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Do you think vaping is WORSE than smoking cigarettes? Every 6 months, I have to get a blood test done for a medication I’m on. The nurse does a check up on you before the blood test. I’ve been going to this clinic for almost a year.

Back story: When I first started going to this clinic, the nurse did a physical on me before I was prescribed any medications. I was honest and told her that I have a bad addiction to smoking cigarettes. She took note and told me all the ramifications of smoking (I know it’s bad for you. I was a “stupid” teenager whose now paying the price, lol). After the physical, I was prescribed my medication.

Around 6 months after I was on the medication, I went in to get the blood test and check up done. She asked me how the smoking is going. I told her that I actually finally quit smoking cigarettes but vape on occasion. She freaked out and said “vaping is worse than smoking cigarettes.”

I’ve been using my vape for months now. I used to smoke a pack of cigarettes every 2 days. Sometimes a whole pack in one night. I got FED UP w/myself and decided to stop. I went cold turkey and with my mental health struggles, it was extremely difficult. So I decided to try vaping.

The vape has helped me completely stop. I try not to do it too much though. My breathing is so much better. I know it’s still harmful and an addiction, but it’s helped me so much in the process of quitting those nasty cigarettes. Eventually I’ll have to stop, but vaping makes me feel much better mentally and physically in comparison to the cigarettes. I know I’ll eventually quit vaping now too, but with my current life and struggles, it’s a hard time for me to do that.

I disagree with the nurse. As mentioned above, vaping has saved me from cigarettes. I ended up doing my own research on the Internet. Some say vaping is worse, others say vaping is better. What do you think? If you have any knowledge or articles you want to share, feel free as I’m open-minded to hearing people’s thoughts on this.

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VeronicaAnn 7 Aug 24
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48 comments (26 - 48)

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2

There are too many variables to say "yes" "no" or even "maybe".

  • Your physical make up and genetics
  • what you used to smoke
  • what type of vape fluid you ingest
  • how often and how much you vape each time.

I know someone who quit smoking by vaping (like you), then quit vaping. Set a date - one year, two years - then dial down your vaping amount and times per day you vape until it gets to zero.

problem solved.

2

From what I’ve heard vaping eliminates many dangerous ingredients which are in normal cigarettes. Plus you can cut down the nicotine content to wean off, all sounds positive to me.

Probably stay away from the strongly coloured and flavoured ones though, not many longitudinal studies have been done yet and more variables = more potential unknown risks.

2

So I answered the poll in my opinion they are both bad in their own ways all I can say is it appears you have done some research and you have cut out cigarettes, believe in you and overcome the obstacles I wish you well. 😉

2

Well vaping is known to cause pop corn lung which is worse in a lot of ways than COPD. I suppose if you use it short term to quit for good & you're not having increased breathing difficulty, it may be ok.

Nunya Level 6 Aug 24, 2020
2

Speak to a doctor about health concerns. You may wish to ask about medication that blocks the nicotine receptors in your brain.

2

As you've stated, the jury is still out on whether it's worse or better. Regardless of what you choose to do, I hope you are investing time and money on improving your mental health, since it seems this is the underlying issue? In my opinion, mental health and lack of access to mental health care is the reason for most if not all addictions.

2

Vaping isn't as ideal as not vaping but it is better than smoking cigarettes. Vape juice, as long as it's from a reputable source and hasn't been tampered with, doesn't have all of the bad additives and proven carcinogens that cigarettes do. Plus, it smells way better.

2

Cigarettes have more different types of carcinogenics.
Vapes deliver more nicotine and are therefore more addicting.
Ending an addiction to nicotine can't be done by substituting nicotine with nicotine.

I don't think that's entirely true. As far as I know, one can choose from various levels of nicotine, all the way down to none.

@bingst The vast majority of vapes come in cartridge form for example Juul, their lowest nicotine tating is 3%, their highest is 5%, there are no other strengths from Juul. I don't want to become an alchemist / vape engineer to vape home made 0% nicotine juice.

2

Vaping is very bad for you. That goes for cannabinoids as well. There's so much "smoke" that you will inhale a lot and it expands in your lungs. Try to stop all that. Cigarettes and vape products are expensive. Weed products are super expensive. They give cancer but they don't give away the harmful products.

1

I vape the hell outta indica, killing the pain and letting me sleep.

