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© (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2016.Scientific evidence grows for e-cigarettes as quit-smoking method
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BertieWooster
It works. Two of the people I work with quit easily, painlessly with e-cigarettes. They adjusted the nicotine content until it was zero. They no longer smoke, nor use e-cigarettes. Both of these people had done everything else from cold turkey to patches and one of them had been so addicted that he would go nuts on a long plane flight.
Strangerland
I have a friend back home, smoked for 25 years, and for the past two years has been vaping only. Same thing - cut the nicotine down to zero over time.
I just worry that vaping will turn out to cause cancer in even higher numbers than tobacco does.
jonobugs
I have no idea on the efficacy of e-cigarette smoking as a means for quitting smoking but if it does work then it wouldn't matter too much if long term usage causes cancer as the whole idea is to quit. In the process of quitting they are not affecting others around them nearly as much, so it's an added bonus. I also doubt that it would be worse than tobacco as they are controlling which drugs are introduced (ie. pretty much only nicotine, right?) whereas cigarettes have many different substances that have been shown to cause cancer.
Strangerland
It depends - if it turns out that vaping causes cancer at a rate 20 times more than tobacco, then smoking a vape for a year would give you roughly the same odds as smoking for 20 years.
The problem with vaping is that it's so new that we don't really know the effects of it.
But what other chemicals are in the vape juice? And is it regulated?
BertieWooster
The problem with vaping is that it does work as a method of reducing or quitting cigarette use and therefore cuts into tobacco companies' profits.
We can expect much more of this unethical behaviour if and when the TPP actually gets implemented.
SwissToni
Strangerland, the vaping fluids contain far fewer substances and so fewer toxins than tobacco products. They are not risk free, as the user is still taking nicotine into the system and this has the usual impact on the heart. But the other carcinogens and particulates that tobacco provides are not there.
It's important to buy vaping fluids from an established manufacturer, there are cheaper or knock off fluids available and they may contain odd ingredients to promote vapour production. Two in my family have quit this way and it turned out to be relatively low cost and surprisingly fuss free. I think the plan should be to quit though. You're right , there's been no study on long term use as e-cigs simply haven't been around long enough. It's not true to say we don't know what's in the fluids though. They do get tested and bona fide makers will publish their ingredients.
Strangerland
But is this regulated? And have long-term tests been done on vaping the chemicals they report using?
I think vaping probably is much better than smoking tobacco. But, that's just my suspicion. Long-term testing needs to be done to find out more specifics.
SwissToni
As I explained, long term testing hasn't been done. These products haven't been around for the 20-30 years required to accumulate the data. The regulatory environment is different in each territory, some are more regulated than others. The article aims to provide some reassurance in that the available data points to a significant improvement over tobacco smoke, although people who vape are still inhaling chemicals into their lungs. Some of those chemicals are indeed known carcinogens, but again in lower quantities than tobacco. It's on that basis that the general consensus is vaping is safer than smoking tobacco and may be of great benefit as an aid to quitting.
Strangerland
I hope you're right.
John Becker
I smoked a pack a day for 32 years. I got an e-cig in 2011 and after just 4 days, didn't need cigarettes anymore. I used the e-cig for roughly 5 months, then quit using that too. I've been cigarette-free since July 26, 2011 and nicotine-free since January 2, 2012. I have no cravings, even in the situations that required a cigarette back when I was smoking. And it's much easier to survive the long flight to Japan when I visit.
I can't say that an e-cigarette will work for everyone who is trying to quit smoking, but it worked for me.
SwissToni
Strangerland, look at the research. Then you pays your money, you takes your choice.