What Happens When You Stop Smoking and Start Vaping?

If you’re looking to switch in your cigarettes for a smoke-free alternative, vaping is an option worth considering. When new to vaping, you’re bound to have questions about this transition.

Here, we discuss what happens after you stop smoking and start vaping, and how to avoid common side effects to start your smoke-free journey right.

What to Expect When You Start Vaping

There are a few things to expect when you start vaping for the first time. If you haven’t tried a vape before, the experience isn’t too dissimilar from smoking a cigarette. Many disposables and pens are activated by inhaling, for example. However, vaping can offer up lots of benefits over continuing to smoke.

Here’s a list of what to expect when you stop smoking and start vaping.

Fewer Toxins

A number of government and healthcare sources state that vaping can be less harmful than smoking.

According to the NHS, ‘nicotine vaping is substantially less harmful than smoking.’1 Vaping doesn’t expose you to as many harmful toxins as cigarettes do.1 While vapes can provide nicotine to the user, this isn’t the most harmful factor of cigarette smoke.1 In fact, the two most harmful components of cigarette smoke - tar and carbon monoxide - aren’t produced by vaping.1 Read our guide to learn more about what happens to the body when you stop smoking.

A Familiar Feeling

Not only can vaping be ‘less harmful than smoking’,1 it also offers a sense of familiarity. With vaping, most products include nicotine. You can also use discreet vape devices that are easy to carry and use. Some vapes are so ready-to-use, you just need to draw on the mouthpiece to activate them. This is the case, especially for disposable vapes, which can come pre-filled and ready to use when first taken out of its packaging. 

You may have typically had a cigarette during certain parts of the day, or even included it as part of your normal routine. Vaping can fill the gaps where smoking once was, and with similar satisfaction.

Lower Cost

Vaping can cost significantly less than cigarettes, the exact price difference depending on the vape you use. Some sources have claimed that vaping costs around half as much as smoking.2

There’s a huge range of starter kits available at varying prices. Our guide on the Best Cheap Vapes is also worth checking out for those wanting to explore low-cost options.

Side Effects to Vaping

When first starting to vape after stopping smoking, you might notice a few side effects. These include having a dry throat or a cough, mouth irritation, or headaches.1 However, there are ways to manage this.1 Changing the way you vape may help to manage these side effects.1

If you’ve recently gone smoke-free with one of vaping.com’s devices, and are starting to experience any issues with your device, why not get in touch with our support team? Available Monday to Friday, this dedicated team provides users with helpful answers and advice.

Should I Start Vaping?

Vaping is a smoking cessation option available, along with a number of other nicotine replacement therapies. It can help you start on the path to smoke-free living. With vaping, you can breathe in a better lifestyle. One that’s free of cigarettes and the harmful tar and carbon monoxide components that come along with them.1

Whether you should start vaping or not is all down to personal preference. As we’ve already discussed, there are many benefits to be had from switching over from cigarettes. However, as well as the familiar feeling, fewer toxins and lower cost, vaping also gives you the freedom to adjust the nicotine strength you’re using. That’s because, in the UK, there’s a range of nicotine strengths available for vapes, from 0 mg up to 20 mg. Not only can this control help you adjust your vape to your preferred nicotine strength, it can also help you to gradually lower these preferences over time, and stop vaping altogether.

How to Start Vaping

Want to make the switch to vaping from smoking? We’re here to help you do it right. When starting your smoke-free journey, there are a few important things to think about to ensure a smooth transition from cigarettes. 

Choosing the Right Kit

When it comes to vape devices, you’re really spoilt for choice. There’s a range of options available to choose from, each with their own benefits and suitability for your smoke-free future. Below are some of the most common types of vapes to explore: 

  • Vape Pens - a thin, often cylindrical-shaped device that’s easy to carry. You can refill the rechargeable options of these pens with e-liquid once the tank runs empty.
  • Disposable Vapes - a disposable vape, as its name suggests, is a non-rechargeable device. These devices come pre-filled with an e-liquid and only last a certain amount of puffs. The exact amount of puffs varies depending on the vape you choose, the e-liquid inside, and the frequency you vape. 
  • Box Mod Kits - you’ll probably have seen a box-shaped vape before, and odds are, it was a box mod kit. These sub-ohm vapes give you more technical control over your vaping experience, with different wattages and flavours available to explore.
  • Pod Systems - similar to a vape pen, pod systems often offer up a sleek, discreet design. When rechargeable, these vapes come with pod cartridges that you can replenish once the vape juice is used up. 

Discover more about all of these vape types in our Beginner’s Guide to Vape Pens & Vape Devices.

Choosing the Right Vape Flavour

There’s also a huge range of vape flavours to choose from, with new brands and established ones releasing new products all the time. Whether you’ve got a sweet tooth or are more into tobacco-type flavours, you’re bound to find a disposable flavoured vape or a rechargeable device with an e-liquid to suit your taste. Learn more through our guide on the Most Popular Vape Flavours [Internal link to the Most Popular Vape Flavours article].

If you’re new to vapes, why not explore our vaping starter kits? Ideal for those at the start of their journey to a smoke-free world.

Sources:

  1. https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/quit-smoking/vaping-to-quit-smoking/ 

https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/causes-of-cancer/smoking-and-cancer/is-vaping-harmful