Even anecdotal evidence taken from your local vape shop will
soon reveal a common thread of camaraderie, mutual support
and the importance of personal input and advice when it comes to
maintaining smoking cessation. Getting – and keeping – our friends
and relatives off of smoking (and remaining disciplined ourselves)
doesn’t often happen in isolation and doesn’t begin and end with
our body chemistry. Now we have the data to back our experiences
up.
“Because vaping is a more pleasurable
alternative, our research found that a
full relapse into smoking isn't inevitable
when people find themselves having the
odd cigarette.”
Research into smoking cessation and nicotine replacement covers
both physical and mental factors, and Dr Notley has made recent
waves through her work specialising in this area. In her July 2018
study into smoking relapses, Dr Notley found that former smokers
crave a lost sense of social identity. Years of smoking (especially
when it begins in a formative stage like adolescence) results in
seeing oneself as a “smoker” and closely associating the habit and
its traits with their own identity. The study hinted that only through
vaping could one fully shed the “smoker” identity, by having a full
replacement for lost habits and activities surrounding their nicotine
use.
This new research all but confirms that and developing a habit
of e-cigarette use provides strong substitutes for previously lost
pleasures in smoking that go beyond mere nicotine ingestion.
Nicotine isn't the only thing being replaced, but behaviours and
mental cues triggered by the old habit.
“E-cigarettes are the most popular aid to quitting smoking in the
UK. Our previous research has shown that e-cigarettes are really
important for helping people stay smoke free – by substituting the
physical, psychological and social aspects of smoking."
Dr Notley also mentioned how the inherent qualities of vaping do
a good job drawing a would-be lapsed smoker away from their old
temptations. She said:
“Because vaping is a more pleasurable alternative, our research
found that a full relapse into smoking isn't inevitable when people
find themselves having the odd cigarette.”
This finding doesn’t just represent a significant step forward in
research covering vaping’s role in instigating smoking cessation,
but in maintaining a smoke-free lifestyle for vapers. Dr Notley
found that not only was vaping a more enjoyable alternative but
had particular pull with former smokers.
“There has been a lot of theorising around the process of smoking
relapse after quit attempts. But all of these date back to pre-vaping
times. This fresh evidence makes us question the usefulness
of that understanding now that so many people are choosing to
switch to vaping.”
“For ex-smokers, vaping offers a pleasurable, social and
psychological substitute to cigarettes – and it powerfully alters the
threat of relapse. The old ‘not a puff’ advice may need revisiting.”
The study, ‘Vaping as an alternative to smoking relapse following
brief lapse’ and was funded by Cancer Research UK. It was
published via Drug and Alcohol Review.
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