1

I've heard both. But I cough a hell of a lot harder when I vape. And if you vape you look like a fag.

Also nurses aren't doctors or PAs. I had a nurse tell me once that linsinopril is a narcotic and was a street name for hydrocodone. I stopped arguing with her, and just gave up. Me thinking she was right went home and looked at the bottle. I was 100% correct.

I also had a doctor tell me that you couldn't get a medical for a class A if your BP was over 160. I told he she was wrong. She went out of the office and came back (probably to check). I was right. No shit? I read ALL of the almost 800 pages of the Federal Motor Carrier Manual, and I was tested on it...

It's 2020 already; your homophobia is so last century.

@Gareth the term in this case has nothing to do with homosexuality. You are the one that took it as such.

@TheGreatShadow Because I speak English. What did you think it meant?

1

Why would you put poisonous gases into your body!!!

The side affects take time, but when they do there is differently no return to an normality or recovery to good health!!!

A lot of death in young individuals from Covin19 has been those who are vaping and cigarette smoking alone with obesity!!!

1

Great, you traded cancer for alzheimers, both will kill you but the new addiction slower than the former.

@VeronikaAnnJ it is a figure of speech, not saying it will give you alzheimers, I could have used any other analogy, like you traded arsenic for sthrycnine, or choose your poison of choice; what my post is actually saying is that you traded one addiction that will kill you for another one that will also kill you albeit at a slower pace.

1

I know how toxic smoking cigarettes is which is why I don't smoke them. I honestly don't know enough about the dangers of vaping but since nicotine is the addictive chemical and I believe that's in both, I imagine they're probably both equally toxic.

1

Aunt and uncle vaped to quit smoking. They're down to 0 nicotine and closing in on stopping the physical habit of it soon.

1

Smoking is such a filthy habit it would be hard to think of a worse one
Smokers and their clothes smell - really smell.
The litter is atrocious; cardboard, foil, cellophane wraps all over the streets and the plastic, non-biodegradable butts get absolutely everywhere - I find them in the sand on otherwise pristine beaches, and presumably they'll end up in the sea where some poor creature may ingest them. Forest fires, house fires, scorch marks and holes on furniture, carpets (readily visible in hotel rooms), bedding, clothes - the incidental damage must be enormous.
As a non-smker, I'd prefer you to vape. And why are some people saying it's worse than smoking? What are their arguments, what statistics are they working from, and do they make sense? Intuitively I would think that cigarette smoke is much worse for you than vapour.

@VeronikaAnnJ Hi V-A Nice to meet you. There must be loads of info on the relative merits of vaping vs smoking but unless I'm missing something big it seems likely to me that all the tars, PCBs, chemicals in the paper to make it burn consistently etc. are going to be much worse for you than steam and oil vapour (which is, admittedly, not good for you, but most people don't seem to have a problem with standing in the same room as frying food). Even seemingly quite sensible people sometimes believe the weirdest shit.

As an anecdote, I had a friend, Henk, who gave up smoking roll-ups for vaping because he had health issues. When it became clear that he was dying of cancer anyway, he went back to smoking as he figured the damage was done and he might as well have the enjoyment as not. Another of our friends was surprised when he saw Henk puffing away. "I though you'd gone digital?" he said. That amused us all. RIP, Henk.

1

Any too hot gas entering your lungs is bad, no matter vaping or smoking. Your lungs did not evolve to resist those temperatures.
On top of that you have the substance. Nicotine is bad in all shapes, there is no secure levels. So only better nicotine is less or no nicotine.

But what if she eats fried green tomatoes? 😛

0

Both smoking cigarettes and vaping have their own health risks, and it's crucial to make informed choices. The nurse's perspective may stem from the fact that vaping, especially with nicotine, is not entirely risk-free. While it might be a less harmful alternative for some smokers, it's still best to aim for a smoke-free lifestyle.
If you've successfully transitioned to vaping as a way to quit smoking, that's a commendable step towards better health. However, consider exploring alternatives like Nic Salts, which provide a smoother nicotine delivery and can be a helpful tool in your journey to quit nicotine altogether.

