Given the option of taking a medication, a pill, that has multiple side effects or the option of vaping, which has close to no side effects, contains nicotine and resembles smoking, which would you choose? Well, Chantix is cleared by our government, the FDA, and is geared towards smokers looking to quit. If you watch a couple of hours of TV daily, you will most likely see several Chantix commercials. You will see no vaping commercials. Big Pharma is allowed to target you with its Chantix advertisements? Yet, more and more folks are witnessing the negative effects of the drug. On the other hand, vaping is growing in popularity for its tremendous value in harm reduction. If you don’t already have an opinion on vaping, and just read the top “vaping news” articles on Google, you would think vaping is as bad or worse than traditional cigarettes. Two of the most extensive studies done on the harm reduction e-cigs and vaping have to offer are, The Royal College of Physicians and Public Health England. In a country that provides healthcare to its citizens, you can assume with great certainty they did their due diligence in the extensive studies and research.

By law, the negative side effects of Chantix have to be mentioned in advertising. The side effects are pretty extreme and can lead to bigger health concerns than the smoking addiction itself. By looking at a quick list of side effects, many people probably think twice about using this drug. In the long list of possible things going wrong, it is stated,”Chantix is not addictive and is not a controlled substance; however, some patients may experience irritability and sleep disturbance if Chantix is abruptly discontinued. Patients may experience psychiatric symptoms such as behavioral changes, agitation, depressed mood, and suicidal behavior while using Chantix.” These are not small health concerns. Don’t get me wrong, I know that Chantix has successfully helped many people quit, maybe with minimal or no side effects. But, there is still a great chance a Chantix user will experience one, if not a few of these negative effects. One such case of side effects, although not severe, was very apparent to a 57 year old woman whom I wrote an article about. Still, the FDA paved the way for Chantix to legally be sold, be widely available and be pushed as quitting aid.

Vaping on the other hand has proven to be a very beneficial alternative to smoking cigarettes. With vaping, it is all about harm reduction, compared to traditional tobacco cigarettes. Millions of people have found vaping to be the best method for them to successfully kick the habit of smoking, with barely any side effects at all. A few success stories can be found here, here, and here. As a vaper myself for the last 3-4 years, the only negative effect I have from vaping is dry-mouth; so I always try to stay hydrated.  Vaping in general provides a hand-to-mouth process which is similar to smoking. Instead of combustion and smoke that you get in cigarettes, you inhale vapor that is created from heating up a flavored nicotine liquid. If vaping is so safe why are foreign governments and even some local governments in the U.S. banning or strictly regulating vaping? That question is answered in the documentary “A Billion Lives.” Big Pharma, Big Tobacco and Big Government all have a role to play in regulating your right to choose freely what you put into your bodies.

Vaping is still a fairly new concept and a new technology that is not fully socially acceptable or mainstream yet. And yes, long-term studies in regards to vaping cannot be complete because it is a very new idea. But what we know so far is that vaping is much less harmful than smoking, and it is helping people quit like never before. We know about cigarettes’ negative effect on your health and still, millions of packs are sold daily across every convenience store in America. In places where cigarettes are legal, there is no question that vaping should be. Smoking can cause severe illnesses that lead to death. Smokers need vaping as an option! If Chantix is FDA-approved as an aid to quit smoking, with all these side effects, than there is no question that vape devices/vape e-juices should be FDA approved as a quit smoking aid as well. Smokers need options and alternatives to cigarettes and pharmaceutical drugs that are less harmful.

I chose vaping over Chantix. So far it has played out well.