Thanks to numerous public health campaigns, the damage that can be caused by smoking is better known than ever before. We look at this issue in more detail and ask whether vaping better than smoking.

The Harm That Smoking Causes To All

If you are a smoker it is unlikely that someone hasn't yet pointed out why giving up cigarettes is a good idea. Just on the off-chance you haven't seen the posters, read the blog posts or haven't been told by at least one healthcare provider, here for your convenience are just a few reasons why giving up tobacco smoking is a good idea.

1) It Can Kill You.

There's nothing quite like a bold statement to grab someone's attention. According to the US CDC, smoking is the number one cause of death that could have otherwise been prevented. The number of people in America who die prematurely due to smoking-related issues is now above 480,000. That figure relates to annual deaths. This is more than the number of people who die from alcohol-related issues, drug usage, HIV, car accidents and shooting incidents added together. When you consider the fact that these smoking-related deaths are preventable this is quite the eye-opener. 

While these numbers come from the US, global deaths that are attributed to smoking are still too high.

2) It Contains Toxic Chemicals

According to the World Health Organisation, a number of the chemicals found within tobacco cigarettes are toxic. When you light up a cigarette and inhale the smoke you are therefore breathing in toxic chemicals. This is not true of vaping. No such classification or warning exists for those who are inhaling the vapour produced by e cigarettes heating up flavoured e liquids. This is one the several reasons that many say "yes" when asked, "Is vaping better than smoking".

3) It Can Cause Cancer

Again, not a title to ignore. WHO has confirmed that smoking can cause cancer and that while cancer survival rates are increasing, it isn't something anyone wants to experience. Many cancer-care and harm prevention agencies and charities are clear on the fact that smoking is bad news and urge individuals to give up. Many are now also advocating for use of e cigarettes to help smokers move away from the potential dangerous smoking habit.

4) It Can Cause Numerous Ailments and Increase the Risk of Illnesses

Smoking is well known to aggravate existing conditions, from asthma to diabetes and cause numerous others. There are proven links between smoking and heart disease, lung disease, respiratory conditions and more. In addition to this, you have a higher risk of stroke, heart disease, developing type 2 diabetes and additional conditions if you are a tobacco smoker. 

Clearly, smoking is a bad idea for anyone. Is vaping better than smoking though, is a question many are wondering.

Better depends on your perspective. Many people hold the opinion that vaping is better however this piece is more about facts than opinions. We break down the reasons surrounding the question "Is vaping better than smoking" so that you can make your own mind up.

Is Vaping Better Than Smoking From a Health Point of View

No-one is allowed to legally say "vaping is better for you than smoking"... yet. What we can say is that Public Health England heartily approves of vaping as a smoking alternative. Their claim that it is 95% less harmful than smoking in their 2018 vaping review is something many other health organisations and charities have been keen to back up.  

E liquids do not contain the toxic chemicals that tobacco smoke does and WHO have not classified vapour from e cigarettes in a negative light. The same can not be said for tobacco cigarette and smoking classifications. There are many public health campaigns and warnings about the dangers of smoking and none about vaping. Stoptober, the national quit smoking campaign that PHE run every year suggests the use of e cigarettes as a cessation device to help those trying to quit smoking do so successfully. 

These are just a few indicators that vaping is better than smoking from a health perspective but ultimately smokers need to make up their own mind. 

The Financial Cost of Smoking Vs The Financial Cost of Vaping

Vaping costs less than smoking, that is easy to see. Unless you are an extreme vaper who insists on having each and every flavoured e liquid, every new piece of vaping kit and accessory as soon as it comes out, the chances are that you will spend much less on vaping than you would on smoking.

The cost of a basic starter kit for vaping is around twenty to thirty pounds. This should have everything you need to get started tech-wise. Some contain e liquids and some don't but with e juice available from just 99p it is easy to see how vaping could work out cheaper. A mid-brand pack of twenty tobacco cigarettes cost between £9 and £10 each and these are gone as soon as they are smoked. A starter kit/e cigarette will last much longer, making them much better value for money.

The Environmental Issues Around Vaping and Smoking

Keep Britain Tidy report that the amount of litter associated with smoking has become one of the worse pollutants of our roads, green spaces, rivers and more. Cigarette stubs can take anything from eighteen months to ten years to start to decompose. On top of this, there are concerns about the cigarette packaging which contributes to litter. No such concerns have been reported about vaping-related littering.

We believe that environmental agencies and charities would agree that in terms of harm to the planet, be this via toxins released into the air or littering, that smoking does cause significant issues whereas no data suggests that vaping does.

Is Vaping Better Than Smoking: In Summary

We can't say officially "yes" to "Is vaping better than smoking", but you can. Take this information, do your own research and decide which of the two works better for you. If you are a smoker and are wondering if switching to vaping could be to your advantage, many researchers, scientists, healthcare professionals and even Public Health England itself would say that yes, vaping is the preferred alternative to smoking. 

What do you think? As time has moved on and vaping has lost its newness, more people now trust vaping. Once the wild vaping myths and tabloid stories were disproven by science and trusted bodies, vaping started to be seen for the valid alternative that it is.

We hope that this acceptance to vaping continues to grow and that more people use it as a stepping stone to quitting smoking or switch to e cigarettes and enjoy the benefits.

So, in your opinion, is vaping better than smoking?