Can electronic cigarettes help smokers to quit tobacco ?

In the last few years, electronic cigarettes have grown in popularity as the technology improves and more smokers have become aware of these nicotine delivery devices which mimic the experience of smoking (inhalation and blowing smoke) without the harmful chemicals found in tobacco.

Electronic cigarettes or e-cigs as some are branded, are designed to look and feel like conventional cigarettes but their makeup is very different. A typical electronic cigarette consists of a battery, an atomiser and a cartridge containing nicotine. There are no additional harmful toxins (over 4,000 chemicals found in a tobacco cigarette) present and the smoke exhaled is just water vapour, harmless to both the e-cig smoker and those around them.

What makes them work as an alternative to tobacco smoking is that the smoker gets their nicotine hit and also the whole smoking experience – holding a cigarette, putting it in their mouth, inhaling, and blowing smoke, which provides the same psychological cues, but without any of the additional harmful toxins.

But there are now many different e-cigarette providers and e-cig brands on the market, here in the UK and abroad. The problem is that they are not all the same and e-cig products can vary quite a lot in both quality and safety. With so many different electronic cigarettes on offer, it’s difficult for smokers to make the decision on whether to try them out or even to try them at all. Luckily there is a lot of information available online and many communities (of vapers, as they call themselves – e-cig smokers) which discuss the different products, how they work, how effective they may be in helping them quit or reduce their tobacco consumption, and also debating the various legal issues, health issues and social issues surrounding a fairly controversial subject.

There are some things to look out for. Smokers should avoid any company that promotes their e-cigarettes as a health product. This is simply not true and misleading.  You are still hooked on nicotine and nicotine is not good for you. It raises your heart rate and can increase the chances of heart disease and other conditions. It may be a better alternative to tobacco smoking, but giving up is the only really healthy option. Responsible e-cigarette retailers will not make any health claims or promote their products on any health grounds. They are simply an alternative nicotine delivery device for smokers.

But can they help smokers quit their habit? No clinical trials have been undertaken and that is why they will not be supported yet by any medical institutions but there are many smokers who have switched to e-cigarettes and claim some success. There are many stories published on various public forums about long-term smokers reducing their tobacco consumption as a result of using e-cigs, and a popular argument is that they are more effective than other nicotine replacement products such as patches and gum.

ASH (Action on Smoking and Health) is the campaigning public health charity in the UK which works to eliminate the harm caused by tobacco, and their position on electronic cigarettes is quite clear. They support a harm reduction approach to tobacco; namely they acknowledge that while efforts to help smokers quit the habit remain a top priority, many people find it too difficult or simply don’t want to stop smoking.  For this group, ASH believes that products should be made available which deliver nicotine in a safe way without the many harmful toxins and by-products found in tobacco.

In a published statement, ASH claimed that e-cigarettes are “likely to be a safer alternative to smoking” and that they also reduced exposure to second hand smoke, since they do not produce any smoke.