What happens when you quit smoking and start vaping?

25. 02. 2025

Briefly about the risks of smoking
What happens when you stop smoking?
Vaping vs. smoking
Safety and risks of vaping
Switching from smoking to vaping: What happens to the body and what changes to expect?
Simple tips to manage the transition to vaping
Conclusion

Briefly about the risks of smoking

You probably know that when you smoke, you breathe in tobacco smoke with more than 7 000 chemicals, most of which are toxic. Among these substances is nicotine, which, although not a major cause of the health risks of smoking, is highly addictive and speeds up the heart, constricts blood vessels and raises blood pressure.

We will not detail the years of research that clearly confirms that smoking is harmful to health. According to the US scientific organisation CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), smoking increases the risk of death, is the cause of 90% of all lung cancer deaths and damages almost every organ of the body.

Cigarette packets carry warning pictures and text serious health effects ranging from reduced sperm count and increased risk of miscarriage to clogged veins and arteries. These warnings are not just empty words, but reflect real health threats that have been confirmed by numerous scientific studies.

In short, smoking conventional cigarettes is associated with a range of health risks that are now well documented.

What happens when you stop smoking?

When you stop smoking conventional cigarettes, the body begins to regenerate almost immediately. After just a few hours, there is a significant reduction in the level of carbon monoxide in the blood - more oxygen enters the organs and tissues.

After 20 minutes: heart rate and blood pressure begin to return to normal.
Within 6 hours: slowing of the heart rate and stabilization of blood pressure.
After 8 hours: the level of carbon monoxide in the blood decreases to normal levels, while oxygen increases.
Within 1 day: The bloodstream is almost nicotine-free, the level of carbon monoxide in the blood decreases and the overall oxygen supply to the heart and muscles
After 2 days to a week: The nerve endings begin to regenerate, therefore the sense of smell and taste improve.
After a few weeks: the heart and lungs start to work better, blood circulation improves and the risk of high blood pressure is reduced. Breathing becomes easier, especially during physical activity, as the lungs recover and return to normal function. A certain psychological well-being increases, and some people may experience nervousness or irritability (especially if they switch to vaping with a lower nicotine content).
After the first few months: feeling of increased overall energy, risk of heart disease decreases, lungs regenerate, coughing and wheezing eases, immune function and blood circulation to hands and feet improves, teeth and skin look better.
After 1 year: lungs are healthier and breathing improves, risk of heart disease is halved compared to a smoker.
Within 2 to 5 years: Significant reduction in risk of heart disease and risk is still decreasing.
After 10 to 15 years: the risk of lung cancer is half that of a smoker of the same age.

Images related to the harmful effects of smoking, such as lung damage

Vaping vs. smoking

The main question you're probably asking yourself is, "Is vaping healthier than smoking?"

Vaping is an activity where you inhale vapour/aerosol from a vaporizer or from e-cigarettes. Unlike conventional cigarettes, the tobacco is not burned, so hundreds of toxic chemicals that are produced during combustion (tar, carbon monoxide or benzene) are not released into the body. Instead, the devices heat the liquid (e-liquid, vape juice) to a specific temperature, creating the vapor you inhale.

What are the main differences between smoking and vaping?

No tar: vaporisation does not produce tar, reducing the risk of lung damage and cancer.
Lower content of toxic substances: Compared to cigarettes, vapour/aerosol contains less toxic and carcinogenic substances.
Controlling nicotine intake: you can choose the concentration of nicotine in the e-liquid, adjusting the concentration makes it easier to reduce doses and potentially quit. Alternatively, it is also possible to vape completely without nicotine, for example vape pens with CBD. Some preclinical studies suggest that CBD could alleviate withdrawal symptoms.

According to expert studies, vaping is less harmful than traditional smoking because it does not produce tar and carbon monoxide, the two main causes of health problems associated with smoking. In 2015, Public Health England (PHE) reported that vaping is up to 95% less harmful than cigarette smoking. In 2018, PHE confirmed this conclusion in another report.

Vaping originated as an alternative to smoking. The potential risks of vaping are low, but still need to be weighed against the proven risks of smoking.

❌ If you have never smoked, there is no reason to start vaping nicotine.

