Can E-Cigs Help People Quit Smoking?

I've been smoking for too many years, and it's time to quit.  After trying everything else, I thought about e-cigs, but do they really help people quit smoking?

According to the American Heart Association, electronic cigarettes, also known as e-cigs, or "vapes" should be used as a "last resort" in trying to quit smoking, suggesting that a smoker should use "proven smoking cessations," first. before going the e-cig route to quit.

The main concern is among our youth being attracted to these e-cigs or vapes, and that stronger regulations are needed in protecting youth from having access. The first policy statement from the American Heart Association says that "While much is still unknown about the rapidly growing electronic cigarette industry, e-cigarettes are dangerous because they target young people, can keep people hooked on nicotine, and threaten to “re-normalize” tobacco use." 

While some are worried that e-cigs could attract the next generation of smokers, especially those who've never smoked before, others have found success in using this technique to cut down, and even quit smoking cigarettes altogether.

My husband and I have been looking into quitting smoking, and after years of trying gum, patches or other nicotine cessations, we decided to investigate these e-cigs, by paying a visit to Straight Line Vapors in Cheyenne.  When we walked in, they had a board full of names of people who've written down the date that they threw down their cigarettes for good!

We had a chance to visit with people who were standing in line, asking them how much they smoked before they tried the "vaping" method.   Several said they were at least two-pack a day smokers.  When I asked if they felt that the vaping method worked for them, many said they started with the maximum nicotine liquid (that come in several flavors) of 21 milligrams, and most of them have now cut their nicotine intake in half.

But can you really QUIT smoking by using e-cigs?  One person in line said that they still use their vape, but just as an oral fixation, still buying the liquid to put into their vapes, but with zero nicotine.

We decided to give it a try, and although my husband and I haven't completely given into the vape method to replace our horrible smoking habit, we're hoping that the vaping method will help us cut down on our current habit, and eventually  make the switch from cigarettes to only vaping, with the hopes of quitting altogether.

Have you, or anyone you've known actually quit smoking from using the e-cig or vape method, and are you still vaping even though you're not smoking cigarettes?