VAPING: E-cigarettes are more addictive than you think.

VAPING: E-cigarettes are more addictive than you think. Robyne Cuerel

DESPITE a growing trend in people turning to e-cigarettes and vapours to defeat nicotine addiction, a recent study has proven the harmful substitutes to be more addictive.

It is illegal to sell nicotine e-liquids in NSW, but they are still readily available in the state.

Wooli resident Robert Cooper moved to e-cigarettes to beat his addiction, but found them just as addictive as regular cigarettes.

"I moved to e-cigarettes to try and quit," Mr Cooper said.

"I loved it at first, but after a while it gave me a terrible cough and I found I got fluid in my chest."

He said he did not recommend e-cigarettes.

"I went back to regular cigarettes and my chest began to feel better."

Mr Cooper was able to beat cigarettes all together with nicotine mouth spray.

Tweed mother Julie Convine-Gilbert, who has family in Grafton, almost beat regular smoking, but a puff on her friend's e-cigarette got her even more hooked than before.

"I'm having it more," she said.

"I can't leave home without my e-cigarette."

However, Ms Convine-Gilbert said electronic was better than the regular cigarette.

"I had a puff of a real cigarette the other day and it tasted terrible," she said.

"E-cigarettes have got to be better than smoking because I was really out of breath when I smoked regular cigarettes."

Ms Convine-Gilbert said she drummed into her children not to start smoking and praised the media, including APN papers, for its efforts against it.

The study's researchers said nicotine alone was not responsible for the intense addictive properties of tobacco smoking, but also pyrazines found in e-cigarettes.

"Pyrazines have sensory and pharmacological effects and should be regulated," the researches said.

"Several pyrazine derivatives seem to have a role in boosting the amount of dopamine released during smoking, an effect that is independent of nicotine.

"They are among the most important compounds characterising the flavour and aroma of tobacco."

COMMENTS AND POLL

Of the 131 who voted in The Daily Examiner's online poll, most said e-cigarettes did not increase their nicotine addiction.

Do you use e-cigarettes and do you feel they have increased your nicotine addiction?

I use e-cigarettes and they have not increased my nicotine addiction. - 83%

I feel I have become hooked on nicotine products since I started smoking e-cigarettes. - 0%

I smoke e-cigarettes because they are the best alternative. - 16%

WHAT YOU SAID ONLINE

StephenW - Which e-cigarettes (by which one assumes you mean the fluid itself, rather than the device) have pyrazine additives? I assume you can document this as I mix my own and have failed, thus far, to add any pyrazines thereto ...

Gave up tobacco with out really meaning to. Starting vaping at 18mg nicotine and now down to 3mg. I could go to zero nic but like the beneficial sides to it.

DanielP - That study only found pyrazines in one brand of ecig. That says to me that it's more likely to be a contaminated sample than anything.

DavidM - No, on the contrary, I have vaped for two years now and have reduced my nicotine to 4mg ......... what other addiction do people REDUCE their intake over time.

RyanR - I tried to smoke an 'e-cigarette' (as you call them) but the flame from my lighter just melted the end of it. Not sure how you go about smoking one. Everyone tells me you just vape instead.