadly amount of harmful toxins, including things like hydrogen cyanide, carbon monoxide, ammonia, arsenic, formaldehyde, nitrosamines, benzene, lead, chromium, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, butane, naphthalene, and cadmium. And the list goes on! Many of these chemicals are carcinogens and neurotoxins. Some cause DNA damage and are toxic to our organs.
Meanwhile, vape juice only has a handful of ingredients. These usually include nicotine, vegetable glycerine, propylene glycol, and flavourings. Not all e-cigarettes contain nicotine, the addictive chemical in tobacco products. In some places, such as Australia, there are bans on nicotine-containing vape juice.
Because you’re exposed to far fewer toxins when vaping vs. cigarette smoking, there’s significantly less risk to your health and you add more years to your life.
You get to live longer
Cigarette smokers will definitely live longer if they replace smoking with vaping, says a study that was published in the journal Tobacco Control. This study found that if 6.6 million smokers switch to vaping and do it over a 10-year period instead of smoking, they could gain a combined 86.7 million years of life. That is amazing, isn’t it?
The effect on health and longevity probably has something to do with the fact that vaping isn’t anywhere near as toxic as smoking cigarettes. According to the researchers, it also helps that vaping is such an effective way of getting cigarette smokers to give up tobacco.
When former smokers choose to start vaping instead, there are tremendous health benefits. These include reduced risk of the diseases that plague smokers, less disability from these diseases, and less pain and suffering. It also helps those around you live longer, as their exposure to deadly second-hand smoke is reduced.
It’s less addictive than smoking
Nicotine is what makes smoking so addictive. It flows through your bloodstream and leaves you with that feeling of wanting more and more. Before you know it, you’ve finished an entire pack of cigarettes, your mouth feels disgusting, and your entire body is reeking of cigarette smoke.
Vaping is really good at weaning smokers off nicotine. You still get that satisfying feeling of placing a stick between your lips, especially trying one like this DAVINCI MIQRO, sucking smoke through your mouth, and exhaling it out your nostrils. But not all e-cigarettes contain nicotine, which means it doesn’t become as addicting a habit as smoking.
Lots of former chain smokers vape as the first step towards kicking their nicotine habit. It’s a very effective technique because it doesn’t feel like you’re depriving yourself of something (the act of smoking), even if you actually are (no nicotine hit). And because the addictive chemical in cigarettes isn’t there, it’s not hard to quit.
Vaping is a great aid for quitting tobacco, especially for those who smoke for reasons like anxiety and weight loss. Vaping for anxiety and vaping for weight loss are just as effective as smoking as a way to cope with stress or to fend off food cravings. The big difference is that vaping isn’t as nasty as smoking.
It’s better for the environment and for non-smokers
Cigarette smoke is bad for the environment in so many ways. The smoke is toxic and contributes to air pollution and the greenhouse effect. It puts your own health at risk, as well as those of the non-smokers around you.
Second-hand and third-hand smoke are known to be detrimental to health. Studies have shown that they can lead to heart disease, cancer, and other diseases. If you’re a smoker, you should really think about your family’s health and quit.
Then there’s the trash produced. The cigarette butts, the discarded cigarette packs, the disposable plastic lighters, and the matches. There’s also the fires that start as a result of smokers disposing of their cigarette butts in a careless fashion.
None of these is a concern with vaping. There’s less waste produced, as the e-cigarette itself can be used for a long time. The smoke isn’t bothersome to others and is nowhere near as harmful as cigarette smoke. Stores like VIP carry a wide assortment of e-liquids that produce distinct flavours and clouds of sweet-smelling vapours.