Did you know that more than 1,200 people die every day due to cancer caused by tobacco use? This is an enormous number of people and this is the largest cause of death that could be prevented in the entire world. The thing that really becomes frustrating, is that most people know smoking can cause cancer or death. However, many people continue by choice to keep smoking and increase their risk of preventable death. There seem to be two main methods for reducing the amount of people that suffer death from tobacco use. The methods are tobacco abstinence or harm reduction.
Which One Works Best?
There is much debate when it comes to these different methods. However, the popularity of E-cigs are helping the tobacco harm reduction method to gain some traction. You can really compare this innovation of E-cigs to the innovation of condoms or birth control. Condoms and birth control brought a new scope to the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases. E-cigs are working in the same type of way when it comes to preventable tobacco-related deaths. Beyond that, the targeted audience has spoken. Electric cigarettes are the best option, second to none, as an alternative to smoking.
What Is Tobacco Abstinence?
When you are talking about reducing the amount of tobacco related deaths and illnesses, quitting has always been at the forefront. The main goal has always been to get smokers to abstain or quit completely. The theory behind this method is that if you quit, you will be less at risk for tobacco related illnesses. This makes sense, but one problem remains. Even smokers that are willing to quit will most likely not be able to do so. Of those smokers that are trying to quit this year, less than 7% will actually be successful in this endeavor. Abstinence is a great theory, but it is not an effective method.
Tobacco Harm Reduction
Tobacco harm reduction is the new method that is gaining ground over tobacco abstinence. This is due to the fact that tobacco harm reduction actually produces results. E-cigs contain nicotine, but they do not contain smoke. Research has been done to test the harmfulness of nicotine and results show that it is not harmful in low doses. This means that E-cigs can be used to allow for a nicotine fix without exposing users to harmful smoke that leads to preventable illnesses. E-cigs allow for tobacco harm reduction and can help to reduce the amount of preventable tobacco related deaths each year.