Quitting Smoking, the Fun Way: Why Vaping is a Godsend for Smokers
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Those opposed to vaping like to concoct doomsday scenarios. When you have limited evidence on which to base your pre-determined opposition to the technology, grasping at straws is part of the game. One of the key rallying calls of the opposition to vaping is that “there’s no evidence they’re effective for quitting!”
There are several well-founded criticisms of Glantz’s analysis, but if something like that really was true, then the conclusion that vaping could actually be a bad thing for society is hard to avoid. That’s why this issue really matters: it could mean the difference between vaping being a public health miracle and an unmitigated disaster.
The problem for Glantz and his ilk is that it’s fairly obvious that vaping is actually having a very positive effect on many people’s lives. CASAA’s testimonials section is huge and chock-full of heartwarming stories from people who’ve managed to kick cigarettes thanks to the reduced harm alternative, and there is a growing body of evidence supporting what we all ultimately know to be true: vaping really is effective for quitting smoking.
“But,” the inevitable criticism comes, “those CASAA testimonials are just anecdotes!”
While it’s true that there are important limitations to anecdotes, they are also incredibly valuable when it comes to understanding why and how
So, to address the claims that e-cigarettes don’t help smokers quit and offer insight into how exactly it happens, we’ve spoken to several vapers and advocates about their experiences with quitting smoking by vaping. But, we’ve also taken a look at the scientific evidence we have so far, to show that the anecdotes are indeed supported by solid data too.
There’s no avoiding the conclusion: vaping is a godsend for smokers.
Quitting Smoking by Vaping – Some Perspectives
We’ve spoken to Michelle Harnden from Mt. Baker Vapor, Russ Wishtart of Click, Bang!, Alex Kendell of Vaping360, Daniel Hall from Guide to Vaping, Morten Moe from the Vaping Giraffe and Matt from Suck My Mod about their experiences with quitting smoking by vaping, to give some insight into how smokers find out about vaping, what drives them to try it, what devices and flavors help vapers with quitting and more.Should We Use Approved Quitting Methods?
In the public debate about using vaping as a method for quitting, there is one point in particular that is repeated time and time again. They say you should “quit using approved methods,” with the option of using e-cigs being treated as a last resort. But is that how people approach it in the real world? Russ, Alex, and Matt went through the whole spectrum of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) products prior to starting vaping:

“I had tried in the past using, all of the usual NRTs except Chantix. Patch, gum, lozenges, e.t.c. None worked, so I decided that I was just going to smoke.” – Russ Wishtart (Click, Bang!)


Although Morten stuck to a single type of NRT, his approach was very much the same:

“I had tried chewing gum a few times.” Morten Moe (the Vaping Giraffe)
The apprehension about using Chantix from Matt and Russ is definitely understandable: with a “Black Box” warning about neuropsychiatric side effects on the package, it’s hardly a compelling prospect. Despite the fact that this link doesn’t appear to be supported by the data, there are a few sleep-related side effects, and the overall idea of taking a pill to quit smoking can easily seem excessive.
Despite those issues from a smoker’s perspective, many do decide to try Chantix or other medication – and they are among the most widely-recommended options by official sources – and Michelle and Daniel count themselves among them:


All in all, the advocates actually did what the all-too-common advice suggests: they tried pretty much every approach available before giving vaping a try. It might seem surprising that none of them were successful, but there are a couple of reasons for this. First, we’ve only approached them for this article because they’re vapers, so really they’re bound to have quit by vaping rather than some other approach.
But their experience also strikes at a pretty uncomfortable fact for those intent on claiming the best approach is to use approved methods for quitting: even the most effective strategies for quitting are unsuccessful for most smokers who use them. Chantix increases your chance of quitting by two to three times compared to cold turkey, but since only about 5 percent of smokers succeed when quitting cold turkey, this only translates into a quit-rate of around 15 percent. And that’s before you get onto the fact that most smokers – like Matt, Alex, Morten, and Russ – don’t even try Chantix.
Ultimately, using the approved approaches to quitting is still a good idea if you want to maximize your chances of quitting and you’re open to trying them. But the decision made by many organizations to stick to the “try everything else before vaping” advice misses one key point: what you want to do. If vaping appeals to you more than the other options, then why opt for something you don’t want that probably won’t work anyway? The well-worn advice could use an update.
How Do Smokers Find Out About Vaping?
Although vaping is everywhere these days, back when many of the advocates we spoke to got started – as well as when I got started – it wasn’t so widespread, so how do people find out about vaping?
The furor about e-cigarette advertising would make you think that it’s entire purpose is to attract youth to vaping, but in reality, both Michelle and Russ, having understandable concerns about the health impacts and other downsides of smoking, decided to make the switch after seeing an ad:


