Smokers don’t seem to be much better informed about vaping than anyone else, which is unfortunate – after all they’re the ones who potentially have most to gain. It isn’t really a surprise though because smokers read the same newspapers, complete with the same alarming stories. Just to help set the record straight here are three facts every smoker should know about e-cigs.
Disclaimer: Before reading what follows please keep in mind that electronic cigarettes are generally considered as a tobacco harm-reduction tool. The use of e-cigarettes is not medically recognized as a mean for facilitating smoking cessation.

Smokers don’t seem to be much better informed about vaping than anyone else, which is unfortunate – after all they’re the ones who potentially have most to gain. It isn’t really a surprise though because smokers read the same newspapers, complete with the same alarming stories. Just to help set the record straight here are three facts every smoker should know about e-cigs.

#1- E-cigarettes are much safer than the tobacco kind

According to WHO tobacco kills around 6 million people each year
According to WHO tobacco kills around 6 million people each year

How many times have you read an article that claims e-cigs are as dangerous as smoking? A lot of journalists have repeated this, usually based on pretty shoddy science, and the signs are that a lot of people believe it – both in Britain and the USA less than half of smokers believe that vaping is safer than smoking, and this number is going down. The message that the new technology is at least as bad as burning tobacco is being received loud and clear.

The truth, however, is very different. Last year Public Health England carried out the most detailed study of vaping that’s ever been done, and their conclusion was pretty decisive – electronic cigarettes are at least 95% safer than the old-fashioned kind. A lot of people think this means they will kill 5% as many of their users. If this was true it would still be fairly impressive, but in fact there’s no evidence so far that e-cigarettes have the potential to kill anyone. That 5% potential risk includes the “danger” of nicotine addiction; it isn’t actually clear that nicotine, when separated from tobacco, is addictive at all.

#2- From smoking to vaping, switching will save you a fortune

For now vaping is much cheaper than smoking.
For now vaping is much cheaper than smoking.

Lots of smokers look at the price of an e-cigarette – usually starting at about #20 – and compare that to what a pack of cigarettes costs; then they carry on smoking. That’s understandable, but it’s also a costly mistake.

A pack of cigarettes is a disposable item; you buy them, you smoke them and they’re gone. A refillable e-cigarette is different. You buy it, then as long as you keep it supplied with liquid and replacement parts it will give you months or years of service. The initial cost of the kit will pay for itself in days; spend that #20 now and by the time you need to get another #5 bottle of liquid you will already have saved yourself the cost of four or five packs of cigarettes.

The average long-term vaper spends as much on liquid and new coils every week as they did on cigarettes in a day. Even with a bit of trial and error to find the equipment and flavours that work best, you can save hundreds of pounds in the first couple of months.

#3- Switching or quitting?

Many health professionals consider smoking as one of the most dangerous thing to do in your life.
Because of the thousands of chemicals combined in tobacco smoke that boost nicotine into your blood, smoking is highly addictive.

Some people say there’s no evidence that e-cigarettes help smokers quit. Others insist that they do. We think this is the wrong question to ask.

Quitting smoking is hard. Most smokers have tried it more than once; whether you use patches or gum, hypnotherapy or the traditional cold turkey method the failure rate is around 95%. Plenty of scientists have theories about exactly why quitting is so difficult, but they tend to miss out one vital detail: Most smokers don’t really want to quit. They say they do when someone with a clipboard asks them, but they don’t really mean it. The fact is most smokers keep smoking because they enjoy it.

Now think of the language used about smokers. They should quit the habit they enjoy. They should give it up. It’s all about smoking cessation. But who wants to stop doing something they like? That’s what makes it so difficult. Just ask anyone who actually has quit, and they’ll tell you -for a long time, sometimes many years, they feel like something is missing from their lives.

Traditional stop-smoking aids like nicotine gum are designed to make it a little easier to give up the thing you enjoy. Electronic cigarettes are different. You don’t have to actually stop doing anything – you just do it in a better, more advanced way.

It’s true that early electronic cigarettes weren’t very satisfying compared to a tobacco one, but the technology has come a long way in just a few years; a modern e-cig, properly set up and filled with a good liquid, is a whole different story. It isn’t just an acceptable substitute; it’s a lot better. You can tailor how much nicotine you want, choose from a huge range of delicious flavours and customise the whole experience so it’s exactly the way you prefer. Of course it’s also more socially acceptable, much cheaper and 95% safer. Switching to e-cigs is the equivalent of swapping your old manual typewriter for a high-end laptop.

We’ve seen some incredible stories in the media, and no doubt there will be a lot more in the future. It’s best not to pay too much attention, though. Instead look at what real medical experts are saying – people like Public Health England and the Royal College of Physicians. Read the words of the thousands of vapers who’ve put their switching stories online. It’s not hard to find the facts about e-cigarettes, and once you’ve done that you might feel a lot more positive about giving them a chance.

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TAZZ241974
TAZZ241974
7 years ago

Except e-liquid isn’t $5 a bottle.

