One of the most common misconceptions is that nicotine is the harmful component of cigarettes. This would make vaping just as dangerous. However, this is simply not true. Back in 2015, The Royal Society for Public Health published a study suggesting that nicotine is no more harmful than caffeine.
The report detailed the estimated 400 chemicals that go into a single cigarette. 250 of these are known to cause life threatening diseases such as cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart disease, mouth cancer, and throat cancer. According to the ONS in 2020, 6.7 million people in the UK were smokers.
Smoking kills approximately 100,000 people per year. These deaths are entirely preventable. However, due to the lack of understanding about nicotine and nicotine replacement products, people are scared away from the readily available resources we have.
The first question we need to answer is: what is nicotine?
Nicotine is a naturally occurring substance found in the tobacco plant. It is, of course, a highly addictive substance; ranking as the third strongest “dependence-forming drug” behind heroin and crack cocaine. Now, this might sound dangerous. But, whilst any addiction can have negative repercussions, research shows that nicotine might not be the worst addiction. In fact, there is evidence that nicotine in small concentrations is not damaging to health. There are no signs that it is a direct carcinogen and it is not associated with cardiovascular diseases.
Despite there being evidence that nicotine is no more harmful than caffeine, many still believe that nicotine is the worst substance in cigarettes. According to RSPH, a 2019 survey indicated that 90% of non-smokers and 79% of smokers believed that nicotine is harmful to health. The truth is that nicotine is a highly addictive substance. This substance happens to be a key ingredient in cigarettes, which also happen to contain 69 cancer-causing chemicals, among many other dangerous substances. The nicotine only creates dependency.
Now that we have established what nicotine is and its role in tobacco addiction, we can begin to explore the effectiveness of vape products in helping smokers to quit. A survey concluded that 69% of smokers did not know that nicotine replacement products were less dangerous than cigarettes, and 76% did not know that they were less addictive. Vaping is not 100% risk free, but up to date research shows that it is far safer than cigarettes.
This misconception means that many smokers do not realise the other options they have. Beyond this, as a society we have failed to utilise the resources we have to help people to quit smoking.
Vaping is such an effective tool and differs from other NRP products (i.e patches). Unlike many other nicotine replacement products (i.e. patches), e-cigarettes allow vapers to control their nicotine cravings and can recreate the aspects of smoking that can be equally as addictive as the nicotine itself. For example, the feeling of holding a cigarette can easily be replicated with an e-cigarette. The throat hit you get when inhaling the vapour can imitate the sensation of inhaling tobacco. The stronger your nicotine strength, the stronger the throat hit.
According to gov.co.uk, 50,000 people managed to quit smoking with the aid of a vaping product. John Newton, the Director of Health Improvement at Public Health England, believes that “thousands more could have quit except for unfounded safety fears about e-cigarettes.”
We cannot determine the long term effects of vaping. However, it is clear that vaping products present as safer alternative to smoking tobacco cigarettes.
The world of vaping can be difficult to navigate and it comes with many questions. A frequently asked question is “How do I know which nicotine strength is right for me?”
Now, where you choose to begin and how you choose to vape is entirely up to you. However, we would advise that you use a reputable vape company, as they will give you the best advice. It is advised that, if you are vaping to quit smoking, you should cut out cigarettes entirely.
Vaping allows you to control your nicotine strength. This means you can start off on a higher level of nicotine and then gradually move to lower strengths until you no longer need nicotine in your e-liquid. Generally, it is recommended that those who smoke one to five a day should begin with 3mg of nicotine. If you smoke six to ten a day, 6 mg is suggested, those who smoke 11 to 15 a day should opt for 12 mg. If you smoke over 20 a day, 18 mg of nicotine. Eventually, you may feel confident enough to vape with 0 mg of nicotine.
The research presented by the RSPH concludes that nicotine itself is no more harmful than caffeine. Other than being a highly addictive substance, the only real risk comes when it encourages dependency on tobacco cigarettes, which can cause a variety of life-threatening diseases.
If this information was more widely known, perhaps more smokers would turn to vaping. Perhaps next year more than 50,000 people will have taken action to quit.
Recently turned to vaping? SMKD sells a wide variety of vape devices, nic shots and e-liquids to get you started, along with all the expert advice from our highly trained in store staff. You can purchase any of our products both online and in our SMKD stores.
We hope this article eased your worries about nicotine and vaping. If you found it useful, why not follow us on social media to keep up to date with our latest news, reviews, and FAQs. Visit our vape news page for the most recent SMKD news.