E-cigarettes could significantly cut tobacco use: Study

[Live and Learn]

CNBC
Published: Friday, 16 Aug 2013 | 11:55 AM ET
By: Dan Mangan | Health Care Reporter

A new study being published in the American Journal of Health Behavior suggests that electronic cigarettes might encourage hard-core tobacco puffers to significantly cut back on traditional cigarettes, even when they say they don't want to.

The pilot study found that of 28 adult smokers—none of whom were interested in quitting—25, or nearly 90 percent, reduced their use of tobacco cigarettes during a week in which they smoked e-cigarettes from leading maker NJOY.

Nearly one-third of those smokers cut their tobacco cigarette use in half, and four of the participants told researchers that they were smoking no traditional cigarettes at all by the end of the weeklong trial of NJOY Kings.

More: http://www.cnbc.com/id/100966001?__source=yahoonews&par=yahoonews

[msongs]

1. notice it doesn't say reduce nicotine addiction or poisoning other people with 2nd hand nicotine nt

[Vinnie From Indy]

2. WTF does that mean?

There are very tangible, significant reductions in harmful tar, heavy metals and other compounds that result from not inhaling cigarette smoke into the lungs. The same goes for 2nd hand inhalers of E-cig vapor. In short, you don't know shit about this topic.

Cheers!

[Live and Learn]

3. Most people do reduce their nicotine levels just as they do

with prescription nicotine inhalers. And many vape nicotine free juice. There would be extremely little chance of 2nd hand nicotine "poisoning" since as the article states, nicotine "is a relatively benign substance despite its primary role in dependence" at any rate.

[bhikkhu]

4. Nicotine isn't the real problem

It can be a problem, and the level of addiction that nicotine itself has is arguable and fairly unstudied at this point, but the overall consensus on the research so far is that nicotine isn't especially addictive or harmful. Probably by itself its about on par with caffeine.

This coming from one who smoked in the past, and was taught and believed the opposite for a very long time. I'd never smoke again, but I'm of the opinion now that vaping is fine and I'd rather see them incentivized than lumped together with their rotten cousin - the cigarette.

[DLnyc]

11. I think it's fairly well established that nicotine is highly addictive.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicotine

Modern research shows that nicotine acts on the brain to produce a number of effects. Specifically, research examining its addictive nature has been found to show that nicotine activates the mesolimbic pathway ("reward system&quot – the circuitry within the brain that regulates feelings of pleasure and euphoria.[63]
Dopamine is one of the key neurotransmitters actively involved in the brain. Research shows that by increasing the levels of dopamine within the reward circuits in the brain, nicotine acts as a chemical with intense addictive qualities. In many studies it has been shown to be more addictive than cocaine and heroin.[64][65][66] Like other physically addictive drugs, nicotine withdrawal causes downregulation of the production of dopamine and other stimulatory neurotransmitters as the brain attempts to compensate for artificial stimulation. As dopamine regulates the sensitivity of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors decreases. To compensate for this compensatory mechanism, the brain in turn upregulates the number of receptors, convoluting its regulatory effects with compensatory mechanisms meant to counteract other compensatory mechanisms. An example is the increase in norepinephrine, one of the successors to dopamine, which inhibit reuptake of the glutamate receptors,[67] in charge of memory and cognition. The net effect is an increase in reward pathway sensitivity, the opposite of other addictive drugs such as cocaine and heroin, which reduce reward pathway sensitivity.[53] This alteration in neuronal chemistry can persist for months following the last administration.
A study found that nicotine exposure in adolescent mice retards the growth of the dopamine system, thus increasing the risk of substance abuse during adolescence.[68]

[Gravitycollapse]

13. Nicotine is actually EXTREMELY addictive.

Partly because it is a highly effective mood stabilizer.

Not sure where you heard otherwise.

[bhikkhu]

21. NRT's make quitting much easier

...as has been well established. Which is to say, its very hard for people to quit cigarettes themselves, but going stepwise, where they quit smoking first by transitioning to nicotine alone (via gum, patches, or vaping) takes you to a point where you are only addicted to nicotine. Which is a mild addiction and fairly easy to quit if you want.

