Benefits and Downsides of Nicotine-Free Vaping
May 10, 2023
Benefits and Downsides of Nicotine-Free Vaping
Since vaping went mainstream in the early 2010s, the e-cigarette industry has witnessed tremendous growth over the course of that period.
Worth an estimated £18 billion in 2016, the global vape market size ballooned to £25 billion worldwide by the end of 2021, with the UK vape industry alone accounting for £913 million and £4.4 billion in market value in 2016 and 2021 respectively.
With vape technology continuing to take shape, the world is increasingly growing conscious of the deleterious effects of smoking on human health. As the biggest cause of preventable deaths in the world, the gradual drop in smoking rates thus can only be a good thing.
We cannot overlook the role vaping has played in this decline. Vaping is considered the most effective aid to quit smoking, you see, and it is no coincidence that the fall in the number of smokers has seen a corresponding surge in the number of vapers.
Personal lifestyle choices without a doubt have been central to this shift, with initiatives like the vApril Challenge and StopOctober Campaign (both geared towards helping smokers quit) accelerating the quitting rates in no small way.
However, while vaping is an excellent smoking cessation tool, it doesn’t mean that every vaper is in it for the nicotine.
There is a large platoon of active vapers who do not use nicotine, instead preferring nicotine-free vapes. A fraction of these are people who have managed to wean themselves off nicotine successfully, and vaping certainly facilitates that seamlessly what with the availability of e-liquids in different nicotine strengths.
But there are also many other vapers who do not use juices with any nicotine at all. They are not addicted or need nicotine at all to enjoy themselves. In this post, we look at the pros and cons of being a nicotine-free vaper.
The Pros of Vaping without Nicotine
Nicotine-free vaping allows you to enjoy the flavours
Let’s be honest, vape flavours are the bomb; provided you can source them from a brand such as Aquavape that is known for its mastery of mixology and high-quality blends.
And truth be told, vaping would not be what it is without the assortment of e-liquid flavours which literally number in the hundreds, if not thousands.
E-liquids are a central aspect of vaping, and the most amazing thing is that the industry has been able to replicate virtually every flavour in existence. There is something for everyone, regardless of your tastes or preferences – fruits, desserts, sweet flavours you name it.
More than that, most of these flavours come in nicotine-free variants, so people who do not use nicotine (aka the flavour chasers) can vape without the risk of getting hooked on nicotine.
Nicotine-free vaping keeps you from getting addicted
You don’t have to use nicotine if you don’t have to.
In fact, considering nicotine is one of the most addictive substances on the planet, you would be doing yourself a favour by steering clear of it. There is a reason the cigarette industry is still a big industry you know: people just can’t quit!
Unlike conventional cigarettes, though, vaping allows you to enjoy the fun aspect of it without including nicotine in your routine.
Just make sure to confirm it’s 0mg/mL when placing your orders.
Nicotine-free vaping makes pulling off tricks easier
Everybody thinks smoking O-rings are cool, but wait until you see what vape clouds can do.
E-cig vapour is thicker and denser compared to cigarette smoke, so vape devices are more ideal for blowing rings and pulling off other incredible tricks.
Sure, it does take some bit of time to perfect your technique, but it’s massive fun when you finally learn the ropes. Vape tricks are best done with nicotine-free vape juice. Not only is it kinder on the throat, but also doing vape tricks with nicotine-laced e-liquid can force you to take too much nicotine, so you will be forced to take breaks in between.
Why go through all the hassle while e-liquids are available in 0mg variants!
After all, if you purchase short-fill e-liquids, you also get to save money in the process as larger bottles tend to be more economical. Short-fills do not contain any nicotine.
The Downsides of Vaping Without Nicotine
You may not get the throat hit you are after
Throat hit is the feeling you get at the back of your throat when you inhale on an e-cig device (or cigarette).
For smokers-turned-vapers in particular, throat hit is kind of a big deal and can actually be the difference between successfully making the transition from smoking to vaping or sending you back to combustible cigarettes.
Nicotine-free vapes are largely underwhelming as far as throat hit is concerned. Therefore, if you are a not a nicotine user, 0mg e-liquids will not do it for you unless you want to stock up some just for kicks.
Nicotine-free vaping will not help you quit
Vaping is a great way to cut back on your nicotine use if you have been using nicotine in the past. E-liquids come in a different nicotine concentrations which allow you to gradually wean yourself off nicotine by scaling down the nicotine strength over time.
However, for people looking to give up nicotine, jumping straight into nicotine-free vaping is not likely to yield much success. This is akin to taking a cold turkey approach when quitting, only this time, there is a device to hold in your hand and inhale vapour from.
In fact, some of the people who try vaping only to revert back to smoking later fail to find much satisfaction in vape products, which is down to poor choices made when selecting both e-liquids and the quitting device.
If you are planning to quit smoking, unless you want to, it would be better to start with a nicotine vape, then reduce your nicotine level down to zero gradually. Otherwise, within no time, you’re likely to again pick up the habit you so much wanted to drop. And that’s not what you want.
Nicotine-free vaping can make you vape more
Again, this particularly applies to former smokers using vaping as their preferred quitting aid.
When you vape e-liquids containing nicotine, you only need to take a couple of drags every now and then to satisfy your cravings. Opting for nicotine salt e-liquids will even make you vape less often since they deliver optimum satisfaction.
On the contrary, vaping nicotine-free juices will not provide you with the nicotine fix you are after. You’ll only be merely blowing clouds away.
Conclusion: Is Vaping without Nicotine Harmful
Opinion about the effects of vaping in general continues to be divided. People considering taking up nicotine-free vaping therefore seem to be unsure whether this is the right move for them or not as far as their health goes.
The fact of the matter is that there are many studies that have and continue to be carried out on the effects of vaping on our health. As it stands, vaping without nicotine doesn’t seem to be remarkably better or worse than vaping with nicotine vis-à-vis its impact on our health.
However, the best thing about it is that you don’t risk getting addicted to nicotine and digging yourself into a hole that could prove difficult to get out of.