Quitting smoking is notoriously difficult, with fewer than 10% of smokers able to kick the habit each year. But new research suggests combining counseling with e-cigarette use can almost double those meager success rates.
In one of the largest studies on this topic, Swiss researchers found that close to 60% of smokers managed to quit after six months using e-cigarettes alongside counseling. Without vaping devices, just 39% quit with counseling alone.
The Promise and Risks of Vaping to Quit Smoking
E-cigarettes are often portrayed as a double-edged sword when it comes to cessation. While they deliver nicotine without many toxic combustion compounds, vaping still exposes users to addictive and potentially harmful chemicals.
Reactions from medical experts echo these mixed perceptions. Dr. Richard Stumacher, a pulmonologist with Northwell Health, called e-cigarettes “a tool that needs guidance” to reduce nicotine consumption. Yet inhaling anything other than air long-term likely causes cumulative damage.
So is the upside of higher quit rates worth the continued risks of vaping instead of smoking? Or does this just substitute one unhealthy addiction for another?
Details of The Groundbreaking Clinical Trial
Conducted at the University of Bern, this trial included over 1,200 daily smokers aiming to quit. One group received smoking cessation counseling alone. The other group also got e-cigarette starter kits allowing unrestricted vaping.
At six months, 60% of the vaping group had stopped smoking traditional cigarettes, compared to 39% success for counseling alone. However, nearly half continued vaping at six months versus just 3% still using nicotine replacement therapy in the counseling-only group.
Just 11% of the vaping group quit both smoking and e-cigarettes altogether, much lower than the 36% who quit entirely with counseling alone.
So while more participants quit cigarettes with vaping, they often developed or continued an e-cigarette habit instead. Some experts argue this just substitutes one addiction for another rather than definitively quitting nicotine.
Perspectives: A Lifesaving Yet Imperfect Tool?
“This is wonderful news for smokers,” said lead author Dr. Reto Auer, calling e-cigarettes “a significant increase in the proportion of people who quit smoking.” With cigarettes claiming over 8 million lives annually, this harm reduction resonates as lifesaving for some.
Pediatrician Dr. Rachel Boykan agreed the findings seem “promising” for cessation, but stressed concerns about lifelong vaping. “Long-term data already…suggest that people don’t quit nicotine using these products,” she warned.
Tony Abboud of the Vapor Technology Association touted mounting research on vaping’s “helpful and successful” role helping adult smokers quit. But Boykan and others argue youth nicotine addiction forbid recommending these devices to the general public.
Next Steps: More Research on Safety is Needed
While this study demonstrates e-cigarettes strongly support quitting smoking when combined with counseling, concerns around simply switching addictions persist. More data is needed on:
- Long-term cessation rates for smokers who switch to vaping
- Safety research on health impacts of longtime e-cigarette use
- Preventing youth addiction and limiting vaping access for non-smokers
For now, experts cautiously endorse vaping as a cessation tool paired with guidance around minimizing use and nicotine consumption. But more time is required to conclusively weigh the risks versus benefits of leanings on e-cigarettes to successfully quit smoking tobacco.
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