Is Vaping a Harmless Way to Stop Smoking?

"The health hazards from smoking cigarettes are well-known. The nicotine in tobacco is the addictive substance. Some smokers can stop smoking on their own. Others benefit from smoking-cessation aids. These aids are mainly psychological methods, medications, and nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). Examples of psychological methods include psychological support, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), mindfulness, coping strategy training, and others. Motivational interviewing is a beneficial approach to helping people struggling with a nicotine addiction."

"It is a collaborative approach that utilizes open-ended questions to help the smoker identify their motivation for quitting and develop a plan for success. Medical providers can prescribe varenicline, a medication that affects nicotine receptors in the brain. It reduces the reward from using nicotine and decreases craving and withdrawal symptoms. Bupropion is another medication for smoking cessation, but it is less effective."

"Nicotine is given by nicotine gum, skin patches, or by vaping nicotine ( e-cigarettes). These methods provide the addictive substance without the harmful effects of burning tobacco and inhaling its smoke. Vaping nicotine is a relatively new approach to providing NRT. A review of 90 research studies showed that, "There is high-certainty evidence that e-cigarettes with nicotine increase quit rates compared" to other forms of NRT (Lindson, 2025)."

Smoking causes well-known health hazards driven by addictive nicotine. Some smokers quit without help while others benefit from cessation aids including psychological methods, medications, and nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). Psychological approaches include support, cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness, and coping strategy training; motivational interviewing uses open-ended questions to elicit motivation and develop quit plans. Varenicline alters brain nicotine receptors to reduce reward, craving, and withdrawal; bupropion is less effective. NRT options include gum, patches, and nicotine vaping. A review of 90 studies found high-certainty evidence that nicotine e-cigarettes increase quit rates, but vaping carries health risks and unknown long-term effects.

Read at Psychology Today