These stories underline the benefits of advertising for e-cigarettes: the motivation to quit may come from elsewhere, but ads give you a potential solution that you may not have considered otherwise. For vaping, in particular, ads can underline the core benefits of vaping very nicely – showing that you can still enjoy a smoking-like behavior without the actual smoking part. Depictions of vaping in movies can have the same impact too, as Morten’s story shows:

However, with vaping being much more common in the modern day, stories like Matt, Daniel and Alex’s are more in line with how most smokers will find out about vaping:



All of these stories strike to one core point: for smokers to switch to vaping, vaping needs to be visible. Whether that’s through advertising or simply vapers being out in public and making smokers consider the option, direct or indirect promotion is what gives smokers that final push to try vaping.
“Accidental” Quitting – a Huge Benefit of Vaping
Quitting without really intending to – like Russ did, and I did too – is something you often come across with vaping. Admittedly, most smokers who make the switch do it with the intention of stopping smoking, but this isn’t the case for everyone. You may start vaping to save money, or you may start to have something to vape in public situations like Russ did, but this decision opens you up to an alternative that could easily result in you quitting smoking.
This deserves special attention because it’s something not offered by other quitting approaches. You don’t go and get a prescription for Chantix to “see what it’s like,” and nor would most people try nicotine replacement therapies for an alternative source of nicotine. But, since vaping is actually fun and similar to smoking as a habit, there are extra people – like myself and Russ – who wind up quitting smoking despite not really setting out to. In a world of “approved approaches” only, we would probably still be smokers.
Your First Vape – Did You Quit Right Away?
Once you’ve found out about vaping and decided to give it a try, is it smooth sailing from there? The answer is a slightly disappointing “probably not.”
Our advocates’ stories bear this out. Michelle, Matt, and Russ all got their first taste of vaping through Blu, and they all had a similar experience:



Although Morten, Daniel, and Alex didn’t name their brand, their experience was very much the same:



Anybody who’s tried a cigalike will understand the problem they all ran into: these devices just aren’t as effective as higher-end options. Research has shown that it takes over 65 minutes of vaping to achieve a cigarette-like amount of nicotine, so it’s not surprising that none of the vapers found it satisfying enough. Alex does point out that cigalikes have come a long way in terms of vapor production and flavor, but the same problems still persist to a lesser degree.
Why Does Vaping Work?
So the first experience wasn’t always amazing, but something made the difference for every one of the advocates we spoke to. We asked them what it was about vaping that helped them finally kick the habit.






The key factors for successfully quitting, based on the experiences of the vapers we spoke to, are the hand-to-mouth aspect and the ability to replicate the sensation of smoking, the multitude of flavors available, higher-end gear and the customizability of the whole experience. These aspects are exactly what we need to protect to maximize the public health potential of e-cigarettes, but many of them are also part of the reason vaping attracts so much criticism. Would the technology face so much controversy if the process of vaping didn’t look a little like smoking, for instance? Probably not, but we wouldn’t be here talking about it either.
Why Your Choice of Device Matters
When you’re trying to quit smoking, things really start to improve when you pick up some more advanced hardware. With better battery life, more options for power output and generally more efficient nicotine delivery, there is a reason most long-term vapers gravitate towards mods over time.
Michelle’s story about her interview at Mt. Baker perfectly sums up the mistake many new vapers make. As they said to her, the devices they offer “aren’t even in the same league” as the likes of Blu. She continues:

The other vapers have similar stories: Matt also quit with an MVP 2.0, and Russ and Daniel fully made the switch with the help of a dripping atomizer and a mod. For Morten and Alex, eGo-style tank systems were what made the difference between dual using of cigarettes and e-cigs and making the switch altogether.
In other words, all of the vapers we spoke to were unable to quit using a cigalike setup, but made the switch successfully when they got some more capable equipment.
In other words, all of the vapers we spoke to were unable to quit using a cigalike setup, but made the switch successfully when they got some more capable equipment.
They stuck with the higher-end gear, too:





