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Tobacco and Smoking Cessation Facts "Big tobacco" has been facing a decline in cigarette consumption for the last decade. The three major tobacco producers such as Philip Morris, Reynolds American, and Lorillard are facing a new threat as vapeing becomes more main stream among American smokers. Today, there are approximately 50 million Americans who smoke. Approximately 70 percent of all smokers report that they would like to quit. Sadly, the conventional methods of quitting such as the nicotine patch, nicotine gum and various medications have been incredibly ineffective and trying to quit cold turkey has only been effective in 10% of smokers. Approximately 75% of smokers light up again within a year. “We need better treatments because the current ones just aren’t working all that well,” says Jed Rose, director of the Duke Center for Smoking Cessation.” (Opar, 2013) With smoking contributing to the death of more than 435,000 people each year, vapeing is making a huge and positive impact on those who seriously want to kick the habit. What conventional methods fail to address effectively are the three main cues that help to keep people smoking cigarettes. These three are the addictive chemical nicotine, the feel and taste of the smoke hitting the back of the throat and the feel of having a cigarette in your hands. Vapeing mimic these three very effectively. Vapeing has, as a result, become a popular and very safe alternative to lighting up for those seriously seeking to quit. “…users inhale doses of vaporized nicotine from battery-powered devices that look like cigarettes. Carcinogen levels in e-liquid vapor are about one thousandth that of cigarette smoke, according to a 2010 study in the Journal of Public Health Policy.” (Opar, 2013). To date, approximately 800,000 smokers have switched to vapeing in the U. S. alone. That’s over 15,300 per week! Cultural, Social, and Personal Factors While there are several studies that provide data that brings insight into the type of person who smokes, there is really no one particular group. The typical smoker type encompasses every race from young to old, rich to poor, and male and female. Even with a definite decline in the amount of smokers in the last decade this still does not prevent new smokers from entering the tobacco consumer market. “About 40 percent of America’s 50 million smokers will try to kick the habit at least once this year. Fewer than one in ten will succeed. — Center for Disease Control and Prevention” (Center for Disease Control & Prevention, n.d.) The Hazards Associated with Smoking The big three authorities on public health and the harmful effects of smoking are, The American Heart Association, The World Health Association, and The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Here’s what they have to say about smoking: American Heart Association “Cigarette smoking is the most important preventable cause of premature death in the United States. It accounts for more than 440,000 of the more than 2.4 million annual deaths. Cigarette smokers have a higher risk of developing several chronic disorders. These include fatty buildups in arteries, several types of cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (lung problems). Atherosclerosis (buildup of fatty substances in the arteries) is a chief contributor to the high number of deaths from smoking. Many studies detail the evidence that cigarette smoking is a major cause of coronary heart disease, which leads to heart attack.” (American Heart Association, 2013) The World Health Association “Tobacco consumption remains the most important avoidable cancer risk. In the 20th century, approximately 100 million people died world-wide from tobacco-associated diseases (cancer, chronic lung disease, cardiovascular disease and stroke). Half of regular smokers are killed by the habit. One quarter of smokers will die prematurely during middle age (35 to 69 years). The lung cancer risk for regular smokers as compared to non-smokers (relative risk, RR) is between 20 and 30 fold. In countries with a high smoking prevalence and where many women have smoked cigarettes throughout adult life, roughly 90 per cent of lung cancers in both men and women are attributable to cigarette smoking. Involuntary (passive) tobacco smoke is carcinogenic and may increase the lung cancer risk by 20 per cent. While it is best never to start smoking, epidemiological evidence supports the enormous benefits of cessation. The greatest reduction in the number of cancer deaths within the next several decades will be due to those who stop the habit. The greatest effect results from stopping smoking in the early 30s, but a very impressive risk reduction of more than 60 per cent is obtained even when the habit is quit after the age of 50 years.” (World Health Organization, 