The NHS says vaping could help you stop smoking. On the website, it says: “In recent years, e-cigarettes have become a very popular stop smoking aid in the UK. Also known as vapes or e-cigs, they’re far less harmful than cigarettes, and can help you quit smoking for good.”
However, vaping isn’t advised for those who don’t smoke or anyone under the age of 18. What’s more, a doctor called Dr Karan Rajan wants people to know it’s not necessarily a miracle way to quit smoking.
He wants people to remember there are other routes to dealing with addiction – and reminded his TikTok followers that vaping can also be addictive.
Dr Karan claimed: “If you think vaping is the best way to quit smoking, you’ve been lied to. First, some vaping maths. A single vaping pod can contain around 60mg of nicotine, depending on the brand and strength.
“For comparison, one cigarette can deliver around 2mg of nicotine to the body, so one vape pod is easily a pack of cigarettes or more and, because vaping is smoother and comes in fun flavours, people can puff away and chain vape through multiple pods.”
The video garnered 140,000 likes since it was posted – and the response was very mixed. While some agreed you should swerve vaping, others said it had really helped them to give up cigarettes.
One wrote: “I’m part of the 7% to 10% that used vaping to quit smoking. That was eight years ago. I haven’t vaped or smoked anything in eight years. It was the only path that worked for me.”
Another viewer agreed: “Well I used to smoke one pack a day. One vape lasts me almost two weeks, so I will take one pack every two weeks. I wish I could take nothing at all, but I’m working on it.”
And a third wrote: “14 months vape free. Coming from an absolute vape fiend. Please give up. My resting heart-rate dropped from 90bpm to 60bpm. Weird head pains and rashes…..gone. Acne…gone. Mental health is miles better. My anxiety is better.”
Research into vaping is still in its infancy – and the NHS added: “Vaping is not completely harmless. We only recommend it for adult smokers, to support quitting smoking and staying quit”.
If you are worried about your health, see a doctor for advice or use the Stop Smoking Service to get further support.