Background: Little is known about the e-cigarette use patterns of people in addiction treatment, and their past experiences in using e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation aid. Prevalence and correlates of e-cigarette use for smoking cessation was examined among clients in residential substance use disorder (SUD) treatment.

Methods: This is a secondary data analysis of N = 562 participants in 20 residential SUD treatment programs in California who were recruited as part of three separate studies. Besides having an SUD, participants included in this analysis were current cigarette smokers (n = 332). Baseline survey data were used to identify characteristics associated with using e-cigarettes for smoking cessation among current smokers.

Results: Of the 332 current cigarette smokers, 36% smoked only cigarettes and 21% used both tobacco cigarettes and e-cigarettes. Among current cigarette smokers, 45% had used e-cigarettes for smoking cessation at least once. Smokers who had used e-cigarettes for smoking cessation at least once compared to those who had not were younger (33.9 years old vs. 40.7, p = 0.0001), and were more likely to be white (OR = 1.69, p = 0.02), have some college education (OR = 1.63, p = 0.03), perceive e-cigarettes as less harmful than tobacco cigarettes (OR = 1.42, p = 0.003), use both tobacco cigarettes and e-cigarettes (OR = 6.14, p = 0.0001), and have a co-occurring SUD and mental health disorder (OR = 2.06, p = 0.007).

Conclusion: E-cigarettes are favorably perceived by clients in addiction treatment as a quit smoking aid, and may motivate use in those with more severe nicotine addictions and co-occurring SUD and psychiatric disorders. Future research should examine the characteristics of smokers who use e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation aid and tobacco cigarette quit success in larger samples of clients enrolled in SUD treatment.