Vaping vs Smoking: What is better for your health?

Did you know you’re roughly twice as likely to quit smoking altogether if you use a nicotine vape rather than other nicotine replacement products, such as patches or gum? This is why LiveWell Dorset is proud to be part of the pioneering Swap to Stop campaign, encouraging smokers to ditch the cigarettes and switch to vaping instead.

In this article, we’ll explore smoking versus vaping and discover why vapes are significantly better for your health than traditional cigarettes.

What's worse - smoking or vaping?

According to the NHS, smoking is significantly worse than vaping. Cigarettes contain toxins that can cause cancer, lung disease and diseases of the heart and circulation such as heart attack and stroke. Smoking is also a health risk to the people around you and studies have shown it can cause premature ageing.

How much nicotine is in a cigarette vs vape?

Typically, one cigarette contains 1-2mg of absorbed nicotine, while a typical e-cigarette has 20-40mg of nicotine per 2ml refill cartridge.

How many cigarettes are in a vape?

A 20mg/ml vape cartridge containing 40mg nicotine is roughly equivalent to smoking 1-2 packs of 20 cigarettes.

Why is vaping better than smoking?

Most of the harmful chemicals in tobacco smoke, including tar and carbon monoxide, are not contained in vape aerosol.
Switching to vaping significantly reduces your exposure to toxins that can cause at least 15 types of cancer, lung disease, heart attack and stroke.
According to Cancer Research UK, people who smoke spend on average £525 on cigarettes every three months while people who vape will only spend on average £125 during the same period.
There is no evidence to suggest at present that second-hand vapour from e-cigarettes is harmful. As vaping is still relatively new, we can’t be sure there aren’t any long-term effects as a result of passive vaping, but it is unlikely to be harmful.

Is it safe for non-smokers to start vaping?

E-cigarettes are not completely risk-free so non-smokers should not take up vaping. Vapes are for existing adult smokers trying to quit smoking for good.

Start your journey to a healthier life with a free Swap 2 Stop vape kit

We know it’s not easy to give up smoking, which is why we’re inviting Dorset smokers to swap cigarettes for a free vape kit and go smoke-free!

The new nationwide Swap 2 Stop campaign encourages smokers to make the switch from smoking to vaping to improve their health. It is the nicotine in the cigarette that’s addictive, rather than tobacco which produces tar and toxic chemicals, so swapping smoking for vaping is a positive health move. You can sign up here or contact us for more information.

How does this work?

The tailored approach LiveWell Dorset uses to come up with solutions to the things that are stopping us achieving our goals, is based upon work done by University College London developing the COM-B model of behaviour change. In this model, all behaviour is influenced by understanding a person’s capability to change, their opportunity to change and their motivation to change. By understanding which of these is the biggest barrier to change, we can tailor support accordingly. This model of behaviour change is at the centre of the support we offer, online and in person.

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