E-cigarette Or Smoking Cessation?

Which is the better option: E-cigarette or quitting smoking permanently?

While smoking an e-cigarette is perhaps a better way than smoking tobacco, it is best to stop using both nicotine products. There is scientific evidence that e-smoking also has negative effects on health. Although they are not as harmful as normal cigarettes, they are harmful to health.

Chinese pharmacist Hon Lik invented electronic cigarettes in 2004. Since then, they have been advertised as an alternative to quitting smoking. However, burning e-cigarettes has become an independent practice. The worst part is that many consider it completely harmless.

Since the invention, the use of e-tobacco has increased by 600%. It is worrying that young people are one of the largest sections of the population who use them. In the United States, there is even talk of an e-cigarette epidemic. Many people wonder if the E-cigarette is a better option than quitting smoking.

Tobacco and its effects

Tobacco is a plant native to America that spread throughout the world thanks to Spanish as well as Portuguese immigrants. In America, tobacco had and continues to have a sacred importance among indigenous peoples. This means that it was consumed only in rituals, not in daily use.

One of the substances in tobacco is addictive: nicotine. In addition to dependence, experts are not fully aware of the additional effects of this substance. The most toxic chemicals, including tar, are formed during the burning of tobacco.

This substance contributes to the development of many cancers. In addition, the carbon monoxide produced during combustion is a toxic gas that causes red blood cells to carry less oxygen. There are 250 other harmful substances in tobacco, 50 of which are carcinogenic.

Use of e-cigarettes and its effects

Burning e-cigarettes is breathing in the steam produced by that device. Electronic cigarettes are battery-powered devices that contain liquid-filled cartridges. This liquid usually contains nicotine in various proportions as well as other chemicals.

Electronic cigarettes heat a liquid substance until it evaporates. This vapor is inhaled by humans and is the reason why this device is called an e-cigarette. Because the burning of e-cigarettes is still a relatively new phenomenon, experts do not know all of its effects.

However, e-smoking in adolescents has been linked to slower brain development due to nicotine exposure. Likewise, it can affect concentration, memory, learning, and mood. It also exposes young people to developing other addictions.

Similarly, some researchers found, according to The New England Journal of Medicine , that those who use e-cigarettes inhale harmful substances such as ultrafine particles, heavy metals, and volatile organic compounds. This practice irritates the lungs and can damage them.

E-cigarettes and smoking

Below you will find the main differences between e-smoking and smoking:

• Nicotine. Tobacco always contains nicotine, while electronic cigarettes or steamers do not always. In the latter, nicotine can be suppressed or incorporated in various ratios.
• Tobacco. E-cigarette devices do not contain tobacco, but rather other chemicals. As mentioned above, some of these substances are potentially harmful.

• Carcinogenic potential.  Experts have not shown that the vapor has carcinogenic potential. However, it can irritate the lungs and cause breathing difficulties.
• Adverse effects. According to the UK Department of Health and Welfare and the Royal College of Physicians, using an e-cigarette is 95% safer than smoking. Still, that doesn’t mean it’s harmless.

E-cigarette or smoking cessation

The indisputable truth is that the best option is not to use e-cigarettes, but to quit smoking altogether. Although the effects of e-smoking have not yet been fully understood, experts agree that it causes lung damage and can even lead to death under certain conditions.

Addiction is never a positive thing. It is a behavior that prevents the realization of free will and puts a person at risk in many different ways. In addition, an addict always has a higher risk of developing other addictions than one who has no addictions.

The use of e-cigarettes can be a good option in initiating smoking cessation. However, it is best to seek medical advice to develop an appropriate plan according to each person’s needs and to avoid surprises that can be very negative.