Smoking traditional cigarettes is a primary cause of preventable deaths around the world. Reports indicate that more than 5 million people die annually as a result of smoking tobacco. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 1 billion people have died in the 21st century alone as a result of smoking traditional cigarettes. This is why healthcare centers prioritize finding a harm reduction procedure when helping smokers give up smoking.
In this post, we will take a quick look at the role of e-cigarettes as a harm reduction therapy in smoking cessation.
THE CONCEPT OF SMOKING CESSATION
Otherwise referred to as stopping or quitting smoking, smoking cessation is doing all that you can to give up smoking tobacco. Nicotine is one of the main reasons why tobacco smoking is considered to be harmful to human health. Nicotine is the reason for the addiction that tobacco smokers experience.
Unlike the general belief, there are is no scientific evidence that shows that nicotine itself causes cancer. However, the fact remains that tobacco smokers expose themselves to several health risks such as strokes and heart disease, etc.
Smoking cessation is not an easy process as a majority of smokers that attempt to quit often find themselves relapsing within 4 weeks.
TOBACCO HARM REDUCTION (THR)
As stated above, nicotine is not the cause of the health issues people associate with smoking. However, the fact that it is addictive makes quitting smoking difficult. THR is a process that helps smokers reduce the harm caused by inhaling tobacco smoke. This process involves relying on the use of less harmful methods such as vaping or patches, etc. when consuming nicotine or tobacco. e-cigarettes, otherwise known as vapes can be purchased on many online stores. However, you can buy vapes online in Canada, if you live there.
Since nicotine is not toxic, the concept of tobacco harm reduction lies in the elimination of the inhalation of the harmful substances that are produced from tobacco combustion. The presence of harmful substances such as hydrogen cyanide, lead, and formaldehyde, etc. are the reasons tobacco smoking is associated with health issues.
THE ROLE OF E-CIGS IN THR
Today, there are many THR products on the market. However, identifying an appropriate product can be overwhelming. Some of the most common THR product types on the market are e-cigarettes. A lot of scientists and health authorities around the world refer to e-cigs as ENDS (Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems).
A study conducted in the UK in 2018 shows that e-cigarettes are three times more efficient in tobacco replacement therapy than nicotine gums and patches.
One of the reasons why many smokers prefer vaping when trying to give up smoking is their preference for tobacco smoke. Hence, the ability of e-cigs to mimic the physical attributes and behavior associated with traditional cigarette smoking makes them stand out among other nicotine delivery products.
BOTTOM LINE
While e-cigs and other nicotine delivery products such as gums and patches provide a less harmful approach in smoking cessation, they should not be considered to be harmless.
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