The tobacco epidemic is one of the biggest public health threats the world has ever faced, killing more than 8 million people a year, including around 1.2 million deaths from exposure to second-hand smoke.
All forms of tobacco are harmful, and there is no safe level of exposure to tobacco. Cigarette smoking is the most common form of tobacco use worldwide followed by rolling tobacco.
Over 80% of the 1.3 billion tobacco users worldwide live in low- and middle-income countries, where the burden of tobacco-related illness and death is heaviest. Tobacco use contributes to poverty by diverting household spending from basic needs such as food and shelter to tobacco.
The economic costs of tobacco use are substantial and include significant health care costs for treating the diseases caused by tobacco use as well as the lost human capital that results from tobacco-attributable morbidity and mortality.
Some Facts
- Tobacco kills up to half of its users.
- Tobacco kills more than 8 million people each year. More than 7 million of those deaths are the result of direct tobacco use while around 1.2 million are the result of non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke.
- In 2020, 22.3% of the global population used tobacco, 36.7% of all men and 7.8% of the world’s women.
What is the main cause of death for smokers?
Smoking is one of the biggest causes of death and illness in the UK.
Every year around 78,000 people in the UK die from smoking, with many more living with debilitating smoking-related illnesses.
Smoking increases your risk of developing more than 50 serious health conditions.
Some may be fatal, and others can cause irreversible long-term damage to your health.
Smoking causes around 7 out of every 10 cases of lung cancer (70%).
It also causes cancer in many other parts of the body, including the:
- Mouth
- Throat
- voice box (larynx)
- oesophagus (the tube between your mouth and stomach)
- bladder
- bowel
- cervix
- kidney
- liver
- stomach
- pancreas
Smoking damages your heart and your blood circulation, increasing your risk of developing conditions such as:
- coronary heart disease
- heart attack
- stroke
- peripheral vascular disease (damaged blood vessels)
- cerebrovascular disease (damaged arteries that supply blood to your brain)
Smoking also damages your lungs, leading to conditions such as:
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which incorporates bronchitis and emphysema
- pneumonia
Smoking can also worsen or prolong the symptoms of respiratory conditions such as asthma, or respiratory tract infections such as the common cold.
In men, smoking can cause impotence because it limits the blood supply to the penis.
It can also reduce the fertility of both men and women. (Source NHS)
That should be enough to put you off smoking altogether but addiction is a disease and quitting smoking can be one of the hardest habits to kick.
In fact it is so bad, 50% of people with COPD continue to smoke despite knowing it will eventually kill them. For 10 years I was in that bracket but things have changed and there is new hope.
Everyone is aware e-cigarettes/vaping but did you know NHS England now recognise it as a smoking cessation tool, even more it has almost twice the success rate of any other Nicotine Replacement therapy.
The beauty of it is, e-cigarettes/disposable vapes feel like smoking, but is 95% healthier and far cheaper.
How many people die from vaping?
Nicotine vaping products have continued to evolve. The use of nicotine salt technology is becoming more popular.
Between 20 May 2016 (implementation of TRPR) and 9 January 2020, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) had received 84 reports of 245 adverse reactions believed to be associated with nicotine-containing vaping products through its Yellow Card Scheme. A report is not proof that the reaction was caused by a vaping product, just that the reporter suspected it might have been.
In the US, where there is a very different regulatory system for vaping products (including products used to vape cannabis), there was a spate of serious lung diseases and deaths which appeared to peak in late 2019. This outbreak seems to have been caused by people vaping the cannabis derivative tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) oil and vitamin E acetate.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vaping-in-england-evidence-update-march-2020/vaping-in-england-2020-evidence-update-summary
How easy is it to switch from tobacco to vaping?
A lot of success in switching from smoking to vaping relies on the first two weeks. This time can be tough, but it’s worth giving it a really good go.
Some people think if they’re quitting smoking, they have to limit their vaping too. Not true.
The idea is to keep your habits, and nicotine, the same at the start. The only thing you’re swapping out is the stick, so you’re not getting as many of the toxins from burning tobacco.
Vape when you would normally smoke, or whenever you need a hit. It might be little and often, rather than every few hours.
One of the biggest mistakes that some smokers make when they switch to vapes is choosing a vape device that is too complicated. Vapes are higher maintenance than smoking tobacco cigarettes, and this can sometimes become frustrating to smokers. If your e-cigarette is complicated to use and requires a lot of maintenance, such as replacing coils, cleaning tanks, and more, you’ll find yourself tempted to go back to smoking cigarettes instead.
That is why we stock disposable vapes as it’s as simple as opening the packet inhaling and go!
We stock all the most famous brands including Geek bars, Elf Bars, Crystal Bars and the Elux range.
What happens if you switch from smoking to vaping?
Within 24 hours of quitting smoking and starting vaping, your body will have gotten rid of all of the residual carbon monoxide in your system. But your lungs, too, will begin to detoxify as they work on removing toxic debris and mucus that had accumulated while you were smoking.
How safe are e-cigarettes?
In the UK, e-cigarettes are tightly regulated for safety and quality.
They’re not completely risk free, but they carry a small fraction of the risk of cigarettes.
E-cigarettes do not produce tar or carbon monoxide, two of the most harmful elements in tobacco smoke.
The liquid and vapour contain some potentially harmful chemicals also found in cigarette smoke, but at much lower levels.
What about risks from nicotine?
While nicotine is the addictive substance in cigarettes, it’s relatively harmless.
Almost all of the harm from smoking comes from the thousands of other chemicals in tobacco smoke, many of which are toxic.
Nicotine replacement therapy has been widely used for many years to help people stop smoking and is a safe treatment.
How much does an e-cigarette cost?
You can expect to pay £5 – £6 for a decent quality disposable vape that deliver approximately 600 puffs which is estimated to be around 45 cigarettes.
What is the success rate of quitting smoking using e-cigarettes?
In England in 2020, nicotine vaping products were the most popular aid used by smokers trying to quit, with 27.2% of smokers using a vaping product compared with 18.2% using nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) products (such as patches and gum) and 4.4% using the prescription medicine varenicline.
it is estimated that in 2017, more than 50,000 smokers stopped smoking with the aid of a vaping product who would otherwise have carried on smoking.
Of course everyone is different and some people may benefit from a variety of flavours and some people opt for a simple tobacco flavour.
My own personal journey started with a Banana Ice Geek Bar and I haven’t looked back since. I haven’t craved a cigarette and know I will definitely smoke tobacco again. As many ex-smokers say, they find the smell of cigarette smoke disgusting after quitting and I am the same.
If you have tried making the switch and failed, it might be helpful to make the switch gradually trying to incorporate vaping and smoking together and gradually reduce the tobacco use.
It may be you tried the wrong vape and didn’t like it. There’s plenty I don’t like but there is plenty I do, it is all down to taste and preference.
The main goal is to not quit, quitting!
Your journey to quit smoking starts here, believe me, it is worth it!