Aside from the JUUL – which is beginner-friendly, despite being very unique – the devices vapers wind up using tend to be bigger and more advanced than cigalikes or even eGo-style options, and they need something more substantial than a cigalike to stop smoking too. This also raises troubling questions about the impact of regulations on vaping devices, because it’s precisely these devices most threatened by the FDA’s currently-proposed rules. Sadly, this is a recurring theme in the vaping debate.
The Role of Flavors
E-juice flavors have taken a lot of heat in the media, and are a potential target for future restrictions. You barely ever see an article on the topic in the mainstream news that doesn’t mention “gummy bear” or “bubblegum” flavor to insinuate that e-cigarette companies are targeting non-smoking youth, nor a justification of over-reaching legislation that doesn’t mention it, but these comments all ignore a very, very simple point: adults like flavors too.
Matt sums the importance of flavors up:

And Michelle adds:

Everyone else we spoke to totally agreed:




The importance of flavor is easily overlooked by those who don’t really understand vaping. As a smoker, you get accustomed to the taste of your brand of cigarettes. It isn’t usually a case of liking the taste of smoke; it’s more that you gradually learn to tolerate it. Pipe and cigar smokers are often an exception to this, but overall it’s fair to say that most smokers do not smoke for the flavor. Vaping, however, is totally different.
Because the various unpleasant tastes that come with combustion are entirely removed, the flavor of what you’re vaping – from fruity blends and desserts right through to well-captured tobaccos – is something you can actually start to enjoy. But it’s more than that. Flavors play a key role in differentiating vaping from smoking when you’re quitting, too. As everyone agreed, enjoying the taste of vaping is central to the quitting process, and finding the juices you enjoy vaping makes switching all the more enjoyable.
This isn’t just something based on the few vapers we spoke to for this post, either, it’s been confirmed in research on much larger numbers of vapers: flavors are “very important” for quitting smoking by vaping.
The Evidence – Do E-Cigarettes Help Smokers Quit?
While the stories from real vapers have given a lot of insight into how smokers approach starting to vape and trying to quit smoking, all of these come from people who’ve been successful in quitting. For people wanting to make policy decisions or doctors wanting to recommend an option to a smoker, a more objective look at the issue is very valuable. In short, the stories above are very informative in a descriptive sense, but the focus on successful vapers means they don’t give us any insight into how effective e-cigarettes are in general. If a smoker tried to quit by vaping, how likely is he or she to be successful?
This is where other forms of evidence come into play.
Default Assumptions and What Patches, Gums and Inhalers Tell Us
Before looking specifically at the evidence on how effective vaping is for quitting smoking, there’s one point that isn’t stressed often enough in the discussion of this issue.
This makes it hard to avoid the assumption that vaping will turn out to be effective for smokers trying to quit too – ultimately the question is “why wouldn’t it?” Perhaps the similarity to the act of smoking would make it harder to break the habit by vaping than with a chewing gum, but the vapers we spoke to classed the similarity as a benefit instead of a downside, and pharmaceutical nicotine inhalers also mimic the “hand-to-mouth” element of smoking and they’re still effective.
Overall, while it isn’t really scientific to just assume vaping will be effective, there are some pretty compelling reasons for it. In a way, it would be more surprising if e-cigarettes weren’t effective for smokers trying to quit than if they were.
The Value of Anecdotes and Their Limitations
Since there are tons of anecdotal reports from smokers who used e-cigarettes to quit, the debate about how valuable they are often comes up in discussions of using e-cigs to quit smoking. The core problem with anecdotes is that for every anecdotal account of someone quitting smoking by vaping, there are others (usually not as widely shared) of smokers who tried to quit by vaping and failed. Anecdotes aren’t “controlled” in any way, and the fact that you’re more likely to want to tell the world if something helps you quit than if it doesn’t means that the balance is tipped in favor of positive stories.
To understand the limitations of anecdotes for determining how effective something is, look no further than homeopathy. This is a system of medicine based on the idea that diluting things actually makes them stronger, and it’s safe to say it flies in the face of much of what we know about biology, chemistry and physics. There is simply no plausible way it could be effective. But there are tons of anecdotal reports that it is effective. When you study it properly it’s revealed as a placebo, but without those controlled studies, anecdotal evidence generally supports it.
As the last section pointed out, e-cigarettes are a lot more plausible, so the stories from vapers – like those in the post – are pretty solid evidence that they can help smokers quit. They also tell us a lot about the experiences of smokers, which types of e-cig are more likely to help smokers quit and loads of other things. And, of course, they’re all heart-warming stories in which someone switches from something that stands a substantial chance of killing them to something much, much safer.
The only limitation in the context of vaping is that anecdotes don’t offer any insight into how many smokers succeed and how many fail to quit by vaping. That’s why we also need more objective evidence.
To understand the limitations of anecdotes for determining how effective something is, look no further than homeopathy. This is a system of medicine based on the idea that diluting things actually makes them stronger, and it’s safe to say it flies in the face of much of what we know about biology, chemistry and physics. There is simply no plausible way it could be effective. But there are tons of anecdotal reports that it is effective. When you study it properly it’s revealed as a placebo, but without those controlled studies, anecdotal evidence generally supports it.
As the last section pointed out, e-cigarettes are a lot more plausible, so the stories from vapers – like those in the post – are pretty solid evidence that they can help smokers quit. They also tell us a lot about the experiences of smokers, which types of e-cig are more likely to help smokers quit and loads of other things. And, of course, they’re all heart-warming stories in which someone switches from something that stands a substantial chance of killing them to something much, much safer.
The only limitation in the context of vaping is that anecdotes don’t offer any insight into how many smokers succeed and how many fail to quit by vaping. That’s why we also need more objective evidence.
The Evidence: Do E-Cigarettes Help Smokers Quit?
So what does the evidence say? Does vaping help smokers quit? On the whole, the answer is a definite yes.
There are some other recent studies that add to this evidence-base. One example found that daily users of e-cigs with tanks – i.e. second or third-generation models – were around 2.7 times more likely to have quit than non-vapers. Another recent finding from the UK shows that, among those going to a stop smoking service, users of “unlicensed nicotine containing products” (translation: e-cigs) had the highest quit-rates after a month in comparison to other approaches.
If you’re interesting in reading more, the evidence is well-summarized in pages 29 to 31 of the (UK) National Centre for Smoking Cessation and Training’s e-cigarette briefing for stop-smoking services. In a nutshell, the evidence is fairly unanimous in suggesting that e-cigarettes help smokers quit.
But what about that meta-analysis that found that vaping actually reduces your odds of quitting? The short explanation is: junk in, junk out. Stanton Glantz’s analysis included many studies which didn’t even assess whether or not e-cigs were effective for smokers actually trying to quit by vaping, so the negative conclusion was pretty much guaranteed. It was heavily criticized by experts, and many great blog posts were written on it – by Clive Bates and Carl V. Phillips, for example – but the CliffsNotes version is that the analysis is highly misleading.
Tips for Quitting Smoking by Vaping
On the basis of both abundant anecdotes and peer-reviewed scientific evidence – not to mention some basic reasoning based on our knowledge of other nicotine replacement products – it’s safe to say that e-cigarettes do indeed help smokers quit. For interested smokers, the question then becomes: how do I maximize my chances of quitting smoking by vaping?
We asked the vapers we spoke to for their advice:






