Smoking is a difficult habit to ditch.
Not that we need any data to prop up those claims, but in the United States for example, majority of smokers want to lay off the stick at some point (majority as in 70%). But only few (think a paltry 7 percent) manage to successfully do so, according to the CDC.
What is also known is that the number of smokers has significantly reduced over the last several years – with a corresponding increase in the number of vapers. In fact, a rise in the number of vapers has corresponded with a decline in smokers worldwide.
Market researcher Euromonitor estimates that by 2021, global number of active vapers will reach 55 million, up from about seven million in 2011.
Moving away from the figures, what is also widely acknowledged is that vape devices make for the most effective smoking alternative.
Before electronic cigarettes became a thing those few years ago, the journey to quit smoking was one fraught with challenges. The nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) options at the time (still available today) did not have the desired effect most users were looking for.
Many tried to quit using options like nicotine gum, lozenges and patches, but only few got to the promised land, with the large majority backsliding along the way.
Until vaping.
What Makes Vaping a Good Smoking Alternative?
So, what did vape devices do different that other NRT alternatives could not?
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out.
You see, the addictive element that makes cigarettes such a hard thing to put down is nicotine. That much is known. The overlooked aspect is the actual act of smoking itself – the hand-to-mouth process of inhaling a cigarette.
While many NRT options brought the nicotine, they failed to simulate the hand-to-mouth action, a habit so ingrained in smokers that over time it develops into muscle memory.
This is what e-cigarettes aimed to mimic, and it’s something the earlier devices got down to a T, at least with regard to the look and feel, but not so much the ability to provide satisfaction.
Early versions of e-cig devices – aptly known as cig-a-likes – were designed to look like an actual cigarette, complete with the glowing light resembling a burning cigarette on one end.
But smokers could not rely on these simple devices to get them there in terms of the ability to quell nicotine cravings, let alone providing the much-sought-after throat hit.
However, vaporizers have undergone a complete overhaul since.
Today, while the modern-day vape devices look nothing like a tobacco cigarette, it is under the hood that true satisfaction lies, and that is what smokers have been lacking all these years: devices capable of providing the satisfaction they enjoy with regular cigarettes.
The Switch from Smoking to Vaping
The throat hit and nicotine satisfaction aside, something else that makes vape devices a good transitioning device is e-liquid.
Also known as vape juice, e-liquids come in a whole range of options – and we don’t mean the thousands of amazing flavors on the market.
What smokers are most concerned about when switching to vaping is the ability of a juice to provide satisfaction while guaranteeing a seamless transition from smokes to vapes.
Obviously, a vaporizer is not a like-for-like replacement for a cigarette and there will be some initial bottlenecks involved. But e-liquids makes it a smoother experience as they come in a slew of nicotine strengths to suit different smokers.
These span from high-strength nicotine juices ideal for heavy smokers (north of 15 cigarettes a day) although the maximum nicotine content varies depending on region – for example the strongest juices are capped at 18mg in the UK and EU countries – to low-strength e-liquids that come in at 3mg (suited for light smokers – less than 5 cigarettes a day).
The range of nicotine strengths provide different entry points depending on the level of smoking you were used to.
What it also does is allow smokers-turn-vapers to gradually scale down their nicotine intake through the levels, even up to 0mg (nicotine-free vape) if the desired goal is to completely free oneself from nicotine dependence. 0mg e-liquids are juices that do not contain any nicotine.
As well, e-liquids are available in flavors most smokers are accustomed to, namely tobacco and menthol flavors.
The UK enforced a ban on menthol cigarettes that came into effect in May 2020, so it’s not like menthol enthusiasts have an option anyway – it’s either quit smoking for good or turn to vaping menthol e-liquids.
The Option of Nic Salts
What’s more, should you find regular e-liquid options a bit underwhelming, you can opt for the nicotine salts, the latest craze in the vape community.
These are unique e-liquids that boast high nicotine concentrations which can even triple the said 18mg allowed in regular juices. But their special formulation allows them to provide for an even smoother experience without any harshness.
Nic salts are particularly popular with smokers as they are the best at simulating the cigarette sensation as far as nicotine satisfaction and throat hit goes.
Conclusion
For smokers looking to quit for good, vaping presents the best option to do so.
And it does so without all the negative aspects associated with smoking – the tar, the thousands of chemicals, the second-hand smoke, the odors, etc. etc.
