According to one study on South African subjects, a total of 45% of smokers quite within two months. A total of 349 patients were offered a cigarette alternative free of tar, cancer-causing agents, and carbon dioxide.
Besides the fact that an astounding number of people were able to quit smoking within eight weeks, 6% of the subjects quite within the first two weeks of using an electronic cigarette. Furthermore, over half of the 349 patients studied reported an increase in energy level and visual improvement.
In case you were wondering, the particular brand that was used during this clinical study was Twisp. This is a Dutch product that delivers nicotine via vaporization versus combustion (lit with fire). Similar products may produce even a better result, but more research is needed to determine this.
Some of the questions asked of doctors by patients trying the Twisp product during a clinical study involved attitudes towards smoking cessation. Just under half of the patients (49%) said that the hardest thing to give up when trying to kick this habit is breaking free from the nicotine cravings.
Another 24% said that just the habit of smoking itself was just hard to break. (Many people just smoked because they were used to doing so.) Then, 27% of the patients revealed it was a combination of these two along with the taste and feel of smoking.
From these responses, doctors had made one determination. To them, it showed the potential that e-cigs have in helping people break the habit of using tobacco.
Although nicotine is the main source of problems for smokers, one of the reasons many of them have switched to e-cigs is because of the absence of harmful additives. For instance, they usually do not contain tar, ammonia, carbon dioxide, or other substances that our body cannot easily digest and eliminate.
In spite of recent research, there is still some controversy surrounding the use of an electronic cigarette to quit smoking. One fear is that of nicotine poisoning, and of course the continued addiction of nicotine itself.
Furthermore, smokers need to beware that although e-cigs are considered a viable alternative to tobacco in some medical circles, the many concerns are not directed towards tobacco itself. Whether or not the use of an e-cig would replace pure tobacco that has not been processed into a regular cigarette is another story. Further research may help resolve this issue, but for now it e-cigs are designed to be a transition into the non-smoking world.