Its not that I heard it somewhere, but that I did it that way myself and that's how it worked. I know three people personally who weren't able to quit smoking cold turkey, for years, but who were able to transition off by switching to nicotine alone, then quitting nicotine.

Without resorting to studies or research (of which there is plenty), its safe to say that the cocktail of chemicals in cigarettes is extremely addictive, but nicotine alone is much less so.

[DLnyc]

35. In my experience, nicotine is a very nasty, difficult-to-quit addiction

Also, research in general supports that statement that nicotine is extremely addictive.

Also my experience, and research I've seen, seems to indicate that different people have different chemistries on which nicotine acts differently. So certainly, according to studies and according to personal experience, individuals vary greatly in their ease/difficulty quitting nicotine.

But to say that "nicotine alone is much less [addictive]" is, with all due respect, I think just not true in general. In general nicotine is extremely addictive. Your personal experience may be whatever it is, but nicotine is, in general, highly addictive.

[OnionPatch]

36. I quit smoking that way.

I haven't smoked for 18 years. I used nicotine gum to wean myself off of actually lighting up and smoking a cigarette. Then I weaned myself off the nicotine gum, which wasn't that hard. Yes, the nicotine was addictive but the addiction to the physical motion and habit of lighting up a cigarette was the worse addiction of the two. It was helpful to be able to address each addiction separately.

[DLnyc]

37. Also, the gum is slower release

Smoking delivers nicotine through the lungs and then into the bloodstream; chewing gum delivers nicotine gradually through mouth and stomach. I think the quick release through the lungs is a much harder addiction pattern to break than the gradual release of the gum.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2953858/

Various formulations of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), such as nicotine gum, transdermal patch, nasal spray, inhaler, sublingual tablets, and lozenges, are buffered to alkaline pH to facilitate absorption of nicotine through cell membranes. Absorption of nicotine from all NRTs is slower and the increase in nicotine blood levels is more gradual than from smoking. This slow increase in blood and especially in brain levels results in low abuse liability of NRTs (West et al. 2000). Only nasal spray provides a rapid delivery of nicotine that is closer to the rate of nicotine delivery achieved with smoking (Gourlay and Benowitz 1997; Guthrie et al. 1999). The absolute dose of nicotine absorbed systemically from nicotine gum is much less than the nicotine content of the gum, in part, because considerable nicotine is swallowed with subsequent first-pass metabolism (Benowitz et al. 1987). Some nicotine is also retained in chewed gum. A portion of the nicotine dose is swallowed and subjected to first-pass metabolism when using other NRTs, inhaler, sublingual tablets, nasal spray, and lozenges. Bioavailability for these products with absorption mainly through the mucosa of the oral cavity and a considerable swallowed portion is about 50–80%.

[napoleon_in_rags]

15. Vaping isn't viral. Chewing gum isn't viral. You are right.

That's the wicked part, the viral effects of second hand smoke. I had my first nicotine withdrawal effects when I was like 11 years old, and my parents, trying to quit, didn't smoke in the car in the nightly drive home. So I didn't get my second hand dose, as a 5th grader. I thought I was going to insane, and the addiction has haunted me my whole life.

The government is insane in that I have to a drug store to get nicotine gum, but I can get cigarettes any time any where, any hour. It should be the opposite. The nicotine addicted population should be rewarded for vaping, for chewing gum, for doing anything that doesn't addict third parties by proximity. And you're right about the chemicals, too: The carcinogens are part of the cocktail of cigarette smoke separate from the chemicals the addicts are trying to get. So all these medical costs associated with smoking could be eradicated by banning the CANCER CAUSING CHEMICALS in cigarettes, without banning the thing smokers are actually addicted to. Just push smoking to the fringes, an allow vaping and chewing to take center stage. All the involuntary viral addictions of children, all the cancer inducing chemicals, eradicated from the picture, and just down to a drug that some people choose and other don't, OF THEIR OWN VOLITION. Its just pure sanity.