Rick
Rick
Reply to  TAZZ241974
7 years ago

Some are less than $5…

Andy
Andy
Reply to  Rick
7 years ago

wtf none are less than 5$

Rick
Rick
Reply to  Andy
7 years ago

There are lots of liquids to be bought for less than $5 for a 10ml bottle. WTF ARE you talking about.

Cavaz
Cavaz
Reply to  Rick
7 years ago

If you do the liquids by yourself you spend less than $5.

Rick
Rick
Reply to  Cavaz
7 years ago

Nope, 10ml bottles sold for as low as $2.99 from a well known US ecig store that are very good.

Phil Lee
Phil Lee
Reply to  Rick
6 years ago

Then can you tell me where their nearest branch to me is, here in the UK, where this article was written about?
If not, add the return fare to wherever it is – or at least the shipping. Oops I forgot – by the time it gets here it will be confiscated by customs as it won’t be in TPD compliant bottles with all the correct markings.
High street prices here in the UK (as I well know, as I live here) START at five POUNDS per 10ml for anything even vaguely worth vaping. That is why I mix my own, although the TPD is putting a heavy cramp in that, as we can’t buy nicotine concentrate any more Well, from the end of tomorrow, anyway.
The TPD equates a tankful of juice to a cigarette, hence the 2ml limit on tank size, and 2% limit in nicotine concentration, but where cigarettes MUST be sold in bulk pack of at least 20 (supposedly to put the price out of reach of teenagers), e-juice is limited to the equivalent of 5. Watch for the sandbag falling as teenagers old enough to smoke but too poor to do so vape instead! Of course, they’ll blame vaping, when it’s their won messing around that will have created the problem.
But the level of harm reduction is such that even if everyone started vaping tomorrow, and tobacco was banned. the net harm would be REDUCED.

Commonsense
Commonsense
Reply to  Phil Lee
6 years ago

Dude you are getting ripped in the UK. I bought a 120ml brand for $7 at fuggin vapor. check it out

Vicki Champagne
Vicki Champagne
Reply to  Commonsense
6 years ago

This is true about fuggin vapor. However, they are my least favorite juice with alot of really sweet flavors. I will not buy from them again……

Jacob Sonderegger
Jacob Sonderegger
Reply to  Vicki Champagne
6 years ago

Try northlandvapor. It’s my go to. They don’t use any sweeteners in their juice. Normal price is 14.99 for a 120ml bottle. Sales go down to 9.99 all the time. Sign up to their text thing and it will let you know when a sale happens. Recent sale I got was 3 120ml = 360ml of juice for 30 bucks and free one day shipping.

wendy
wendy
Reply to  Rick
6 years ago

I pay £1 FOR MY e LIQUID. its fine. no need to pay any more.

Rick
Rick
Reply to  Andy
7 years ago

You still spending more than $5 for liquids???

Mike
Mike
Reply to  Andy
7 years ago

Independent vapor company $9 30ml great premium ingredients free shipping and great customer service on breakage or issues

Andy5654
Andy5654
7 years ago

Good juice might not be 5 a bottle but still cheaper than cigs when you figure a bottle will last 3 days to a week or more depending how much you vape your still saving over spending 6 to 7 a day for 1 pack of cigarettes

Jen Dowie
Jen Dowie
Reply to  Andy5654
6 years ago

$6 for a 10ml 😀

Travis Bartges
Travis Bartges
7 years ago

They are talking 5 pounds sterling which is the British monetary system it is a British article for you uneducated people in the room which roughly translates between $3.50 – $5 American per pound depending on exchange rate

Reba
Reba
7 years ago

So breathing this into your lungs is safe? or just safer than cigs?
Do you really think pulling vaporized “juice” into your lungs is healthy and safe?

Rick
Rick
Reply to  Reba
7 years ago

100% safe…

darkcg
darkcg
Reply to  Rick
6 years ago

100% not studied in the long term. As much as I can say, manufacturers put sugars in the eJuices. Is this really safe in the long term?

Rick
Rick
Reply to  darkcg
6 years ago

Sugars??? That’s crazy! Where did you hear that?

WV
WV
Reply to  Rick
6 years ago

VG is sweet in it’s natural unadulterated state. PG is used in asthma medications and is slightly sweet. Both VG and PG have been used for many years in food preservation. Safer than the traditional cigarettes, yes. Adding sugar, no. Before there is even a comment on “popcorn flavor additive”, it has already been outlawed so why would it be used in e-juice when it is to be a safer alternative. The vaping community can not say 100% that vaping is completely safe and will have no side effects, what we can say is that it is SAFER than traditional cigarettes and better at smoking cessation than other nicotine products.I myself have not fully quit or completely switched to vaping. I unfortunately have that issue where the morning cigarette with my cup of coffee sitting on the back porch is hard to stop, but the rest of the day I vape. I do feel better, my kids are happier, that in itself is enough for me.