These are all excellent pieces of advice, and all of them are worth bearing in mind if you’re trying to quit smoking. We’ve gathered the key points here for easier reference:
- Get a high-quality device that suits your needs
- Try out different flavors
- Experiment with different nicotine levels
- Visit your local B & M and use forums and online communities for advice
- Don’t expect a miracle
- Don’t give up if you’re not successful at first
What if You Want to Quit Vaping?
Finally, for those using vaping as a stepping stone to becoming nicotine-free and ditching the habit altogether, what’s the best way to approach it?
We asked the vapers, and although they still vape, most of the advocates offered the same advice, best encompassed in this comment from Michelle:

Morten, Alex and Matt all offered the same key tip: use the nicotine levels to gradually reduce your intake until you’re no longer dependent on it.
Russ has a more unique suggestion:

However, if you are tired of batteries, liquids, and having to go outside to use nicotine, I recommend snus. You can use it anywhere without anyone knowing, it always works, and it is extremely enjoyable. For me, the best thing about snus is that it is totally discrete.”
Finally, Daniel Hall offers some keywords of support:

Vaping Has Enormous Potential to Do Good in the World, Just Give it a Chance
The experiences of vapers and the evidence we have so far on e-cigarettes’ effectiveness for quitting and safety relative to tobacco cigarettes makes a very compelling case for vaping. Some may try to cast doubt on the technology on the basis of poorly-designed research and make arguments that reflect their pre-existing bias more than the facts of the matter, but the evidence, on the whole tells us that vaping is a hugely beneficial technology with the potential to do a lot of good in the world. The only challenge is getting legislators to understand this and fighting any misguided road-blocks they might want to throw up.
We shouldn’t do this for ourselves; we should do it for smokers yet to make the switch.
We’d like to thank Michelle, Russ, Daniel, Matt, Morten and Alex for sharing their experiences, insights and advice, and making this post possible!
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