Marcus RichardsQuitting smoking can be one of the hardest journeys some people will ever embark on. It’s an incredibly difficult addictive habit to break, with equally strong physical and psychological components that need tackling.
There are a wide range of different tools that people have tried to use, from hypnosis to therapy. An alternative tool that many smokers looking to quit have found incredibly effective in recent years is vaping. Let’s take a look at what you need to know.
What is vaping?
Vaping, as the name would suggest, consists of inhaling a vapour that typically contains pleasant flavours and a certain amount of nicotine. Vapes use a battery-powered coil to heat up the liquid contained in them, commonly called e-liquid, to a certain optimised temperature.
Is vaping safe?
While a lot of people have questioned just how safe vaping is compared to smoking in recent years, all the evidence we currently have available suggests that switching from smoking to vaping represents a massive harm reduction. While vapes do still contain nicotine, nicotine itself isn’t especially dangerous. Vapes contain far fewer toxins compared to cigarettes, significantly reducing the risk of cancer and other serious diseases.
What vape should I get?
If you’re just getting into vaping, you’ll likely be a bit overwhelmed by the sheer amount of choice. The best option for beginners is generally to use disposable vapes from trusted online sources; these devices are very affordable, and you can start using them straight out of the box with no hassle or fussy set-up.
Choosing a nicotine strength
One of the reasons why vapes are such a useful tool for quitting smoking is that you can choose exactly how much nicotine you’re getting. You can start at a relatively high strength, and then slowly work your way down over time. Eventually, you can transition to nicotine-free vapes, so that you’re just getting a placebo effect while still having something to do with your hands when you get a craving.
Different flavours
Vapes come in a broad range of flavours – as a rule of thumb, it’s safe to say if you can think of a taste, someone will have probably tried to turn it into a vape juice flavour. You can experiment with a wide range of options until you find something that you get along with. Some people prefer more subtle flavours such as tobacco or mint, while others really enjoy sweeter tastes like toffee or cherry pie.
Measure your progress
It’s a good idea to measure your progress, so that you can take visible steps towards your end goal. Whether you use an app or keep a little diary, note down every time that you switch to a lower nicotine level or choose to use your vape less each day, so that you can see how far you’ve come.
Stopping smoking isn’t easy, but with the help of a well-thought-out strategy, it can be a lot less painful. Using a vape can form an important part of that strategy, and it’s important to use every bit of help you can get.
