Vaping has undoubtedly led to far more people being successful quitters because electronic cigarettes meet more of the physical needs of a smoker, such as mouth-feel and having something to do with your hands. Patches and gum don’t really meet the needs of the dedicated smoker and before e-cigs came along, there were various other ways that people resorted to, with varied results.
Hypnosis
Many people tried hypnosis and there were a number of success stories but falling back into smoking was common and also there were a lot of fake hypnotists on the market. They never guaranteed results, of course, implying that if it failed it was because you were a bad subject, rather than that they were bad hypnotists and there was no way to tell. Depending on the method used, some people found they could give up smoking in certain circumstances but began again as soon as they were stressed. Vaping gives such people something to use to get them over a bad patch without making them dependent on cigarettes again.
Willpower
This is the biggie – do you or do you not have the willpower to give up smoking? The problem that most people come across is that you are not fighting your will, you are fighting your body’s craving for nicotine, more specifically what nicotine does to the dopamine receptors in your brain to make you feel better and more relaxed. Most quitters find that going cold turkey makes them feel irritable and tense and the longing for ‘just one cigarette’ is more than they can take. Serial quitters who keep going back to cigarettes are often those who try willpower alone. Using electronic cigarettes means that you can adjust the dose of nicotine – Prestige Vaping stocks DIY kits so you can make up any strength you want – to suit your mood.
Herbal cigarettes
For those who liked the ‘fiddle factor’ of smoking, herbal cigarettes seemed like the answer, because there was still the paraphernalia of smoking; the pack, the lighter, the feel in the hand – but none of the toxic stuff. Sadly for these people, most herbal cigarettes contained many of the bad ingredients of regular tobacco and didn’t really help with quitting.
Patches, Gum and Sprays
Until vaping came along, many people relied on nicotine replacements in the shape of patches, gums and sprays. Some delivered the dose by way of an inhaler which was designed to mimic the shape and feel of a cigarette. The problem with these methods was that – even including the inhaler – there was none of the feel of smoking and for people who had cut down to only a few cigarettes a day and were trying to give up those, the doses could be too strong for them and they reported some unpleasant side effects. Nicotine replacements have helped a great number of people, but as vaping is the equivalent with the option of fine-tuning the nicotine and also giving the smoking experience, it has been more successful overall.
Rob Steen is a Freelance Copywriter who writes often about the vaping revolution.