10 Benefits Of Vaping vs Smoking

Almost all of us know the dangers of smoking these days, and for good reason! It damages the airways of your lungs, irritating them and causing multiple diseases. Smoking in the UK is the leading cause of preventable death with decades of research to back up the danger it does to your health. With 12mg of nicotine in a vape kit equalling one cigarette on average while bearing a similar resemblance in stature and routine, the argument of which is better between vaping and smoking is often raised.

Everyone who smokes is recommended to quit because inhaling combustible tobacco creates so many dangerous toxins. Therefore, the vast majority of active current smokers would like to kick their habit for good by finding a suitable alternative. There are many medical organisations in the UK backing e-cigarettes as a safer alternative, from Cancer Research UK to the NHS.

What many people don’t know, however, is how vaping or e-cigarettes, can not only help you quit but by doing so more safely and effectively. We’ve picked our top ten benefits that you can expect when you make the transition!

1. It’s significantly better for your health

There’s a huge amount of misinformation out there around the safety of vaping, with a lot of people seeing vaping as just as, if not more dangerous than smoking, when this is categorically not the case. Vaping is estimated to be 95% better for your health than smoking, and its effectiveness as a quitting aid means you’re more likely to succeed in cutting down or quitting, which is the biggest benefit of all.

E-liquids contain far fewer chemicals than cigarette smoke and don’t stay in the body like tar in the lungs does when you smoke. Those who switch to vaping very quickly see great health benefits, including lower blood pressure, easier breathing, improved immune function, improved sense of taste and smell and improved lung function, all within the space of around a month!

2. Vaping is much cheaper than smoking

Estimates show that smoking 20 cigarettes a day will set you back, on average, £3000 per year. The average smoker in the UK smokes 10 cigarettes per day according to the most recent statistical data, so using that we can estimate that the average smoker spends around £1500 on cigarettes every year. This will, of course, be a bit different for everyone - the type of cigarettes you smoke, where you buy your cigarettes and all sorts of other factors come into it too. However, this is a good estimate for the average smoker. It’s worth noting that vaping has more upfront costs than smoking - you need to buy your e-cigarette and any relevant accessories before you get started - but on an ongoing basis is considerably cheaper than smoking tobacco cigarettes.

For a mid-level beginner-friendly device, we reckon you can spend about £30 upfront, and extra accessories like replacement coils and batteries will cost around £90 per year. Once you have your bulk purchase out the way, vaping is a massive decrease in ongoing costs compared to smoking. You can get e-liquids at almost any price point, from less than £1 per 10ml to more than £10-15 per 10ml. However, for a good value, high-quality e-liquid, you should expect to pay around £7 per 10ml. The average vaper gets through about 10ml of e-liquid per week, which adds up to only £364 per year. Even if you’re a heavy vaper and get through double the average amount of e-liquid per week, you’re still slashing your yearly costs by more than half compared to smoking!

3. E-cigarettes are a really effective way to help you quit for good

As we’ve mentioned, e-cigarettes are incredibly effective at helping smokers cut down or quit smoking for good. More than half of current smokers in the UK expressed a desire to quit, and the most common reason for using e-cigarettes is to help reduce or quit smoking tobacco, according to the most recent data from the ONS on smoking habits in the UK. Research also shows that vaping is almost twice as effective as traditional nicotine replacement therapies (NRTs) - this refers to things like nicotine gum, patches, nicotine pouches, lozenges, inhalers and other more “traditional” quitting aids. One study, in partnership with the NHS stop smoking service, found that among one group of smokers trying to quit, 18% of e-cigarette users had stopped smoking tobacco after one year, compared to only 9.9% of traditional NRT users.

There are lots of reasons that vaping is so effective at helping smokers quit, and the nicotine rush is just one part of the overall experience. Vaping is so effective at helping you quit as it continues lots of the physical habits and cravings you build up without realising over months or years of smoking traditional cigarettes at less harm to yourself. Many smokers struggle with finding something to do with their hands once they’ve quit - vaping gives you just that!

Even the physical act of inhaling and exhaling smoke or vapour can be something you miss with patches, gum or lozenges for example. In addition, smoking nicotine is difficult for many to give up because of its ability as an appetite suppressant, meaning people crave food less. Giving that up and turning to food - resulting in putting on the pounds to feed that missing addiction - is a struggle plenty try to resist. But with vaping, you have a suitable alternative, neither leading to shredding fat or working as a quick weight loss trick. Its effectiveness lies in keeping that nicotine habit going initially and not going cold turkey to quit cigarettes. Finally, for many smokers, smoking is a social activity, and this aspect is something they miss when trying to quit. Vaping allows you to continue the social aspect of smoking, without keeping up a dangerous habit.

