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E-Cigarettes Linked To Helping People Quit Smoking, Says Study (theverge.com)
According to a new study, electronic cigarettes help people trying to quit smoking. The Verge reports: For the study, published today in the journal BMJ, researchers analyzed survey data from over 160,000 people spanning almost 15 years. They found that smokers who used e-cigs tried to quit smoking more often and succeeded (for at least three months) more often than smokers who didn't use e-cigs. Overall, more people quit in the latest year that data was available -- the 2014 -- 15 year -- than in the 2010 -- 11 year. Today's study didn't address whether e-cigs are luring people who would otherwise be nonsmokers. But it did find that e-cigs do have a role in helping people quit. The researchers looked at several population surveys that cover the years 2001 to 2015. These surveys provided smoking-cessation rates, and the most recent survey, from 2014 to 2015, had information about e-cigarette usage. The results show that 65 percent of e-cigarette users had tried to quit smoking, versus 40 percent of people who smoked but didn't use e-cigs. About 8 percent of e-cig users succeeded in quitting for at least three months, compared to about 5 percent of non-users. Overall, the number of people who quit smoking increased by 1.1 percentage points in 2015 from 2011. This might not seem that impressive, but it still represents about 350,000 people.
Does the study address whether e-cigs help people seriously reduce, but not quit entirely, smoking normal cigarettes?
From a family member I can say that getting an e-cig reduced smoking from about a pack a day to two-three cigs a day; certainly an improvement though I have no idea where that would fall in this kind of either-or study. Probably on the "Didn't try quitting" or "Tried and failed" columns.
-=This sig has nothing to do with my comment. Move along now=-
It's easy to quit, just have a heart attack. My dad had one 15 years ago at the age of 46 that scared him straight, he said he felt the reaper's scythe graze the top of his head. He hasn't touched any tobacco product since.
Eat the rich.
8 percent is still an awfully low success rate. personally i tried to quit cigarettes several times with the patch, nicotine gum, and vaping with plain nicotine, but always went back to smoking after about a week. now it's been almost 3 years since i quit for good, and what made the difference was vaping liquid with "whole tobacco alkaloids" (WTA), meaning they add not only nicotine but also 3 other psychoactive compounds from the tobacco. no more cigarette cravings, hundreds of times less toxic than smoking. end of public service announcement.
In fact, it was shown that simply saying it was shown does not carry a lot of weight around here.
Hold my beer and watch this!
Long-time smoker here, smoked for 30 years, quit over a period of a year, and for 30 more years have never once ever wanted to smoke a cigarette again.
The key is this: you never, ever "need" to smoke. In fact, just the opposite, you have to force your body to accept smoking. Just remember how sick you got at the beginning. That's how much your normal body doesn't like smoke. It's an irritant! What kind of crazy logic is it to intentionally breathe in smoke?
I sat down 30 years ago and made a list of all the pros and cons of smoking. Honestly, there are a lot of things on both sides of that list, it surprised me. But when you net it out, what remains is this: all that smoking gives you is the desire to have another cigarette.
In other words, it's a cheat. I try to not do stupid things. Cheating yourself is colossally stupid.
Go cold turkey. Forget about walking up to it, attack it head-on. It took me three attempts, each one much easier to maintain than the last.
You can do this. Your body will thank you.
"We receive as friendly that which agrees with, we resist with dislike that which opposes us" - Faraday
I had my last cigarette June 5th 2010. That's when I started "vaping" with the very primitive equipment available then.
It wasn't easy. Cigarettes create a cross addiction not only to nicotine, but to at least 4 chemicals in the smoke which are MAOI inhibitors (anti-depressants). So as a 30 year smoker I did have withdrawals, but not nearly as bad and quitting cold turkey.
I tried all the alternatives... Chantix cause major health problems.... Welbutrin made me manic.... Celexa put me in a state of mind where if not careful my behavior could be more reckless than my normal measured self. Patches and gums worked- but only if I were willing to use them to the point of nicotine overdose. Cold turkey was a no go.... roughly 10 attempts were made... impossible for me.
That being said vaping is not a vitamin. It delivers nicotine. And it's addictive. It's not a good thing.
But if you are trapped by tobacco and willing to work at it- it can be a good thing. For smokers trapped by the habit only.
Anyone else who is into vaping for "sport" or "cool factor" are just fools.
Another consultant who stuck it out.
"We are the Priests, of the Temples of Syrinx..."
It seems to me that people who are using e-cigarettes are already unhappy with some aspect of smoking already. Be it cost, health, convenience, or something else, something drove them away from traditional cigarettes to e-cigs. If they were committed enough to make that change and stick with e-cigs, they may have been more likely to have had success quitting smoking in a world that e-cigs did not exist.
So instead of a headline like "E-Cigarettes Linked to Helping People Quit Smoking", perhaps a more accurate headline would be "Committed Cigarette Quitters More Likely to Try E-Cigarettes As a Stepping Stone"
I'm sorry, but your opinion seems to be wrong.
... if it means I never have to watch a smoker flick their butts into the street ever again.
I smoked for about 15 years. I attempted to quit a fee times and would even make it a few months but I enjoyed the act. About 5 years ago, I committed to switching to a vaporizer. Now I barely use it. I started with a low dose of nicotine and quickly switched to 0mg. I don't even take my vaporizer on trips or to bars any more. I occasionally puff on it while working on a particularly difficult task or when stressed but it lives in my office at home.
My daughter will be born tomorrow and she'll never know her dad as a smoker. (Or her mom but that's not my story.) Vaporizer FTW!
Motivation is key, and telling yourself years and years of non-smoking are a whole different victory is your prerogative. I look at your statement and I immediately think about the AA medal system, and how effective it is. Good for you.
But the formal definition of quitting is as soon as the chemical addiction stops, and that's some months after (not sure if 3, but should be close). So you see, the study is very relevant. Sure there is a latent, deeply buried feeling that a hit will be good - it happens on any drug, and even non-drugs such as sugar have been proven to be highly addictive to a subconscious, instinctive level, no matter the time without them.
You can brag about cold-turkey-quitting all you want and how long were the years since you did, but the fact of the matter is what kept you going was your own scenario, which probably didn't even have ecigs at the time so they weren't even an option. This study looks at smokers in an indiscriminate way, whatever their responsibilities, pressure or status are, and it sees success with ecigs in a generalized ways, especially in the years ecigs have seen the biggest evolution (which is likely from 2012 onward). Ecigs are now very enjoyable, very accessible, have a lot of variety in taste, size, and features, especially the electronics involved. There are smart chips that allow control of wattage either on the device or on smartphones, and there are even temperature controlled devices. These days ecigs are not only cool - they are good. And I urge any quitter with an urge to going back to smoking to try them out, or any smoker with any intention of quitting. I bet you wont be disappointed.