So, you’ve just started your smoking cessation programme and now have a pharmacy nicotine vaping product (NVP), after nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) products didn’t help you much during withdrawals.
You might be wondering if your pharmacy NVP is actually the equivalent of a pack of ciggies (or even more in some cases), as described by the media recently.
In this guide, we tackle the question: how many packs of cigarettes are in a vape?
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What is a Nicotine Vaping Product (NVP) and How Does It Work?
A vape, or electronic cigarette, is a device designed to simulate smoking by producing a vapour that the user inhales. But unlike smoking, vapes don’t produce the hazardous and carcinogenic smoke.
All vapes contain similar components: a battery, a heating element, and a tank or cartridge filled with a nicotine liquid. Once activated, the battery powers the heating element, turning the liquid into a vapour that you can then inhale.
The difference between illegal and legal vapes
Before getting into how many packs of cigarettes are in a vape, it’s important to understand that there are vast differences between legal and illegal nicotine vaping products.
You’ve probably heard about the latter from the news – growing numbers of concerning use by Australia’s youth (even in children as young as 5), and more recently, large seizures of these illegal products from local convenience stores, who have been freely selling these dangerous products with no concern for safety.
What hasn’t been mentioned too often in the news is the availability of trusted pharmacy options, which are available exclusively for motivated adult smokers as a responsible smoking cessation tool.
Let’s learn more about both.
About Illicit NVPs
Illicit NVPs (such as those in convenience stores and tobacconists) are imported under the radar, just like illicit tobacco and drugs, and are made as cheaply as possible for maximum profits. Remember: if it’s not sold in a pharmacy, it’s illegal.
Illict NVPs are not designed to help you stop smoking – the companies that make them want to get as many people as possible addicted, and keep them addicted. It’s the reason why they have colourful packages and candy-like flavours – to entice a brand-new generation of nicotine addicts.
Also, many of these may also state that they’re ‘nicotine-free’, which is a fabrication. Tests have shown that they may actually still contain it.
Fortunately, these illegal NVPs will soon become a thing of the past. Illegal vaping products imported from overseas and sold without a prescription are now banned, with large numbers of these now being seized at the border and inside illicit retail locations.
About Pharmacy NVPs
NVP products sold in pharmacies are made under stringent pharmaceutical standards on the manufacturing process and ingredients, are toxicologically assessed for inhalation, are locally insured, and are specifically designed to help you stop smoking.
With strict standards and a focus on smoking cessation, NVPs sold in pharmacies function as vaping was intended to be – a tool to help stop smoking. Currently, pharmacy vapes are a second-line solution to nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) lozenges, gums, and inhalers.
There is also strong evidence that these perform far better than NRT products. The latest Cochrane Review found high-certainty evidence that NVPs are more effective than NRT in helping people stop smoking
How Many Packs of Cigarettes Are in a Vape?
Here’s where it gets tricky. Is one vape equivalent to a pack of cigarettes?
The truth is, it’s an apples-to-oranges type of comparison because their usage is vastly different.
Recall the time you’ve lit a cigarette – whenever you light one, you finish it.
Vaping products work very differently, as you only use them sporadically to ease your nicotine cravings. Hearing from the media that vapes can contain up to 200 cigarettes can sound scary, but this is primarily in relation to the amount of puffs. If you aren’t smoking 200 cigarettes in a row, you won’t be vaping that much either.
Pharmacy vapes contain (roughly) the same number of puffs as 20 cigarettes, meaning they’ll last you around the same amount of time as 20 cigarettes, albeit at around $12.50 rather than $40.
Not so scary sounding when you think about it logically.
Summary
In the end, comparing vaping to smoking is similar to comparing apples and oranges – they’re vastly different, and the best way to maximise a vape is to use it for smoking cessation whenever you feel the urge to smoke.
You’re probably here because you want to learn more about how many packs of cigarettes are in a vape. You’re in the right place.
Smokefree Clinic gives you access to many medically reviewed and trustworthy resources that can inform and aid you in your path to wellness, so have a look around!
If you’re ready to get started, Smokefree can connect you to bulk-billing Australian healthcare professionals who excel in helping patients quit smoking for good, including using responsible vaping products where appropriate.
Click here to book your bulk-billed telehealth consultation with an Australian healthcare professional and quit smoking today.