With many people facing difficult choices and looking to cut their budget and expenditure, there has never been a greater incentive to quit smoking. Not just for your physical health but financial health as well.
Many people try to quit smoking with willpower alone, but it’s much easier to go smoke-free with the right help. There are lots of support options available, try a combination that works for you.
See what help and support the NHS can offer for free here
https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/quit-smoking/
Although they encourage the use of e-cigarettes, it’s one product they do not offer but they will support you if you decide this is the way to go.
What method to quit smoking has the best success rate?
Vaping to quit smoking
There’s some confusion and misleading information about vaping, which can make it difficult to work out what’s true or not.
Nicotine vaping is substantially less harmful than smoking. It’s also one of the most effective tools for quitting smoking.
Vaping is not recommended for non-smokers and young people because it is not completely harmless.
Here you will find the facts on vaping, based on scientific evidence and research, plus advice on how to use vapes (sometimes called e-cigarettes or e-cigs) as a tool to quit smoking. (Source NHS)
Vaping nicotine is almost twice as effective as nicotine replacement products like the patch and gum at helping smokers to quit, according to a game-changing study of nearly 900 treatment-seeking smokers in the UK.
The randomised controlled trial found that 18% of those using a nicotine-vaporiser (e-cigarette) were smoke-free after one year, compared to 9.9% of those using conventional products like nicotine patches or gum, alone or in combination.
Cost benefits of switching from cigarettes to e-cigarettes
Smokers who switch to e-cigarettes could save £780 a year
People who smoke report spending £1,200 a year on cigarettes while those who use e-cigarettes only spend £417 a year on those products, according to a new UCL study.
These findings suggest completely switching to e-cigarettes may save people around £780 a year, equivalent to £15 a week. Those who used nicotine replacement therapy reported spending £523 a year, meaning a switch to NRT might save around £680, equivalent to £13 a week.
The study, published in the journal Addiction and funded by Cancer Research UK, compared the amount people spent on smoking with the expenditure involved in using e-cigarettes or NRT.
Fuel Poverty
By January 2023 over half of households in the UK (15 million) will be in fuel poverty – spending over 10&% of net income on fuel.
Also inevitably the poorest (and coldest) regions of the country will experience the biggest increases in fuel poverty. Fuel poverty will reach 72 per cent in Northern Ireland and 62 per cent in Scotland, compared with 48 per cent in London.
Household Poverty
The Trussell Trust has seen a staggering increase in the number of food parcels distributed over the last five years.
Food banks in the food charity network provided more than 2.1 million emergency food parcels between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2022. Of these, 832,000 were for children. This represents an 81% increase compared to the same period five years ago.
The Trussell Trust supports a nationwide network of more than 1,300 food bank centres.
https://www.civilsociety.co.uk/news/trussell-trust-sees-81-increase-in-food-bank-usage-across-its-network.html
Why is the rate of inflation in the UK so high?
The Bank of England Quotes:
Higher energy prices are the main reason why inflation is currently so high. In particular, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine led to big increases in the price of gas. The war in Ukraine has also increased food prices.
There is also pressure on prices from developments in the UK. Businesses are charging more for their goods and services because of the higher costs they face. There are more job vacancies than there are people to fill them, as fewer people are seeking work following the pandemic. That means that employers are having to offer higher wages to attract job applicants.
The Government cap on energy bills means that we expect inflation to rise only a bit further from where it is now.
It’s our job to make sure that inflation continues to fall all the way back to our 2% target.
Mortgage increases
A tracker mortgage is already about £210 per month more expensive on average than it was before base rate increases started last December.
Mortgage borrowers are set to see their monthly bills soar amid concerns that pressure is building for the Bank of England base rate to be hiked further in order to steady the pound.
Rent increases
Average private rents in Britain have hit record highs, jumping by more than 20% in some areas such as Manchester, new data shows.
The average advertised rent outside London is 11.8% higher than a year ago, while in the capital it is up by 15.8%, according to the property website Rightmove.
The rise in housing costs is piling more pressure on households already feeling the strain of the cost of living crisis, and has been largely blamed on demand for rental properties greatly outstripping supply, leading to intense competition among tenants for what is available. Rising interest rates are also feeding through to tenants, with many landlords on tracker rates.
Food Prices
Soaring food costs have pushed UK inflation into double digits for the first time since 1982, with prices continuing to rise at their fastest rate for more than 40 years.
Inflation hit 10.1% in the 12 months to July, up from 9.4% in June, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.
Energy, petrol and diesel costs are also contributing to inflation. But food and non-alcoholic drinks was the largest contributor to rising prices in July, according to the ONS.
The price of bread, cereals, milk, cheese and eggs rose the fastest, while the cost of vegetables, meat and chocolate were also higher.
Cost of peoples mental health
Two thirds (66%) of therapists say cost of living concerns are causing a decline in people’s mental health, according to research.
The survey also found 49% therapists say their clients are already cutting back on activities that benefit their mental health, such as gym and sports club memberships.
Some 60% of therapists also see clients cutting back on therapy sessions due to money worries and almost half (47%) of therapists report clients are cancelling or pausing sessions because they can no longer afford them.
Money worries can manifest in feelings of embarrassment and shame with individuals often not knowing where to turn for advice and support.
In many instances, financial worries can impact your mental health causing anxiety, low mood and stress as people make difficult decisions about what they can afford. Poor mental health can also affect people’s ability to manage money for various reasons such as not knowing where to start.
Turn2us is a national charity that helps people in financial hardship to gain access to welfare benefits, charitable grants and support services;
https://www.turn2us.org.uk/
A leading North East mental health charity has warned that it has seen a 90% increase in referrals to its crisis support service over the past six months – and that much of this is due to the rising cost of living.
Learning how mental health and money are connected might help if you’re struggling. Sorting things out might feel like an overwhelming task. And lots of things may be out of your control. But try taking things one step at a time.
https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/tips-for-everyday-living/money-and-mental-health/the-link-between-money-and-mental-health/
This all comes back to the question, why are you still smoking?
At Squire Vape co we have all the top branded, most popular e-cigarettes/disposable vapes to assist you to quit smoking, including Geek Bars, Elf Bars, Crystal Bars and the Elux range. What better incentive do you need?
We also offer direct support and discounts for buying quantities and advice on which devices may suit you best.
