Quitting smoking with prescription vapes – a leading Australian doctor breaks down the benefits
I’m one of a tiny minority of local GPs who appreciates the benefits of vaping nicotine. Some may find this surprising to hear, but I see my role as a family doctor to promote the reduction of the burden of disease in the community. Cigarettes kill, plain and simple.
The facts speak for themselves – smoking combustible tobacco products like cigarettes will shorten your life by an average of 10 years, ruin your health, and can cause heart disease, lung disease and cancer – and that’s just for starters.
So, what makes prescription vapes useful tools for quitting smoking?
How prescription vapes could assist you to quit smoking?
My medical perspective
It’s clear to me from a medical perspective that the benefits of switching from smoking cigarettes to prescription vaping are, for the most part, twofold:
- Prescription vaping for many people is a successful beginning to the path to becoming nicotine free. It works as a quit tool.
- It offers a better alternative to smoking; if they did not have vaping, they would continue to smoke.
Both of the above points are equally as important. The fact of the matter is, all human beings have vices. You do, I do – it’s part of the human experience. Most of us enjoy caffeine every single day, for example. Others may have a glass of wine at the end of the day. Some have other addictions that can be harmful.
Opiate addicts are offered substitution therapies as recognised harm reduction interventions – and using prescription vapes for smoking cessation is no different.
I have had personal success
As a previous smoker, I know how hard it is to quit. As an ex-smoker who used vaping to quit, I understand how hard it is to do. Vaping nicotine offers a way out of nicotine for many, and for the few others who continue to vape, research shows their risk of chronic disease and premature death is lowered with prescription vapes as opposed to continued smoking of cigarettes.
It’s money-saving
Research shows that the average Australian cigarette smoker spends over $100 a week on average. That’s well over $5200 every single year. Imagine what you could do with that extra money!
When switching to prescription vapes to stop smoking, the average Australian smoker will save up to $500 in their first month alone (depending on how much you’re currently spending per week on cigarettes). So, it’s not just your health that benefits!
No secondhand smoke
There is currently no evidence that secondhand vapour from prescription vapes is harmful to those around you, unlike secondhand smoke from cigarettes. This means you are likely to cause less harm to your loved ones, while vaping.
You also won’t have any gross tobacco smoke odors following you around.
Better control over your nicotine consumption
Prescription vapes and e-liquid come in a variety of nicotine strengths, meaning you have full control over how much you are putting in your body. Start with a higher nicotine strength and slowly reduce as you continue your quitting journey.
New legislation makes it harder for Australians to quit smoking
With new Australian legislation, vapes containing nicotine can no longer be purchased without a prescription from a registered health professional. This can often lead to people acquiring nicotine vapes illegally – which can be dangerous, as these vapes aren’t guaranteed to adhere to quality regulations.
If it was up to me, you wouldn’t need a prescription for a nicotine vaping product. But that is the law these days in this country. It’s bizarre that you can just go in and purchase cigarettes pretty much anywhere with no questions asked, while there are so many restrictions on nicotine vaping products. It makes no sense.
What is vaping?
If you’re reading this, chances are you’re well aware of what a vape is and how it differs from smoking. But for those of you who feel a little bit lost, don’t stress.
Firstly – vaping is not smoking.
Smoking a cigarette involves burning tobacco – which creates dangerous, toxic chemicals that have a hugely detrimental impact on your health.
Vaping, on the other hand, contains an e-liquid that, when heated, creates an aerosol, or vapour, that you can breathe in. This e-liquid can come in a variety of different flavours, and can contain nicotine – which is where vapes can aid with smoking cessation. It means that while quitting, you’re not quitting all nicotine immediately – meaning you can slowly taper off your nicotine usage while still enjoying an experience very similar to smoking a cigarette.
So, what’s the easiest way to get prescription vapes to quit smoking?
Best & Well can help you get a prescription so that you can kickstart your quitting smoking journey. As a GP, I believe it is important to have a balanced conversation and educate smokers on nicotine vaping products, as an available smoking cessation tool.
Best & Well will put you in touch with a doctor for a consultation, who can then give you a prescription for a vape for smoking cessation, if they determine it is the right treatment for you. All the Best & Well products are carefully sourced to ensure they fit within Australian regulations and standards, so you know you are getting an Australian standard product.
Book a consultation today.
