Comparison between cigarette smoking and vaping: Which is healthier, better or even worse?

The prevalence of vaping (use of e-cigarettes) has increased significantly since its introduction in 2007, especially among young people.

With this rise comes several questions: What is the difference between them? Is vaping better than smoking or worse? Which is healthier? Can vaping help you quit smoking? And the list goes on.

If you are trying to quit cigarette smoking and are considering vaping as a “safer” alternative, there are things you should know.

In this article, we discuss the risks of vaping versus smoking and look at the long-term effects and risks of both.

What is smoking?

A traditional cigarette involves lighting dried tobacco, allowing the smoker to inhale nicotine, the active – and addictive – chemical in tobacco.

It is an ancient and effective method of experiencing the mild, mood-altering effects of nicotine.

Commercially produced cigarettes consist of:

1. A cigarette paper wrapper: Cigarette papers are small, thin sheets of paper used to roll tobacco or other substances such as cannabis into a hand-rolled cigarette or joint.

2. Plant material: Tobacco cigarettes are dried and processed leaf stalks of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum).

3. Filters (cigarette butts): The filter catches larger pieces of partially burnt tobacco as the smoke passes through it into your mouth.

What is vaping?

Vaping is a new, high-tech method that uses a battery-powered atomizer to heat an e-liquid or “e-juice” to create a vapor that is consumed.

Vape liquid contains nicotine, propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, flavorings and other chemicals, although some vape liquids may be nicotine-free.

E-cigarettes are known by many different names. They are sometimes called “e-cigarettes”, “e-shishas”, “mods”, “vape pens”, “vapes”, “tank systems” and “electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS).”

Some e-cigarettes look like traditional cigarettes, others like high-tech USB devices.

However, most vape pens consist of four main components: an atomizer as a heating element, a battery for power, and either cartridges or a tank for storing cannabis oil or concentrate.

Smoking vs. vaping: what’s the difference?

The fundamental difference between smoking traditional cigarettes and vaping is smoke instead of vapor.

When you smoke, nicotine enters your lungs through the combustion of tobacco – the smoke is then inhaled.

Vaping involves heating an e-liquid or “e-juice” using a battery-powered heating device, creating a vapor that is consumed.

Is vaping cheaper than smoking?

Vaping is significantly cheaper than smoking. Aside from the initial setup costs of approximately $40 to $100, vaping costs about 10% of what smoking costs.

If you smoke a pack a day, it will cost you about $9,000 a year, and vaping as a smoking cessation tool would cost about $900.

Smoking vs. vaping: Which is better or healthier?

Both traditional cigarettes and e-cigarettes contain nicotine, a highly addictive chemical.

This chemical can also impair brain development in people under 25, affecting the parts of the brain responsible for learning, mood control, attention, and impulse control.

Because nicotine is a stimulant, it can also cause side effects such as increased heart rate and anxiety.

When cigarettes burn, they release thousands of different chemicals, many of which are toxic and up to 70 of which are carcinogenic. They also cause other serious illnesses, including lung disease, heart disease and stroke.

Unlike smoking cigarettes, vaping does not produce carbon monoxide, tar, fine dust particles or other byproducts of tobacco combustion. Vaping is therefore much less harmful than smoking.

However, much still needs to be learned about the long-term effects. Vaping carries many of the same risks as smoking. For example, the aerosol from e-cigarettes can contain chemicals that are harmful to the lungs.

Is vaping harmful? Side effects of vaping

Lung damage is becoming increasingly common among e-cigarette users.

Vapes come in a variety of flavors, some of which are designed to appeal to younger users. The flavors contain harmful chemicals such as diacetyl, which gives popcorn, candy and other products a buttery taste and has been linked to serious lung disease.

In addition to chemicals, some vaping liquids and devices contain heavy metals such as lead, tin and nickel, which can be toxic if inhaled.

Like cigarettes, e-cigarettes can contain small particles that can irritate your delicate lung tissue when inhaled. The deeper you breathe, the more damage these tiny particles can do.

Some e-cigarettes also contain vitamin E acetate, a thickening agent that has been linked to lung damage.

Non-smokers and young people under 18 years of age should not start vaping.

Can vaping help you quit smoking?

Smoking causes at least 15 different types of cancer, so quitting smoking completely is the best thing you can do for your health.

Nicotine vaping is much less harmful than smoking. It is also one of the most effective ways to quit smoking.

Using an e-cigarette can help you control your nicotine cravings. To get the most out of it, make sure you use it as often as you need and that your e-liquid contains the right nicotine strength.

Of course, for people who haven't started smoking or vaping, the best way is to avoid nicotine products altogether.

How to quit smoking and vaping?

The nicotine in tobacco or liquid leads to an actual physical dependence. This can cause unpleasant withdrawal symptoms when trying to quit smoking.

Although nicotine is the addictive substance in cigarettes and e-cigarettes, most illnesses caused by smoking and e-cigarettes are not caused by nicotine, as nicotine is relatively harmless to health.

Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) provides you with nicotine – in the form of gum, patches, sprays, inhalers or lozenges – but not the other harmful chemicals in tobacco or e-liquids.

NRT has been widely used for many years to help people quit smoking and is a safe treatment.

It can help relieve some of the physical withdrawal symptoms so you can focus on the psychological (emotional) aspects of quitting.

Is vaping weed worse than smoking a joint?

In addition to nicotine-containing e-liquids, vapes can also be used to administer cannabis oil and dry herbs.

When you smoke a joint, the smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals. Hundreds of these chemicals are toxic and about 70 cause cancer.

Switching to vaping significantly reduces exposure to these harmful toxins, making it better than smoking a joint.

Diploma

Since vaping is far less harmful than smoking, switching from smoking to vaping could benefit your health and reduce your risk of developing lung cancer.

In addition, switching from cigarettes to e-cigarettes can also save you a lot of money. Some people spend more than others, but in general, smoking costs more than three times as much as vaping.

However, vaping is not without risk. Vaping and smoking have similar negative effects on the body, such as lung damage and an increased risk of cancer.

The best way to improve your health is to quit both smoking and vaping.