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IS VAPING MORE EFFECTIVE THAN NICOTINE PATCHES?
Evidence suggests that E-Cigarettes could be up to twice as effective as forms of nicotine replacement therapy, like the nicotine patch. The reasons for this could be that using an E-Cigarette is very close to smoking and so works as a substitute for the habit as well as providing nicotine to address the cravings to smoke. Flavoured e-liquid can make choosing to vape a more pleasant experience than smoking too!
INTRODUCTION
For the last 40 years the nicotine patch has been the symbol of a smoker trying to quit. Whether it is in film, books or any other media, seeing that small patch on someone’s arm means that they are trying to quit.
However with the rise of E-cigarettes as a new nicotine replacement the use of nicotine patches has been called into question, with studies showing that for many smokers vaping products would almost double their chances of getting of cigarettes.
WHAT IS A NICOTINE PATCH?
To talk about nicotine patches and electronic cigarettes we first need to get a few things straight about the main ingredient in both products, nicotine.
Nicotine is a stimulant, an addictive stimulant, but as a chemical it wakes us up and makes us feel like we have more energy. On its own nicotine is, according to the Royal Society of Public Health, comparable to caffeine in its effect on the human body (1).
Like any other stimulant (for example coffee), nicotine does this by acting as a neurotransmitter and binding to nerve receptors in the brain, which makes the brain nerve cells fire more frequently.
Nicotine on its own can actually be found in more than just tobacco, it pops up in tomatoes, potatoes, and eggplants.
Nicotine by itself then isn’t particularly harmful, of course like caffeine or any other stimulant if you have too much it can be bad for you. The good news is that you have to have a huge amount of pure nicotine to seriously hurt you.
A Nicotine patch are a type of nicotine replacement products and are pretty simple, it is a patch or material that slowly releases nicotine into your body over time through the skin. They are designed to give a small but constant stream of nicotine to the smoker and so stop or reduce the chemical addiction and any help with any withdrawal symptoms.
Nicotine patches are meant to be put on when you wake up and worn throughout the day, with the 24 hour patch should be worn through your sleep.
Nicotine patches are measured in two main ways, nicotine strength and timeframe. For the 24 hour patches (which are patches you leave on all day) the main level of nicotine are 1mg, 14mg and 7mg, which is actually pretty similar to what E-Cigarettes offer as well.
When nicotine patches and gum were first put on the market in 1984 they were revolutionary. This was the first time a smoker who was looking to quit had a way to get nicotine without the 4000+ harmful chemicals and 50+ carcinogens found in tobacco smoke. Before these nicotine replacement therapy, nrt for short, products the only way to quit smoking cigarettes was to go cold turkey, which rarely works.
In fact cold turkey is so hard that According to one study only 3 out of every 100 smokers who try and stop without any help are able to actually quit (2).
When you compare that to using smoking cessation items like nicotine patches or gum, the chances went up by 50 to 60% when helping people quit smoking (3).
For the time this was great, especially considering that the only side effects were maybe trouble with sleeping (as nicotine is a stimulant) or nausea if the nicotine got too strong (4).
WHICH IS BETTER: VAPING VS NICOTINE PATCHES?
E-Cigarettes in many respects are the next evolution of the the nicotine patch. Like nicotine patches an E-cigarette is designed to get a smoker the nicotine they need, without the all the chemicals and carcinogens and help with the cravings.
The way E-Cigarettes do it though is different, instead of letting the nicotine be absorbed through the skin over the course of 24 hours, E-Cigarettes are designed to look and feel like a cigarette and so you puff on them and absorb the nicotine through the lungs.
The great thing about E-Cigarettes is that they are so simple, they consist of 3 items; e-liquid (this has the nicotine in), a coil (that turns the e-liquid into vapour to be breathed in) and a battery (that powers the coil).
As you might be able to tell the e-liquid is perhaps the most important part, as that is what is going into your body. Unlike a cigarette there are only 4 ingredients in e-liquid:
NICOTINE – The reason we smokePROPYLENE GLYCOL – Known as PG, carries the flavour and nicotine and what creates the “throat hit” in an e-cigarette or vape.
VEGETABLE GLYCERINE – Known as VG, creates the vapour in a vape e-cigarette.
FLAVOURING – To make the vapour taste like tobacco, or something else!
