Smoking Cessation: What Are The Best Options?

There are a few arguments that surround vaping, and they essentially boil down to a few broad claims. The first of these claims is that vaping is inherently far worse than smoking combustible cigarettes. The second claim is that vaping is introducing a highly addictive chemical (nicotine) to a new generation of teens. The third claim is that vaping actually acts as a gateway to combustible tobacco and that it does not aid in smoke cessation.

Similar to the general news that is being floated around about vaping, there is a lot of misinformation buried within these claims, and most of the news reported by mass media does not rely on the facts. As we have done over the past few weeks, we dived into a research paper published in the New England Journal Of Medicine (NEJM). The research paper, titled “A Randomized Trial of E-Cigarettes versus Nicotine Replacement Therapy” had some of the following findings:

•  E-Cigarettes were more effective for smoking cessation than nicotine-replacement therapy, when both products were accompanied by behavioral support. 
• The study found that their findings were particularly noteworthy, given the fact that nicotine-replacement was used under expert guidance, with access to a full-range of nicotine-replacement products and with 88.1% of participants using a combination of treatments. 
• E-Cigarettes were more effective in alleviating tobacco withdrawal symptoms and received better ratings than nicotine-replacement therapy. They may also have allowed better tailoring of nicotine dose to individual needs. 

This research article was published in the NEJM on February 14, 2019, and it highlights the objective facts that many news outlets seem to be ignoring in their coverage of all things vape related. There are several research articles that point to the fact that vaping poses a small fraction of the risks of smoking and that they contain much fewer toxicants than combustible tobacco.

At this time, it is important for vapers to keep themselves aware of all the real facts about vaping, so that they can readily fight against the spread of misinformation and bizarre claims.

Always remember that as a vaper, keeping yourself educated on the facts is the best way to stay ahead and to keep others informed as well.