Safety and risks of vaping

Although vaping appears to be safer, it is not entirely without risks:

Nicotine addiction

If you vape liquids containing nicotine, you are still putting yourself at risk of addiction. Nicotine is a highly addictive substance that affects the brain and can cause long-term dependence.

✅ Solution: try to gradually reduce nicotine concentrations to get rid of the addiction.

Potential effects on the lungs

Although vaping does not produce tar and other toxic substances like cigarette smoking, some of the ingredients in e-liquids can have unknown long-term effects on the respiratory system and irritate the lungs.

✅ Solution: Avoid liquids with untested ingredients. Some additives are already banned as they pose a health risk. Among them, for example, is the flavouring agent diacetyl.

Battery overheating or explosion

Mishandling batteries or using poor quality equipment can cause overheating or explosion.

✅ Solution: Use only quality equipment, undamaged batteries and suitable chargers.

Risks of vaping such as nicotine addiction, possible lung irritation and battery explosion

Switching from smoking to vaping: what happens to the body and what changes to expect?

The short-term effects of vaping include:

Changes in the respiratory system

Vaping is a completely different experience for the lungs than smoking cigarettes. When you switch from cigarettes to vaping, you may notice that you start to breathe better. But it's not because vaping has any medicinal effects - it's because you're no longer inhaling the tar and other irritants from cigarette smoke. On the other hand, however, dry mouth and throat can occur because ingredients like propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin in e-liquids can cause dehydration.

Change in taste and smell

If you quit smoking and switch to vaping, you may feel that you can perceive tastes and smells better, as smoking dulls the senses.

Possible respiratory irritation

Some individuals may have a cough or mild throat irritation as the body adapts to the new way of inhaling nicotine.

Regulation of nicotine in the body

If you have switched from smoking, you can better control your nicotine dose by choosing the right concentration of e-liquid. If you choose too high a nicotine concentration or vape too much, side effects such as dizziness, nausea or increased heart rate may occur.

While research is still ongoing on the long-term effects of vaping, some scientific studies suggest that positive long-term effects include:

Less harmful than smoking cigarettes
Reducing the risk of heart disease

Conversely, if vaped for a long time, some of the ingredients in the liquids can cause irritation to the lungs or inflammation.

Simple tips to manage the transition to vaping

If you want to successfully switch to vaping and say goodbye to conventional cigarettes, try these tips:

Choose the right e-liquid - if you are a heavy smoker, start with a liquid that contains a sufficient concentration of nicotine. You can then reduce it.
Choose the right device - there are many types of vaporizers and e-cigarettes on the market - from simple disposable devices, vaping batteries to advanced models. Find the one that suits you best.
Don't be put off by the initial changes - common side effects such as coughing, dry mouth or other irritations may occur in the first few days. But they usually go away quickly.
Have a plan to resist the urge for a cigarette - in the first few weeks you may feel the urge to light up now and then. Have a glass of water, go for a walk or reach for a vaporizer or e-cigarette. Try to replace the habit of a conventional cigarette with another cigarette that is not harmful. For example, try herbal tea, start reading or playing sport.

Conclusion

If you're a smoker looking for a less harmful alternative, vaping can be a great option. Not only will you reduce the amount of harmful substances that enter your body through smoking, but over time you can also reduce your nicotine intake, which will help you to quit altogether.

As soon as you stop smoking conventional cigarettes, the body almost immediately begins to recover. After a while, the lungs regenerate, the cough subsides, breathing improves, physical fitness increases, energy increases and, over time, the risk of serious diseases such as heart disease and cancer also decreases.

E-cigarettes were originally developed as a smoking cessation tool. Their aim is not to create a new habit, but to ease the transition to a nicotine-free life. The ideal scenario is that you gradually reduce nicotine concentrations until eventually you don't even vape.

Despite the fact that vaping is not entirely without risks, it is now generally agreed that vaping exposes the user to significantly lower levels of harmful substances than smoking tobacco cigarettes. According to Public Health England, vaping is up to 95% less harmful than smoking. However, there is currently a lack of further research and studies on what long-term vaping of liquids can do.

❌ Keep in mind that if you don't smoke, there is no reason to start vaping nicotine liquids!

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Author: Patricie Mikolášová

Photo: AI

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