Currently, “e-cigarettes” are considered to be much more popular than in the past. Initially, e-cigarettes were advertised as a tool to help quit smoking more easily and as cigarettes that are not harmful to the body. However, today “e-cigarettes” have become the first choice for “teenagers” more often as a “new fashion” under the concept that “cool, can smoke, and not harmful to health.” In reality, can e-cigarettes really help us quit regular cigarettes? Are e-cigarettes really harmless? And are e-cigarettes really better than regular cigarettes?
Dr. Winai Boveja, a respiratory specialist at Phyathai 3 Hospital, has information about e-cigarettes to share for those who want to quit smoking using e-cigarettes, those who are currently smoking e-cigarettes, or those who are about to start smoking e-cigarettes, to help them decide more easily on the next path for their lives.
Do e-cigarettes really help quit smoking as advertised?
Currently, medical research data does not have any study that can definitively say 100% that e-cigarettes can help people quit smoking. Similarly, in terms of safety, there is no clear information yet. There is an interesting study from England about the effectiveness of e-cigarettes. The study involved 890 patients who wanted to quit smoking, divided into two groups. The first group quit smoking by using e-cigarettes, while the other group quit smoking by using smoking cessation medication. Both groups underwent a 3-month continuous trial along with behavioral modification training to quit smoking. After one year, the results showed that 18% of the e-cigarette group quit smoking, while 9.9% of the medication group quit smoking.
From these numbers, it may seem that e-cigarettes help quit smoking better. However, follow-up research found that among the 18% who quit smoking with e-cigarettes, 80% became addicted to e-cigarettes instead. In the medication group, 90% quit smoking completely without needing further medication. Therefore, this research may conclude that e-cigarettes might help quit smoking, but it results in switching addiction to e-cigarettes. The next question is, are e-cigarettes really harmful? Because if they are harmful, switching to e-cigarettes is also dangerous.
Are e-cigarettes really safe? Are there any risks from smoking e-cigarettes?
If compared directly, e-cigarettes are indeed less harmful than regular cigarettes because regular cigarettes, besides nicotine which causes addiction, contain up to 7,357 other substances. Among all these substances, at least 70 are known to cause cancer for sure. However, e-cigarettes are not completely harmless as they also contain other vaporized substances. Currently, there is no clear research data like with regular cigarettes about which substances are harmful and to what extent.
However, “smoke is smoke”. Smoking e-cigarettes means inhaling smoke into the body, regardless of the substance. Smoke is a foreign substance, an abnormal thing. Therefore, when inhaled into the body, it can be assumed that it is definitely not good. The more you smoke, the longer you smoke, the higher the chance of harm. Even some people who smoke less can still be harmed, depending on their body’s response to the substances.
To illustrate simply, it’s like some people get drunk from one glass of alcohol, while others can drink dozens of glasses without getting drunk. This shows that smoking more or less can both be harmful, depending on each person’s physical condition. In cases where many argue that e-cigarettes contain less nicotine and are therefore less harmful than cigarettes, this is not wrong. But even though e-cigarettes have less nicotine, if smoked more frequently and with techniques such as puffing hard, the nicotine intake can be as much as from regular cigarettes. Nicotine is the substance that gives pleasure and causes addiction. Smoking makes you feel relaxed and relieves stress, so when you lack it or don’t smoke, you experience restlessness, leading to addiction, which ultimately increases the risk of harm in the future. Nicotine is still a foreign substance after all.
If e-cigarettes are not really as good as advertised, why are more people smoking them?
The main factor that makes people, especially teenagers, increasingly popular with e-cigarettes is “advertising” that makes the image of e-cigarettes attractive. Besides being cool and fashionable, the use of one-sided information such as the claim that e-cigarettes do not contain carcinogens, which in reality means they contain fewer than regular cigarettes and have not been fully researched, is used as a selling point. This makes e-cigarettes seem like a better choice. Combined with manufacturers creating more features such as a wide variety of flavors, this makes them even more appealing. The last factor that causes more people to become addicted to e-cigarettes is “nicotine”, which is the same addictive substance found in regular cigarettes. Therefore, the more frequently people smoke, the more addicted they become.
So, are e-cigarettes really good? What is the best way if you want to quit smoking?
E-cigarettes are indeed less harmful than regular cigarettes in terms of danger, but that does not mean they are completely harmless. For those who want to quit smoking, choosing to smoke e-cigarettes is not a solution because research shows it leads to addiction to e-cigarettes instead. Therefore, if asked what is the best way to quit smoking, the answer is to quit both. You must stop both regular cigarettes and e-cigarettes and seek direct treatment from a doctor. This is the best option to break the cycle of addiction and the introduction of foreign substances into the body, which could ultimately be life-threatening in the future.
“Nicotine in e-cigarettes is a substance that gives us pleasure
but also chains us. Whenever we let go,
we experience cravings and restlessness, which is why it is called an addictive substance.
And once addicted, we cannot quit. We keep inhaling smoke
and foreign substances into our bodies continuously.”
