The cost of smoking to the UK Government is approximately £12.6 billion a year, made up of £1.4 billion spent on social care for smoking related care needs, £2.5 billion spent on NHS services and £8.6 billion of lost productivity in businesses*.
But what is smoking costing you personally?
Half of all life-long smokers die early, losing on average 10 years of their life. Smoking related deaths made up 16% of all deaths across the UK and smoking is the largest cause of preventable death in England. Smoking has an effect on most organs, here is how:
- Brain: Smoking increases the risk of having a stroke by at least 50%
- Heart: Smoking can double the risk of having a heart attack
- Bones: Smoking can cause bones to become week and brittle which increases the risk of osteoporosis in women
- Lungs: Smoking causes 84% of deaths from lung cancer and 83% of deaths from COPD
- Circulation: Smoking increases blood pressure and heart rate
- Fertility: Smoking can cause a lack of sexual appetite and impotency in men, and can make it harder for females to conceive
- Mouth and throat: Smoking can increase the risk of cancer in lips, tongue, throat, voice box and gullet
- Stomach: Smoking increases the chance of getting stomach cancer or ulcers
- Skin: Smoking prematurely ages skin by between 10 and 20 years
On average, smokers smoke 20 cigarettes a day; with a packet of cigarettes costing £13.30 that’s a spend of £93.10 per week, or £4,841.20 per year.
Smokers urged to swap cigarettes for vapes in world first scheme
One million smokers will be encouraged to swap cigarettes for vapes under a pioneering new ‘swap to stop’ scheme designed to improve the health of the nation and cut smoking rates.
As part of the world-first national scheme, 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 as part of a series of new measures to help the government meet its ambition of being smoke free by 2030 – reducing smoking rates to 5% or less. Local authorities will be invited to take part in the scheme later this year and each will design a scheme which suits its needs, including deciding which populations to prioritise.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/smokers-urged-to-swap-cigarettes-for-vapes-in-world-first-scheme
Disposable vapes / E-cigarettes to quit smoking
Disposable vaping is the best vaping solution for beginners or those who want to enter the world of vaping without burning hole in their pockets. Disposable vapes are small disposable and non-rechargeable devices that are filled with e-liquids in various flavours. For people who are looking to quit smoking, disposables are the best way to mimic the experience of smoking using e-cigarettes at affordable rates. Moreover, you can dispose of the devices where all the puffs are consumed.
Tips to quit
Quitting smoking is easier with the right support. Give up for 28 days, and you’re 5 times more likely to quit for good – get your plan now!
https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/quit-smoking/personal-quit-plan/
Will vaping help me stop smoking?
Many thousands of people in the UK have already stopped smoking with the help of an e-cigarette. There’s evidence that they can be effective.
A 2021 review found people who used e-cigarettes to quit smoking, as well as having expert face-to-face support, can be up to twice as likely to succeed as people who used other nicotine replacement products, such as patches or gum.
How safe are e-cigarettes?
In the UK, e-cigarettes are tightly regulated for safety and quality.
Vaping is not completely risk-free, but it poses a small fraction of the risk of smoking cigarettes. The long-term risks of vaping are not yet clear.
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 a much lower level.
The mental health benefits of quitting smoking
When people stop smoking, studies show:
- anxiety, depression and stress levels are lower
- quality of life and positive mood improve
- the dosage of some medicines used to treat mental health problems can be reduced
Stopping smoking can be as effective as antidepressants
People with mental health problems are likely to feel much calmer and more positive, and have a better quality of life, after giving up smoking.
Evidence suggests the beneficial effect of stopping smoking on symptoms of anxiety and depression can equal that of taking antidepressants.
*Source: NHS England
It’s never too late to quit smoking
Often, people who have smoked for many years believe that “there’s no point in quitting because the damage has been done”.
However, a recent study, published in the journal Nature, challenges this and gives a new hope to people who want to quit.
When you smoke, the majority of the cells in our lungs are mutated, with cells containing up to 10,000 genetic alternations. It was previously believed that these mutations were permanent and persisted even after a person has stopped smoking.
But according to the study, a small number of cells remain unharmed and healthy, therefore allow our lungs to repair some of the damage caused by smoking – but only once we quit.
*Source Roy Castle Lung Cancer Society
Some of the people in the study had smoked more than 15,000 packs of cigarettes in their life, but within a few years of quitting, many cells lining their airways showed no evidence of damage from tobacco.
Lung biopsies were analysed from 16 different people, including people who used to smoke and people who still smoke, as well as people who have never smoked and children, looking for specific mutations that can lead to cancer.
The study found that in the lungs of people who used to smoke, damaged cells were replaced by healthy cells, similar to those found in people who have never smoked. The cells in the lungs of ex-smokers were also found to be nearly four times healthier than the cells of those who still smoked.
There are lots of other methods that can help people stop smoking, like patches or stop smoking medicines. Why do we need vaping as well?
Vaping products are the most popular stop smoking aid. It has been estimated that there are up to 50,700 additional quitters a year in England!
Research also suggests that vaping products are more effective at supporting people to stop smoking than other stop smoking aids such as Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT). One trial of English stop smoking services found that smokers using vaping products were nearly twice as likely to stop smoking as those using NRT.
Here at Squire Vape Co we are dedicated to bring you the best disposable vapes to assist you to quit smoking and a great introduction to vaping, giving you the chance to try vaping and different flavours without damaging your pocket and fit discreetly in your pocket or handbag.