Rant over.

[backscatter712]

32. You're partially right on this.

The really nasty stuff in cigarettes and other tobacco products is the tars and carcinogens that go with the nicotine in the smoke. These things are not present in e-cigs - they're composed mostly of flavorings and nicotine.

Of course, nicotene itself is highly addictive, and has its own health issues, but I will say that vaping is far less harmful than old-fashioned smoking.

[delrem]

5. "2nd hand nicotine"??? get real

[LadyHawkAZ]

8. Someone else did, and are apparently working on a full study:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=2888569

You missed that one? It was directly underneath your hit-and-run post in THAT e-cig thread, which was almost exactly like the hit-and-run posts you drop into EVERY e-cig thread, and bore a surprising resemblance to your (no doubt only) post in THIS e-cig thread.

[Gravitycollapse]

12. Why are you always trolling these threads? Have you not learned from last time...

that your arguments are invalid?

There is no such thing as second hand nicotine. The amount of nicotine lost to the air out of a vaporizer is essentially nothing.

Stop spreading disinformation on this subject.

[War Horse]

34. If you have a problem with 2nd hand smoke,

which is perfectly understandable and reasonable, why not be in favor of something that not only reduces 2nd hand smoke, but also potentially reduces the amount of people who actually smoke?

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

6. Works for me. 3 years since my last cigarette. Even my doc is reccomending them to other smokers.

[Ichingcarpenter]

14. My daughter and her boyfriend have

used it to quit.
They gave me one and I'm cutting my habit down to half in one week of use.

I tried gum and patches and failed. I'm having greater success with this but will see.

Its a hell of lot cheaper than the gum and patches.
It costs one tenth or less the price

[Marrah_G]

7. Which is why they should not tax them right out of affordability

If they REALLY want people to stop smoking they need to keep Ecigs affordable.

[customerserviceguy]

27. At this point

the government doesn't really want people to stop smoking, it's hooked on the tax revenues from tobacco. Taxing e-cigs is just about replacing that income stream.

[LadyHawkAZ]

9. Not a surprise

There's a dozen people just in my immediate circle (myself included) who have quit smoking completely with the e-cigs.

[LiberalAndProud]

10. DH hasn't picked up a cigarette since he picked up a vaporizer.

He was subjected to peer pressure from two former smoker friends to stop smoking and start vaping.

Although I still smoke, my cigarette consumption has gone from 3 packs a day to 1 pack a week since picking up the vape. That's progress.

If breathing water vapor second hand is a problem for people, e-smoke is the least of your worries.

[B Calm]

16. For e cigarettes to work, they need to drop the price

[KharmaTrain]

20. E-Cigs Are Far Cheaper...

...or they have been with my experience. I used to spend upwards of $100 a week for cigarettes. I now spent that amount every two months in juice, batteries and atomizers. I haven't smoked a cigarette in 2 1/2 years and figure I've saved several thousand dollars now. ..

[bhikkhu]

24. If you go online for supplies, they're a fraction of the price

Smoke shops in my area only carry the mass-distributed stuff, which is crap for one thing (blu and so forth, which is a company owned by "big tobacco&quot , and overpriced. If you go to a site like hoosierecigs, and get a refillable, rechargeable set-up, its a mere fraction of the price of cigarettes. They work better and taste better (to all accounts) than the expensive stuff.

I always figured the tobacco companies were somehow manipulating the price of NRT's to keep them on par with smoking. They seem to be doing the same with e-cigs, but that won't last long now, I think. The smaller makers have much better prices and products even if the smoke shops won't sell them.

[JonHK]

17. Check out Pub-Med

Even though the governments around to world doesn't seem to care that e cigs are saving lives - it is pretty evident when you check out Pub-Med for that academic research that has been made that e cigs actually are saving loads of lives, and this research study you are referring to is another piece in that picture... Wonder how long governmental organizations will be fighting an ideological fight one the cost of millions of lives every year...

