Nicotine-Free Vapes: The Best Way to Go Nicotine Free?
So, you’ve made the decision to cut down on your nicotine intake. Are nicotine free vapes the final step to a nicotine-less life?
Nicotine, Smoking, and Vaping
A huge amount of people have taken up vaping in order to go cigarette-free. It has been fairly well documented by now that cigarettes are pretty awful for your system, and contain a diverse range of carcinogens.
Vaping has been such a successful form of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), that the Department of Health and Social Care are now pioneering the ‘Swap to Stop’ scheme, in which almost 1 in 5 of all smokers in England will be provided with a vape starter kit alongside behavioural support to help them quit the habit.
One ingredient prevalent in both smoking cigarettes and vaping e-cigarettes is nicotine. However, despite its negative connotations, nicotine is a key ingredient in smoking cessation, and is used in most forms of NRT.
It is important to note that the danger of nicotine consumption lies in keeping you addicted to cigarettes, rather than inherently causing disease itself.
Nowadays, most standard disposable vapes and common nic salts have 20mg of nicotine. This is generally the closest to a cigarette in terms of strength, and so an ideal place to start if you’re a heavy cigarette smoker who has just swapped to vaping.
However, as time progresses, many people choose to lower their nicotine intake, usually by advancing their vaping kits in order to tailor their nicotine level (we will go into this later).
Not everyone wants to stay at 20mg of nicotine. You may want to wean yourself off it altogether!
Could a nicotine free vape be the final destination in your quest?
What are Nicotine Free Vapes?
Some disposable vape companies offer nicotine free disposable vapes. These are simply regular disposable vapes with 0mg nicotine strength.
However, even a nicotine free disposable vape is just as costly and bad for the planet as regular disposables.
It’s a far better option to switch from disposable vapes to a sub-ohm kit. This is because in the UK, all sub-ohm E-Liquids—called Shortfills—come in a 0mg strength by default. The cost of a sub-ohm vape will be greater up front, but you’ll save a lot of money in the long run compared to vaping zero nicotine disposable vapes.
Shortfill E-Liquids
Shortfills are large bottles of E-Liquid which come “short filled” with nicotine-free E-Liquid. Available in a variety of sizes ranging from 50ml up to 200ml, shortfill E-Liquids are perfect for those who wish to customise their vaping to their tailored standard.
“Short fill” E-Liquids come in larger shortfill bottles with extra space inside for you to add a 10ml nicotine shot or two, depending on the bottle size.
The most common size is a 50ml shortfill, which comes in a 60ml bottle—leaving just enough space inside the bottle for a 10ml nicotine shot to be added. A 100ml shortfill comes in a 120ml bottle, leaving space for two nic shots.
To get the big picture on shortfill E-Liquids, we have an excellent guide that better tells you how to use them.
These E-Liquids are usually not compatible with most starter kits, simple pod devices, or low-powered vape pens due to the thickness of the E-Liquid.
Sound’s advanced, right? Not if you get a 50/50 shortfill.
50/50 Shortfill E-Liquids
Unlike other shortfills, these nicotine-free E-Liquids can be used in low powered starter vape kits.
50/50 shortfill E-Liquids get their name from their ratio of VG (vegetable glycerin) to PG (propylene glycol). They’re the most universal type of E-Liquid in the vaping industry, and can be used in most vape devices without causing any hardware issues.
When you vape, your body doesn’t absorb all of the nicotine in your E-Liquid like you might think it does. In reality, much of it gets exhaled—so while 50/50 E-Liquids share the same nicotine formulation as cigarettes, you absorb much less of it in comparison while vaping.
Furthermore, 50/50 E-Liquids only allow for 3mg of nicotine, making them an ideal and easy choice for those who wish to lower their nicotine intake.
They’re also a stellar choice for Nic Salt users looking to do the same, as the nicotine in 50/50 E-Liquids isn’t absorbed by the body as quickly, leading to a lesser “nicotine fix” in comparison.
The Benefits of Using Nicotine Free Vapes
So, for the final push to a nicotine free life.
You may want to stick with 3mg of nicotine, or make the leap to vaping nicotine free (without any added nic-shot).