Commonsense
Commonsense
Reply to  Reba
6 years ago

It is Vegetable Glycerin, this is used in many food products today. That’s like asking if eating vegetables or food is safe.

To answer your question, yes still safe.

Robert Johnson
Robert Johnson
7 years ago

Don’t know if it’s safer for me but it’s safer for my family as I’m not exhaling smoke.

Jen Dowie
Jen Dowie
6 years ago

*”Some people say there’s no evidence that e-cigarettes help smokers quit.”**

I’M RIGHT HERE! LIVING PROOF!

Michael Tiner
Michael Tiner
6 years ago

A real danger is uping your nicotine intake & I see it all the time. Nicotine is a poison and addicts should work at lowering their intake.

Commonsense
Commonsense
Reply to  Michael Tiner
6 years ago

The average smoker absorbs 1mg of nicotine per cigarette, which equates to 20 mg per pack. The average vape usage 3mg-6mg “per bottle” which lasts a week or more depending on bottle size. Intake is lowered by default.

Mitchell Terblanche
Mitchell Terblanche
Reply to  Commonsense
6 years ago

The nicotine rating on the bottle is typically ‘per ml’. So thats 90mg for a 30ml bottle at 3mg/ml.
That being said, I’ve heard that nicotine is less efficiently absorbed with vaping compared to cigarettes, but I don’t know the exact science here.

captaingrumpy
captaingrumpy
Reply to  Mitchell Terblanche
6 years ago

The nicotine rating is per 100ml. Stop talking rubbish.

Mitchell Terblanche
Mitchell Terblanche
Reply to  captaingrumpy
6 years ago

Not where I come from. You would not even notice 3mg within a 100ml bottle. Plus this would then change with bottle size so how would this make sense as a measure of strength?

Renee Adams
Renee Adams
6 years ago

I QUIT SMOKING CIGARETTES 3 YRS AGO THANKS TO VAPING, I STILL VAPE BUT
0 NICOTINE , AND SO MUCH CHEAPER THAN CIGARETTES I KNOW MY HUBBY STILL SMOKES CIGARETTES.

Ben
Ben
6 years ago

I have been a pack a day smoker for 20 years and have tried patches and gum and I hated both. I tried vaping and found I really enjoyed it just as much if not more than smoking. I feel healthier and I don’t smell like smoke all the time. It has only been 5 months but to be honest the smell and taste of tobacco repulses me now.

Daniel Gering
Daniel Gering
6 years ago

All I can really say is the switch from getting nicotine from cigarettes vs vapes (mods) was a huge win, win for me and my family. I smoked 1 pack per day cigarettes when I smoked them. I invested $85 for a nice mod and an additional $40 for my tank (since the one that came with the mod was too small for me. I basically spent a whole months worth of cigarette money on a good vape. Now, I buy 120 ml of e-juice for under $10 a pop and lasts me anywhere from 2 to 4 weeks per bottle. I’ve spent $150 or less for a whole years worth of e-juice vs the $100-$150 per week on cigarettes. I stopped cigarettes two years ago, and rely on vaping to get my nicotine rush. I could take it farther, and actually reduce the amount of nicotine I get in my e-juice and could literally quit altogether. However, I enjoy smoking and won’t totally give it up. My breath and clothing doesn’t smell like cigarettes, I can vape in my home when I couldn’t with cigarettes.. for me it was a total win, win. I’ve saved hundreds, if not thousands of dollars buy using a vape and e-juice!!

Mark
Mark
6 years ago

”Some people say there’s no evidence that e-cigarettes help smokers quit”

There is however plenty of evidence that patches, gum and the rest are extremely poor at helping most smokers to quit, so time to try something else perhaps? The anecdotal evidence thus far suggests vaping already exceeds the success rate for quit attempts of other methods, and that’s in a climate of relentless negative media coverage.

Rick
Rick
Reply to  Mark
6 years ago

The people you heard that from are lying… Ecigs are the best, easiest and safest way to quit smoking. PERIOD !

Eric Durak
Eric Durak
5 years ago

I have been involved with smoking cessation for almost a decade, and the issue of vaping is a big deal here in California now. I like Vaping Post as it has much of the relevant issues relating to the industry. I wanted to run some quick numbers by the audience relating to cigarette vs. vaping costs. Here in Callie – the cost of a pack runs from $8.50 to $10.00 USD. That’s about $3,000-3,600 per year for a pack a day smoker. JUUL kits on their web site cost $50.00 (kit) and $16.00 (pods). Using two per week – that’s about $1586.00 USD a year. V2 brand kit costs $40.00 and pods are $30.00. This is $2,840 per year for V2. Lastly, Blu (according to their web site), has a $43.00 kit plus $9.00 flavor pods. This is about $115.00 per month (with cost of kit) and $907.00 per year USD. So smoking does cost more, but only about 20% more than V2, 50% more than JUUL, and about 3 times more than BLU. I believe the cost savings over time may be much less in medical costs due to breathing issues (inhalors, bronchiodilators, MD office visit, drug prescriptions, or any surgical procedures over time).