More and more smokers are making the switch to vape. But is switching to e-cigarettes actually better for you?
The simple answer is yes, vaping is a better alternative to smoking. However, one shouldn’t assume that vaping is completely harmless. After all, minors are unable to purchase vape products similar to how they can’t legally purchase traditional tobacco products. If vape was completely harmless, this wouldn’t be the case.
Having said that, the comparison between vaping and smoking – when viewed through the lens of health – clearly points to vape being the far superior option. In other words, if you’re going to choose between vaping, smoking, and quitting, then quitting is your best option, while vaping is your second best option.
It all comes down to the way in which vape is generated versus tobacco smoke. When vaping, a person uses a vape pen – or electronic cigarette – to create just enough heat to vaporize e-juice contained inside a cartridge attached to the device. In addition to the vape juice flavors being released, this vapor includes a certain concentration of nicotine, the substance found in tobacco that makes it addictive to humans. This process requires temperatures which are not high enough to cause ignition, meaning no smoke is created.
Compare this to smoking, which requires a person to inhale burnt particles. These particles include dozens of known carcinogens including arsenic, formaldehyde, and polonium-210. The smoke produced by any fire or flame is potentially harmful to humans when inhaled, and cigarettes are essentially a self-imposed habit of exposing ourselves to toxic smoke several times a day for decades. It’s no surprise that smoking has been linked to a number of agonizing and often deadly medical conditions such as cancer, heart attack, and stroke.
The bottom line is that vaping is an activity which mimics smoking without the harmful toxins produced by smoke. This makes it a preferable alternative to smoking cigarettes.
Despite the benefits of vaping over smoking, it’s still ideal if someone does neither. Why is that? It has to do with the nature of addiction and how nicotine – the active ingredient shared by both e-cigs and traditional ones – affects the brain to trigger a dependency.
The main draw of vaping is that it still supplies the user with nicotine. But an addiction to nicotine is still an addiction, one which has the potential to control a person’s life to varying degrees. Feeding this addiction via vape is better than doing so with burnt tobacco, but humans ought to strive to rid themselves of addictions.
This goes across the board, from activities like gambling and sex to other instances of substance abuse. Allowing a compulsion or dependence to dictate how we live our lives is a flaw that has diminished the potential of countless individuals. Why let yourself be one of those people?
Once again, it’s all about making the most pragmatic choice possible for your current situation. If you’re currently smoking a pack a day or more, vaping is a better alternative. If you’re currently vaping throughout the day, breaking free of your nicotine addiction would be a goal worth pursuing.