Smoking is one of the biggest causes of preventable death every year. According to the World Health Organization, tobacco use kills more than 8 million people worldwide each year. In recent years, some people have been using e-cigarettes as a way to quit smoking. However, the effectiveness of this strategy is still up for debate. Haleigh Passarella is a woman who says that her having a vape actually led to her using cigarettes more often.
“Honestly, if I didn’t have the vape, I probably wouldn’t even have smoked cigarettes, because like, I feel like the vape was kind of my gateway to that. So yeah, I definitely do not think that I would smoke cigarettes as frequently if I had didn’t have the vape.”
One of the biggest criticisms that comes with using a vape as a way to quit smoking is the fact that you are still using a nicotine product, which means you will still have a physical addiction. Combine that with the convenience of a vaping device, and many people believe that it’s a recipe for disaster. In Haleigh’s case, she uses the vape alongside cigarettes at times when smoking would be inconvenient.
“Because it’s way more convenient. I think it was really convenient for me to smoke cigarettes, I would definitely do it a lot more. But the vape is just so like… it’s just there.”
Ken Fischer is a man who smoked cigarettes for over 35 years. When he decided it was time to quit, he tried many times, with different strategies but they didn’t work for him.
“I couldn’t count them, there had to be 30 times or better I mean, a lot. I tried. I tried just cold turkey, no go, I tried the little patch you put on your arm and it didn’t work, I tried medication for about two or three days. And then I figured out I was allergic or something. So I quit using that. And that’s the end of it.”
Before getting a vaping device, Ken says the feeling he had of missing smoking is hard to explain to anyone who has never been a smoker themselves.
“The worst part of trying to quit without the vape is that you want it. You just want it. I honestly believe it’s just as much mental as it is physical.”
While the long term effects of vaping are currently unknown, Ken says that in the short term he feels his health has improved tremendously since switching to a vape.
“Way better, I feel better in the morning when I wake up. I don’t have that urge feeling like I have to get outside smoke right away. I don’t cough, I don’t wheeze and she doesn’t hear me coughing or wheezing at night when I’m sleeping and she always used to. And I sleep better.
Not only has this strategy worked for Ken, but one of his co-workers as well.
“I have offered advice to this woman at work. She smoked and she saw what I was doing, then she asked a lot of questions about it. I said you know what, you get something, you figure out how much nicotine you need, just try it. if you don’t like it, throw it out. You know, it can’t be worse for you than the actual smoke. And she’s switched to it and she’s doing the same as me. We’re both gradually decreasing slowly the nicotine content and my goal is to get down to zero.”
it is clear that vaping isn’t healthy, and as a means to quit smoking it isn’t the best strategy for everyone, But for some people it appears to be a saving grace from cigarettes. More research must be done on the short and long term effects of vaping, but some smokers have found vaping to be a breath of fresh air.