[OregonBlue]

18. Numerous test in Norway and Sweden prove that the nicotine released from ecigs is so small as to be

non-existent. The nicotine is absorbed almost instantaneously into the tissue of the mouth. With ecig, there is no tar or additives. The liquid used to carry the nicotine is the same liquid that is used in airline air conditioning (the mist released into the plane) and is harmless to others.

So no, when you smoke an ecig, you are not harming others. There is no second hand smoke, no odor.

Those that are opposed to it are in fact, opposed to it on moral grounds, not health ones.

[KharmaTrain]

19. Governments Hate E-Cigs...

...cause they're too successful. They don't want people to quit smoking cause they rely so much on the taxes raised. E-Cigs are not only far safer than sucking on a cancer stick, it's far more affordable as well. I used to spend upwards of $100 a week (of which $50 went to taxes) and now spend that much every two months for my e-cig supplies...

[Prophet 451]

22. Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner!

Got it in one. That's why governments are looking to tax them, both to discourage people from switching and to recoup some of teh money lost from people not smoking traditional ciggys.

[DirkGently]

25. Kind of like assessing "gas tax" to electric cars.

...which states are now proposing.

[Prophet 451]

23. My SO keeps trying to get me to try one

I'm a little dubious because I'm one of those people who actually enjoys the taste of cigarette smoke.

[KharmaTrain]

26. Do The Homework...

...I felt the same way you did...I enjoy the smoking sensation and was always hesitant to quit because of that. After doing research I found an E-cig system and awitched to it 2 1/2 years ago...and have enjoyed it as much as smoking cigarettes, if not more. You can still get that smoking sensation with vapor as much as you can with cigarette smoke...and without the smell. I carry my "silver bullets" with me everywhere...most times no one knows I'm using it. I've vaped in restaurants and airports...no one's the wiser. Also my family thinks its great...no more cigarette smoke for them to deal with.

I smoked for over 30 years and now am very happy with my e-cig...here's wishing you all the best...

[sweetloukillbot]

31. I never found an e-juice tobacco flavor that tasted like a cig

But I quickly learned that it was the sensation and not the taste I liked. I use fruit flavored or mint e-juices now - I've got a mojito flavor that is amazing. Haven't had a cig in 2 1/2 years, and haven't used nicotine in 6 months.

[JustAnotherGen]

30. Give it a try

Its how I quit. I smoked two Njoys in one day and within two months - none. Don't pay attention to people who have never smoked telling you this could never work. If you like the "experience" then this is an excellent option. And I tried EVERYTHING. It was the 12th time I tried to quit. But even if you stay stuck on them - you are avoiding the tar, smokers cough, etc etc

[REP]

33. I haven't found one that tastes like a Sherman MCD but

for the two brands of ecigs I use (Greensmoke and Blu), I have found several tobacco flavors that I enjoy (and one non-tobacco flavor). I still smoke analogs, but a lot fewer of them. For me, ecigs aren't exactly like smoking - more of a neat gadget for delivering nicotine - but there are enough similarities for me to enjoy it.

Do some research before you decide which ecig to try (or try a bunch of disposables); the two I got both get 'recommends' from me. Greensmokes batteries take longer to charge but last a long time; Blus charge quickly but don't last quite as long (and I liked that they don't look like fake cigarettes, but most companies offer battery covers or fancy batteries) but the case is also a charger. There are a bunch of other brands, and be sure to look for discount offers before you order.

[Babel_17]

28. Allan Carr's Easy Way to Stop Smoking

Allan Carr's Easy Way to Stop Smoking worked for both myself and a co-worker. We're both over two years free from smoking.

I posted about it here. Click that link for my DU post that includes some videos, and also links to some totally free resources to help anyone stop smoking.

Use the DU Site search for "Allan Carr" to see other testimonials and links.

[arely staircase]

29. I haven't smoked in twenty months thank to e-cigs

I hardly even use them now. But I still keep one around for when a craving hits. I take a few drags and then get on with my life. I had tried everything prior to this and nothing has worked as well.