As e-cigarettes only contain 4 ingredients and don’t contain any of the toxins or carcinogens of tobacco they are (according to Public Health England) at least 95% less harmful than cigarettes!
Here at SMOKO though we go the extra mile, and not make sure that all our liquids are made in the UK, so we can happily say that we go above and beyond for a high quality product!
WHICH IS BETTER: VAPE VS NICOTINE PATCH?
When the E-Cigarette first was introduced there were those who didn’t see the point of them, after all they both gave the smoker nicotine. However it is how the E-Cigarette gives the smoker the nicotine that makes all the difference, and why E-Cigarettes have been proven to be much more helpful than patches.
As a cigalike E-Cigarette looks and feels like a cigarette, a smoker can use it in the same way as a cigarette. By simply puffing on an E-Cigarette, vapour with nicotine in is produced and breathed in, just like a cigarette. This not only feeds the chemical addiction to nicotine (like patches do) but also satisfies the psychological addiction as well. After all, most smokers have spent years developing a habit of putting a cigarette to their mouths, and a habit that strong is extremely hard to break without help, but it's great to see recent evidence shows that E-Cigarettes may be the most effective tool for quitting smoking (5).
E-cigarettes also have the benefit of tasting like a cigarette if you choose a tobacco flavour, so not only is the E-Cigarette user getting the feel of vapour and the throat hit from the nicotine but they are also getting the taste of a cigarette as well.
It is no surprise then when Cancer Research UK led a study at Queen Mary University of London they found that E-Cigarette were almost effective as nicotine patches for quitting cigarettes for good compared to those using nicotine patches over the long term!
The study even addressed the fact that nicotine patches were normally were used with stop smoking services, and still E-Cigarettes were shown to be better.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF USING A VAPE?
As we said at the beginning of this article, E-Cigarettes are the next step up from nicotine patches. Not only can they give the smoker the same amount of nicotine, but also give the same feel and taste. This is especially true with the cig-a-like design E-Cigarettes which SMOKO provides, as these E-Cigarettes are designed to be as close to the real thing as possible, just without all the chemicals and toxins that can harm you in traditional cigarettes!
Another benefit of using a Vape though is the extra control you have. With a patch the nicotine seeps into your skin over time, this can’t be adjusted or changed in any way but to put on more patches. With an E-Cigarette you get to control when you get your nicotine.
E-Cigarettes also do not cause as many issues with your sleep because of this control. As patches are constantly pumping nicotine into you (even when you sleep), and as nicotine is a stimulant, this can cause sleep loss. As you choose when to use your E-Cigarette this isn’t an issue with vaping, so long as you stop vaping an hour or so before bed!
And of course E-Cigarettes are a much better alternative to tobacco! Not only are they better for you, as we said E-Cigarettes are 95% less harmful (6), but they don’t hurt the people around you either. With the vapour from a E-Cigarette you don’t have to worry about the toxins or carbon monoxide as E-Cigarette vapour is harmless to those around you.
VAPING IS MORE EFFECTIVE THAN NICOTINE PATCHES.... HERE'S WHY - CONCLUSION
Nicotine patches were a revolutionary idea when they came out in the 1980’s, and have helped millions of smokers finally get of cigarettes. However like everything in this world times change and new ideas come along and improve on the concept.
That’s why if you are a smoker and want to give yourself the best chance of finally getting of cigarettes then E-Cigarettes are the best choice you can make.
If you want to give an E-Cigarette a try and see if you too can make the switch then try one of the most popular E-Cigarette or vape starter kits and see if they can help you!REFERENCES
(1) Nicotine “no more harmful to health than caffeine”
(2) What you need to know to quit smoking
(3) How do prompts for attempts to quit smoking relate to method of quitting and quit success?
(4) Nicotine PATCH Patch, Transdermal 24 Hours - Uses, Side Effects, and More
(6) E-cigarettes around 95% less harmful than tobacco estimates landmark review
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Written by Dan Overgage
Dan Overgage – is a former smoker of 10 years until he became a client of SMOKO E-Cigarettes. Dan started working with SMOKO 5 years ago after successfully quitting using our e-cigarettes and works across our Customer Service and heads up our content creation and research with a strong focus on all things quitting smoking. During his tenure with SMOKO, Dan has written countless blogs and consults with countless clients every day to help them to stay smoke-free.
