Vaping Is More Effective For Quitting Smoking

A new study has found that vaping is not only a viable means of quitting smoking, but it’s also nearly two times more effective than nicotine replacement therapy. 

Released in the New England Journal of Medicine a British study has found evidence that vaping is nearly twice as effective than nicotine replacement therapy products, such as patches or gum, in helping users quit smoking. The study consisted of nearly 900 British adults with an average age of 41. So we’re talking about adult smokers here. These are typically going to be people who have been smoking for extended periods of time. Participants were recruited from a government smoking cessation program. So that means that the people involved in this study actually showed some motivation to award quitting smoking. They were split into two groups. One group received an e cigarette starter kit valued at $26 and the others received 3 months worth of their choice of NRT which was worth one hundred and fifty-nine dollars. All further supplies were to be purchased by the participant. All participants also received in person smoking cessation counseling for four weeks leading up to the study.

The study aims to set itself apart from others by providing new information. Many ther studies simply analyzed stats which can be a great tool for understanding trends and drawing conclusions. But this new study took it a step further by using chemical breathing tests to monitor carbon monoxide levels to see if participants had actually quit. In the results 18 percent of e-cigarette users totally abstain from smoking for a year, versus ten percent on NRT. Now this may not sound very impressive on its own. But looking deeper into the numbers reveal some interesting information. After 52 weeks, 80 percent of those who used e-cigarettes were still vaping while only 9% of NRT users stayed on their products. 

Dr. Ryan Courtney from the national drug and alcohol research centre in Australia commented on these findings indicating that energy users tended to stop treatment prematurely and had higher rates of relapse. He states that vaping is much more satisfying and enjoyable for smokers looking to quit, versus NRT some adverse reactions were noted over the course of the study. For NRT the most common complaint was nausea. And for vaping throat irritation was reported. But long-term findings like vaping with reduced coughing and phlegm production compared to smoking.

Overall the results were seeing here are very positive for vaping in comparison to NRT. Vaping is shown to be more effective cheaper and users are more likely to stick with it. Hopefully with this information other studies that come out this year will see other countries about vaping as a legitimate method of quitting smoking, like the UK.