4. Second-hand vapour is not as dangerous as second-hand smoke

For many years, the impact of second-hand smoking has been studied, and results show that smoking is and continues to be incredibly dangerous to not just smokers themselves, but those around them as well. The smoke that is exhaled from tobacco products contains more than 5000 chemicals and around 70 known carcinogens (cancer-causing ingredients). Second-hand smoke is so dangerous because it can be inhaled by other people, not just the smoker. In children, the effects of second-hand smoke can lead to:

• Increased risk of respiratory infections like bronchitis and pneumonia
• Increased risk of ear, nose and throat infections
• Increased risk of severe asthma and asthma attacks
• Increased risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (also known as SIDS or cot death)

In adults, second-hand smoke can raise your risk of heart disease, lung cancer and strokes, among other conditions.

Vaping, on the other hand, has been shown to not have the same risks when it comes to inhaling second-hand vapour. Like everything vaping, there’s still lots we have yet to learn, but all current evidence shows that the effects of second-hand vapour are negligible, as vapour evaporates very quickly, making them much safer for those around you when you vape. Some health professionals do recommend that you avoid vaping around small children and pregnant women, however, to be on the safe side.

5. Vapour doesn’t linger like cigarette smoke

Studies have shown that the vapour exhaled by e-cigarette users breaks down within seconds, without compromising the air quality even in a poorly ventilated room. Cigarette smoke, on the other hand, can last in the air for more than 30 minutes. While also exacerbating the effects of passive smoking, this also allows cigarette smoke to sink into furnishings and fabrics in a room, which is why many smokers find their walls, curtains, clothes and furniture stained or smelling of tobacco smoke after a while. As vapour disappears so quickly after being exhaled, this isn’t a concern for vapers. And with it often being a sweet fruity e-liquid smell that lingers, it’s much more pleasant in the atmosphere for you and others in the vicinity.

6. There are many more vape flavours than tobacco

With the ban of flavoured tobacco products in the EU in May 2020, there are now even fewer options available to smokers, while there is pretty much no limit to the flavours of e-liquid available, making the experience better for both vapers and those around them!

That means not just rich aromatic tobacco flavours and the much-missed menthol option for many smokers but so many different e-liquid choices of the fruit and dessert variety. From cheesecake to refreshing tropical flavours, vapers are spoiled for choice and less likely to encounter vaper’s tongue if they continue to alter flavours regularly.

7. You can use your vape in some places where you can’t smoke

There are currently no plans to ban vaping indoors on the whole, as has been done with cigarettes, though lots of private companies lump e-cigarettes in with tobacco cigarettes, so depending on the rules where you are, you may or may not need to step outside to vape.

All public enclosed spaces in Scotland since 2006 plus England, Northern Ireland and Wales since 2007 have banned smoking, meaning a vape comes in handy because you can get your nicotine fix in multiple places where it’s not possible to smoke. Just ask before you hit the fire button or auto-inhale to be courteous!

8. E-cigarettes don’t produce harmful chemicals when exhaled

As there are considerably fewer main ingredients in your vape compared to a tobacco cigarette, there are also considerably fewer compounds in the vapour that is exhaled! Most e-liquids only contain four main ingredients, a PG (propylene glycol) and VG (vegetable glycerin) base, nicotine and vape flavourings, all of which are deemed to be safe to consume. Tobacco cigarettes, on the other hand, contain more than 5000 chemicals when the smoke is exhaled. This means that vaping is much safer because you know more about what is in the e-liquid as a comparison to a cigarette. It’s not completely harmless but e-cigarettes offer less risk than smoking.

9. You can vape and smoke at the same time

Another reason that vaping makes such a good quitting aid and one of the reasons it is so popular is that you don’t need to quit cold turkey! Many vapers take a combination approach, using vaping to help them cut down, while at work or when commuting, for example, but will continue to smoke at home, or vice versa. Then, over time, you can start to reduce your cigarette consumption across the board and hopefully transition to vaping full-time! This flexibility gives you a transition period to allow you to take your journey to become smoke-free at your own pace, ultimately making you more likely to succeed.

10. Vaping is easier to cut down on over time

Most e-liquid ranges will give you a few different strength options to let you control your nicotine intake regularly. This means that you can gradually reduce your nicotine intake in a way that works for you, something that isn’t often possible with tobacco cigarettes. By taking your preferred nicotine concentration down bit by bit, you can more easily satisfy your cravings and start to reduce your intake overall, even vaping a 0mg nicotine kit, until you are completely smoke-free and no longer need to inhale from either!

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