Nicotine free vapes, using 50/50 shortfill E-Liquids, are ultimately an essential tool for those who eventually want to wean themselves off the substance.
Once you feel comfortable in giving up vaping a 3mg nicotine strength, simply stop adding a nic-shot to your 50/50 E-Liquid, and enjoy the flavourful essences of your shortfill without nicotine.
While still replicating the addicting inhalation experience, it will not replicate the same addicting feeling that a nicotine vape of any strength will give you. This is why its important to only make the switch to vape nicotine free once you are already vaping a low strength.
This will ensure you have a high chance of giving nicotine up for good, and complete the arduous journey that so many smokers set themsemselves out to do. Here lies the true benefit of using a nicotine free vape.
Though, it should be emphasised that a nicotine free vape will likely provide no benefit should you not do the work needed to lower your vape strength in the first place. If you were to, say, try to move from 20mg nicotine disposable vapes to zero nicotine vapes immediately, the jump would be too great and you would likely struggle.
Are Nicotine Free Vapes Dangerous?
When comparing the safety of a nicotine-containing vape to a vape without nicotine, the safety profile is very similar. This is because the few known risks associated with vaping—such as dry mouth—are attributed more to the ingredients in the vape than to the nicotine itself.
So, if your motives for weaning off of nicotine are because you believe it’s “safer” than regular vaping, this is a misconception—unless your concerns are about its addictiveness.
When it comes to the risks associated with vaping, nicotine is not considered “dangerous” or “unsafe” by any means—but it is highly addictive.
Nicotine is not harmful on its own, though it is the element in a cigarette (and in vapes) that keeps you “hooked.” Aside from its addictive properties, nicotine is fairly safe even in the long-term. It is known to cause acute (short-term) effects like an elevated heart rate, but this has been shown not to cause long-term damage in those who do not have existing heart problems.
If you still need nicotine to keep you from smoking cigarettes, you should continue vaping with nicotine until you no longer need it.
Nicotine Misinformation
Nicotine isn’t the demon we were taught it was by the glaringly obvious warnings on tobacco product labels here in the UK.
Nicotine is what keeps you smoking. It’shighly addictive.
Nicotine does not cause cardiovascular issues, COPD, cancer, or any of the other health risks associated with smoking. These are caused by the thousands of other chemicals present in cigarettes—not in vapes. The nicotine in vapes does not expose you to any more “danger” than a nicotine patch, lozenge, or gum would.
Over 40% of people in the UK wrongly believe that nicotine causes cancer, among other health problems. This is simply untrue.
Can I use nicotine free vapes to quit smoking?
Probably not.
If you’ve only made the switch recently and/or are still feeling cravings for cigarettes, it’s a good idea to vape with nicotine for as long as you need to. Weaning yourself off of cigarettes is a slow process that definitely requires nicotine, so going from smoking cigarettes straight to a nicotine free vape would be completely ineffective, and you would likely feel the urge to start smoking again.
Various health bodies and government agencies, like the National Centre for Smoking Cessation and Training (NCSCT), also say that you should continue to use nicotine for as long as you need to. Going nicotine free takes work and lots of time; it can’t be rushed.
After all, the real goal is to keep you off smoking.
Can I use nicotine free vapes to quit vaping?
Absolutely. Once you’ve gotten yourself comfortable with a zero nicotine vape, your urge to inhale may not be as great as it once was.
Nicotine free vapes are an excellent method to quit vaping, should you decide to give it up. Once again though, timing is important, and this should only be done once you no longer feel any need to vape.
In the meantime, there are some delicious flavours of 50/50 shortfills on the market, including popular disposable flavours (for the disposable lovers out there), that will keep you plenty occupied until you decide to quit vaping altogether!
Summary
Using nicotine free vapes is one of the best ways to begin a nicotine-less existence.
They can be used to vape small amounts of nicotine, or, as advertised, none at all. For vapers seeking to quit, or lower their MG strength to zero, nicotine free vapes ensure the transition to 0mg will be a smooth one.
However, as prescribed above, it isn’t that simple. Work to reduce vape strength must be done over a long period of time in order for nicotine free vapes to work to their best effect.
