E-Cigs - do they really help?

BMMachine

I myself gave up smoking about 10 years ago. I was young and knew it would get harder as I got older and I hadnt been in the game that long either so I did the old fashion cold turkey/have a bit of balls approached and it worked.
My friends though have all continued smoking and of course loads of them have e-cigs. They seem thoroughly addicted to these as well, puffing on them like theres no tomorrow and if they run out or are drinking - they go back to good ol regular smokes.

My question here is, can the e-cigs really get you off smoking or is it better to just go cold turkey? another friend who is 32 recently gave up via the cold turkey route and hasn't smoked since (3+ months) and personally, I think hes done with smoking. He was going to use the e-cigs but thought that they would just get him back to smoking regularly rather than quit completely. The other friends seem convinced that the e-cigs are doing them good but I have my doubts. Are they just an oversized crutch that will never lead to standing on your own or is there a specific way you use them to make you quit? I worry for my friends health and would very much like to see them be successful

grindle

BMMachine wrote: »

My friends though have all continued smoking and of course loads of them have e-cigs. They seem thoroughly addicted to these as well, puffing on them like theres no tomorrow and if they run out or are drinking - they go back to good ol regular smokes.

Are they actually trying to quit smoking or are they just trying to cut down? If they're trying to cut cigs out but the ecig isn't enough for them they may be using a liquid with too small a concentration of nicotine for them, or their ecig might be crap/underpowered.
If they're just using them to cut down so they feel a little better then that's that, the ecig is doing it's job as best it can. They won't make people give up smoking, although many who try them to cut down get into such a routine with ecigs that one day they notice they haven't needed or had a smoke in two weeks, which becomes a month, then a year and so on.

BMMachine wrote: »

My question here is, can the e-cigs really get you off smoking or is it better to just go cold turkey?

They can really get you off smoking, but you have to want to stop smoking. Quitting for financial reasons is more likely to lead to the use-an-ecig-but-have-the-odd-fag crowd, feeling unhealthy all the time more likely to lead to ecigs-only use. Once you can feel the weight of your own mortality things get a little more serious.
If someone wants to quit the habit completely then cold-turkey can seem like the most noble way, but they're most likely to fail that way. Smoking relapse rates are ~95% a full year after quit attempts.

BMMachine wrote: »

The other friends seem convinced that the e-cigs are doing them good but I have my doubts. Are they just an oversized crutch that will never lead to standing on your own or is there a specific way you use them to make you quit?

If they want to kick cigarettes they need to use a liquid that's strong enough for them or a device that's strong enough and will last long enough so that it doesn't "run out" (shoddy excuse once you've been vaping a while - "Back-ups for back-ups" is our mantra).
Once off cigs completely, after a while they can wean off the nicotine at their own pace if they want to. If they start using it much more it's a sign they shouldn't be dropping too low yet.

billyduk

Worked for me. Switched to vaping and kept cutting the liquid with polyglycerol liquid (non toxic emulsifier found in every day foods like chocolate) until I ran out. What this did was start me on a 24mg dose of nicotine and ween me down to effectively 0mg. At that stage I had broken all the mental triggers. I then just stopped entirely. While vaping I smoked a couple of cigarettes on nights out and noted how horrible they were by comparison. This is a lot easier than cold turkey which I have tried over a dozen times.

Get Real

worked for me too.

I don't think cold turkey would work for me. I tried before and lasted three weeks.

But it for me was the double whammy of actual nicotine withdrawl and the moments associated with having a cigarette.

So I went on the electronic and it was so easy, no withdrawl, one thing eliminated.

The other, mates going for a smoke, on a night out etc, was easier to control then, I knew I could sit inside, or even go out with them for a chat and my craving would be satisfied regardless. If it got bad, I'd have a few pulls of the electronic.

Then, after three months, the whole psychological aspect completely disappeared. I got used to not having that one waiting for the bus/chatting in the smoking area etc and realised I didn't feel any more "left out" and that the whole thing was in my head.

Then I switched to 6mg nicotine (from 12) then 0mg. Now I use neither.

I think there needs to be (responsible) regulation of these yokes, while simultaneously supporting their benefits.

Theres two brigades to them that could be their downfall

1. those who claim them to be perfectly safe, no consequences at all (not proven)

2. Those that were part of the militant anti smoking brigade (which is made up of people who like to harass rather than contribute constructively) calling for all extreme sorts of stuff against things that are again not proven.

Some scare articles were saying a certain % of them contained some of the chemicals in cigarettes etc. Yes, they did. But they didnt mention it was anywhere from 5 to 3000 times lower than in real smokes.

So longer term, IMO it'd be better to be on them than smokes, but better again to use them as a temporary stop gap to no nicotine at all.

They probably help with a large percentage of people who otherwise would not have quit and died.

Used effectively, and without dual use, I think these could be the way forward.

But it is the interest of both tobacco and pharmaceutical companies to lobby for their demise. (unless they become major shareholders themselves) So it is hard to trust anything you read.

Wow, sorry :eek: what a post.

Anyway, yes, IMO they are a miracle in helping those who would not have otherwise been able to quit.

But we need independent government studies (if possible) not studies funded by either side, proper information on both possible side effects and benefits, and for them to be encouraged temporarily.

SuperGrover

Gave up cigarettes 3 months ago, having switched to vaping. Started off at 24mg nicotine, now down to 8mg mixed with 0mg (so 4mg).

I have tried cold turkey many times over the years and failed.

Not only do I not miss cigarettes, I actually enjoy vaping. Sitting at home on the couch watching telly, puffing away with a cuppa, my non-smoker missus beside me, and all's well. Previously it was out to the balcony, back in smelling of cold and fags and feeling gack.

These things are a miracle.

budweiser6

I agree these things are a MIRACLE! I'm off cigarettes over 3 weeks now and am happily vaping away, using it less and less even. I had tried all sorts of hypnotherapy, autosuggestion, cold turkey and even accupuncture - ALL FAILED!

The throught of actually buying cigarettes does not occur to me now. Huge difference in my life so wish I tried them sooner!