2003) You’re never too old to quit! The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “Smoking causes death. The adverse health effects from cigarette smoking account for more than 440,000 deaths, or nearly one of every five deaths, each year in the United States. More deaths are caused each year by tobacco use than by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries, suicides, and murders combined. If nobody smoked, one of every three cancer deaths in the United States would not happen. Smoking causes an estimated 90% of all lung cancer deaths in men and 80% of all lung cancer deaths in women. An estimated 90% of all deaths from chronic obstructive lung disease are caused by smoking. Smoking causes lung diseases (e.g., emphysema, bronchitis, chronic airway obstruction) by damaging the airways and alveoli (i.e., small air sacs) of the lungs.” (Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, 2013) Very scary stuff indeed! The History & Benefits of Vapeing The first nicotine vaporizer and e-liquid (e-juice) was patented in 2003 by a Chinese pharmacist named Hon Lik. It didn't reach the US and European markets until 2006 where it rapidly caught on as a safer method of receiving nicotine into the system. While there are many opponents to the use of vapeing there are many more who have already realized the benefits of this system. Most vaporizers are similar enough in appearance to be mistaken for regular cigarettes, the main difference: e-liquid doesn’t contain tobacco and the thousands of deadly chemicals that are added to tobacco by cigarette manufacturers. Instead, there's a mechanism that heats up liquid nicotine and flavoring, which turns into a vapor that smokers inhale and exhale. The Proven Ineffectiveness of Conventional Methods of Smoking Cessation The real problem with the conventional, alternative methods of introducing nicotine into the body, such as gum, patches, etc. is that it doesn't replace or mimic the real feel of smoking. Therefore the incredibly low success rates! All the conventional methods of quitting smoking have been well documented as being incredibly ineffective. “Percentage of smokers who want to quit altogether 70%, Percentage of smokers who will try to quit this year 40%, Percentage of smokers who will succeed at quitting smoking on their first time 7%, Percentage of people who will quit smoking cold turkey 3.5%, Percent of people who relapse into smoking while intoxicated with alcohol 50%.”(American Cancer Society, 2013) Not very promising is it? The Health and Cost Benefits of Vapeing Vapeing is a much more effective smoking cessation method because it gives you the real "hit" that a conventional cigarette does by giving you a vapor to inhale/exhale. It also gives you the feel of holding a device very similar to a real cigarette in your hand and it tastes and feels just like the real thing! Vapeing greatly increases your chances of successfully quitting smoking! What does this mean to you as a smoker? No harmful cancer causing smoke and chemicals. No second hand smoke to poison others around you. No ashes or fire hazards. No dirty ashtrays or stained and smelly clothes, furniture or cars. No smelly breath or rotten brown teeth. No hacking smokers cough. No nasty nicotine gum, expensive patches, harmful medications, ineffective hypnotism or acupuncture, etc. It costs the average smoker $49 per week, $208, per month, and over $2548 per year to slowly kill themselves and others around them. (Not to mention the huge medical costs associated with smoking.) The list goes on and on and you can besides, you can vape virtually anywhere. Over 800,000 smokers have switched over to vapeing already with many, many more each and every day! Author Bio Lennard J. de Jong, Registered Nurse, 18 years. Emergency Department Degrees held: AAS (Nursing), BS (Healthcare Management) website: www.vapezillaecig.com References American Cancer Society, Health Land. (2013, July 28). In Statistics Brain (Ed.), Quitting Smoking Statistics. Retrieved September 18, 2013 American Heart Association, Inc. (2013). In Inc. American Heart Association (Ed.), Smoking & Cardiovascular Disease (Heart Disease). Retrieved September 19, 2013 Center for Disease Control, & Prevention. (n.d.). In Tobacco Facts (Ed.), Cigarette Smoking Facts. Retrieved May 25, 2013, Centers for Disease Control, & Prevention. (2013, August 1). In Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (Eds.), Health Effects of Cigarette Smoking. Retrieved September 18, 2013 Opar, A. (2013, May 7). In Scientific American (Ed.), Do...Really Help Smokers Quit? Retrieved May 25, 2013 World Health Organization. (2003, April 3). In World Health Organization (Ed.), Global cancer rates could increase by 50% to 15 million by 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2013
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