0

It's good that you gave up cigarettes. But can you just as easily give up vaping? I am also concerned about this problem. I don't use vapes, but on the advice of a friend, I found on [uk.neafs.com] cigarettes with a special blend of tea leaves, gently mixed with nicotine and various flavors. I hope this will help me slowly move away from nicotine addiction. I don't use vaping because I've heard that feeling relief from it is deceptive and carries many risks. Again, it's up to everyone what methods to use to quit nicotine.

0

I believe that vaping and smoking cigarettes are equally bad for the body, namely your lungs. Therefore, it is unnecessary to assert that one is better than the other. This is complete nonsense. Studies have already shown that vaping and cigarette smoking is at the same danger level. Sometimes even good cigarettes are better than vape because vape liquids contain glycerin that remains forever in your lungs; however, the lungs can clear themselves from the tar of cigarettes. By the way, I've been vaping myself for about 3 years, and that's why I know what I'm talking about, I always keep an eye on new DOT pro pods, and that's why I know what I'm talking about.

0

I have a rule against smoking in my forest for a variety of reasons. I allow vaping.

0

Vaping for a nicotine fix HAS to be less harmful than inhaling the combustion by-products of vegetable matter. That's not to say it is harmless there's still plenty of bad ju-ju in that crap!

Vaping for a cannibus fix is actually NO BETTER than smoking a joint. This is because THC is NOT water soluble like nicotine is, so the vegetable matter is actually being burned to release the THC.

In the case of cannibus, consider edibles. It takes longer for the THC to get in your system and it crosses the blood brain barrier differently, but it won't kill you so horrifically.

0

Like others, I am no medical professional. I have read an article or two suggesting that vaping is as bad as cigarettes, but I only have others reports and accounts of bad results on a couple individuals. My vote as uninformed as it was was to say they are equally bad. Then I went to Google to see what the experts have said. The short answer is that even though vaping may not be as bad for one's health as cigarettes, it can still be pretty bad especially because their are few if any regulations on the content of the vaping product. Here are a few samples from Google (which suggests vaping as the second suggested topic from typing "dangers of" on the search line). These sources come from the CDC, John Hopkins Medicine, and Harvard Medical School.

[cdc.gov]
[hopkinsmedicine.org]
[health.harvard.edu]

The govmt. has acted in a high handed manner regarding vaping, supposedly because of kids getting into nicotine from it, not because vaping nicotine is bad for a former smoker. I have read up extensively and as a former nurse I am not worried at all about vaping. Nicotine is good for my mental functioning which is why my psychiatrist recommended vaping.

@Theresa_N - Nicotine consumption among teens has reportedly increased about 5% with the increase of teen vaping. Whether this increase is cause for concern could perhaps be debated, but all sources I find say nicotine is highly addictive. Whatever the final determination on the safety and health concerns of vaping, nicotine will likely get people hooked on the product and make it more difficult to quit if it does prove harmful - just as nicotine in cigarettes already has been shown to do.

@RussRAB, so teenage use should prevent adults from doing it? Nicotine is not the harmful product in cigarettes. It is addicting and I'm all for teens not using it. 5% is not that much and I'd far rather have them vaping than smoking.

@Theresa_N - You have gotten the idea that I am against adults vaping or using nicotine. In my first comment, I said that my thought equating the harm of smoking cigarettes and vaping was uninformed and that vaping may not be as harmful as smoking. The harm comes from the ingredients which have not been regulated. I have no idea how or if that has changed over time. In my second, I admitted that nicotine has some benefits but also that it is not completely safe or good for someone as you implied in your comment. Nicotine is highly addictive and does or can have detremental health effects. Undoubtedly, cigarettes have numerous chemicals harmful to ones health. According to one ad played on TV, so do vaping products. You say you have read up on it and I take your word on that with the exception that your opinion appears to me to ignore what I have read from sources I would tend to trust - like the CDC, John Hopkins Medicine, and Harvard Medical. The conclusion from one of the articles I posted concluded that vaping was a better alternative to smoking but that other options were even better and considered far more safe for someone who wanted to quit smoking. I have never smoked and never vaped, so I rely on the reports of others. Your opinion falls into this category and I give it the weight of your reputation as I do with other sources mentioned. I did not advocate any particular action be taken concerning vaping and don't plan to just as I don't with cigarettes for adults. I do believe in facts, however, and that is what I have attempted to present here. That you appear to have inferred from my comments some kind of judgment is unfortunate.

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