Is Vaping Better or Worse than Smoking?

The prevalence of vaping (using e-cigarettes) has risen rapidly since its introduction to USA in 2007 as a form of smoking cessation therapy, mostly among youth.

With that rise comes several questions: what is the difference between vaping and smoking? Is vaping better than smoking, or even worse? Can vaping really help you quit smoking? And the list goes on.

If you are trying to quite smoking cigarettes, and you’re considering vaping as a “safer” alternative, there are things you should know.

In this article, we will discuss the differences between vaping and smoking and consider the long-term side effects and risks of both.

Smoking vs Vaping: What's the Difference?

The fundamental difference between smoking traditional cigarettes and vaping is smoke versus vapor.

Smoking delivers nicotine to your lungs by burning tobacco—the smoke is then inhaled.

Vaping uses a battery-operated vaporizer to warm an e-liquid or “e-juice,” creating a vapor that is consumed.

What is Smoking?

In a traditional cigarette, dried tobacco is lit on fire, which allows the smoker to inhale nicotine, the active—and addictive—chemical in tobacco.

It’s an ancient and efficient method of experiencing the mild, mood-altering effects of nicotine.

Commercially produced cigarettes are made up of:

1. A rolling paper wrapper: Rolling papers are small, thin sheets used for rolling tobacco or other substances, such as cannabis, into a self-made cigarette or joint.

2. Plant material: In tobacco cigarettes, this is dried and processed tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) leaf stems.

3. Filter (cigarette butt): The filter traps larger bits of the partially burned tobacco while smoke travels through it into your mouth.

What is Vaping?

Vaping is a new and high-tech method that uses a battery-operated atomizer to heat an e-liquid or “e-juice,” creating a vapor that is consumed.

Vape liquid contains of nicotine, propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, flavourings, water and other chemicals, although some vaping liquids may be free of nicotine.

E-cigarettes are known by many different names. They are sometimes called “e-cigs,” “e-hookahs,” “mods,” “vape pens,” “vapes,” “tank systems,” and “electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS).”

Some e-cigarettes look like traditional cigarettes, while others look like high-tech USB devices.

However, Most vape pens are composed of four key components: An atomizer act as heating element, a battery for power, a mouthpiece for inhale, and either cartridges or a tank for storing cannabis oil or concentrate.

Is Vaping Better or Worse than Smoking??

Cigarettes release thousands of different chemicals when they burn. Many are poisonous and up to 70 cause cancer. They also cause other serious illnesses, including lung disease, heart disease, stroke and more.

When you vaping, the e-liquid is heated into an aerosol, or 'vapor', and inhaled into the lungs. Unlike smoking cigarettes, vaping doesn’t include carbon monoxide, tar, particulate matter, or the other byproducts of burning tobacco. 

Scientists have estimated that vaping exclusively is about 95% less harmful, healthier, safer, or "better" than smoking cigarettes 

However, there’s still a lot to learn about its long-term effects. Vaping still poses many of the same risks that smoking does. For example, Nicotine addiction.

Both Traditional cigarettes and vapes contain nicotine, a highly addictive chemical designed to keep you hooked.

Many people who smoke or vape develop nicotine dependence. When you cut back or quit using nicotine-containing products, the lack of nicotine in your body can cause uncomfortable symptoms. 

Since nicotine is a stimulant, it can also cause side effects like increased heart rate and anxiety.

This chemical compound also can harm brain development in teens under age 25, affecting the parts of the brain that control learning, mood control, attention, and impulse control.

Is vaping cheaper than smoking?

Vaping is significantly cheaper than smoking. Aside from the initial $40-$100 approximate set-up cost, vaping costs approximately 10% of what smoking.

If you smoke a pack a day it will cost you approximately $9,000 a year, and vaping in a way to stop smoking would cost approximately $900.

Is vaping harmful? Side effects of Vaping

Vaping first rose to popularity around 2007 – which means there is still a lot to be learned about its long-terms impacts.  But as for short-term health risks, there’s plenty to be concerned about.

Research suggests vaping is bad for your heart and lungs.  Lung injury is becoming more and more common in users of vaping products. The particles you inhale while vaping can cause inflammation (swelling) and irritation in your lungs.

Vapes come in a range of flavors, designed in part to attract younger users. Flavorings include harmful chemicals like diacetyl, which gives a buttery taste to popcorn, candy and other products and has been linked to severe lung disease.

Some e-cigarettes also contain Vitamin E Acetate, a thickening agent associated with lung damage.

In addition to chemicals, some vaping fluids and devices contain heavy metals like lead, tin and nickel, which can be toxic when inhaled.

Although less amount, e-cigs can also contain small pieces of debris that found in cigarettes, when inhaled, can irritate your sensitive lung tissue. The deeper you inhale, the more damage these tiny particles can do.

Non-smokers and young people under 18 should not take up vaping.

Can vaping help you quit smoking?

Smoking causes at least 15 different types of cancer so stopping smoking completely is the best thing you can do for your health.

Nicotine vaping is substantially less harmful than smoking. E-cigarettes are more effective than nicotine-replacement therapy in helping smokers quit.

Using an e-cigarette can help you manage your nicotine cravings. To get the best out of it, make sure you're using it as much as you need to and with the right strength of nicotine in your e-liquid.

Of course, for people who have not started smoking or vaping, the best path is to avoid nicotine products completely.

How to quit smoking and vaping?

The nicotine in tobacco or vape juice leads to actual physical dependence. This can cause unpleasant withdrawal symptoms when a person tries to quit.

While nicotine is the addictive substance in cigarettes and vapes, most of the diseases from smoking and vaping are not caused by nicotine, which is relatively harmless to health.

Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) gives you nicotine – in the form of gum, patches, sprays, inhalers, or lozenges – but not the other harmful chemicals in tobacco or vape juice.

NRT has been widely used for many years to help people stop smoking and is a safe treatment.

It can help relieve some of the physical withdrawal symptoms so that you can focus on the psychological (emotional) aspects of quitting.

Conclusion

Because vaping is far less harmful than smoking, your health could benefit from switching from smoking to vaping. And you will reduce your risk of getting lung cancer.

Additionally, Switching from cigarettes to e-cigarettes could also save you a lot of money. Some people spend more than others, but in general, smoking costs over three times as much as vaping.

However, vaping is not risk-free. Vaping and smoking share similar negative effects on the body, such as damage to the lungs and increased cancer risk.

The best way to improve your health is to quit both smoking and vaping.