Today we are looking at how e cigarettes can help smokers give up smoking and how. In addition to this, we look at the support that Local Stop Smoking Services (LSSS) offer and how smoking rates might be affected if vaping and LSSS support combined.

The Current Problem

Smoking rates amongst adults in the UK have fallen to 15.5%. This is the smallest number of smokers on records since records in England began. There are a number of factors to consider when looking at why these numbers have fallen.

It is no coincidence that smoking numbers have fallen at unprecedented rates in line with the rise in vaping popularity. The use of e cigarettes and flavoured e liquids has been adopted by the British community (and globally) with an enthusiasm that we couldn’t have predicted.

Vaping alone has not got us to the stage that we are today. A number of other factors have contributed to falling smoking numbers. Public awareness of the risk, thanks to numerous ongoing public health campaigns have certainly helped. The ongoing price hikes for cigarettes year after year won’t have hurt either.

After the Go Smoke Free legislation went live in 2007 smoking was effectively banned in public places. This contributed to further smoking harm awareness and increased the level of social feeling about smoking. Peer opinion can be a great motivator when it comes to stopping smoking.

Local Stop Smoking Service has (and continue to have) played their part in helping more smokers give up their harmful habit for good.

This all sounds very positive, so what’s the problem? The problem is that progress has halted. The decline in smoking numbers has slowed significantly. There a number of reasons for this however we expect the main stems from a lack of awareness or understanding about vaping from those still using cigarettes. Lack of understanding can cause apprehension and in part, this is what causes anti-vaping feelings amongst those who still smoke.

What is the answer? How can we work with the tools that we have to help more people quit smoking?

Why is Vaping a Successful Cessation Tool

There is a misconception that the reason people struggle to quit smoking is purely because of nicotine addiction. Yes, of course, this is a contributing factor, however, there is a lot more that makes smoking addictive than just nicotine. Studies have shown that smokers struggle to quit due to physical and mental habits too.

When giving up smoking smokers have to deal with physical habits being removed “cold turkey” too. For example, the hand to mouth action, the inhale and exhale action, the habit of having something in your hand and more. In addition to this, smokers miss the social aspect of smoking, the relaxation that it offers and of course, there will be many routines, habits and more built up around their smoking habit. Thankfully vaping can help with a lot of these.

When using an e cigarette filled with cheap e liquid (cheap as in affordable but of a high quality) smokers still take a drag (a draw on an ecig), still have the hand to mouth/something in their hand comfort, can still vape with others (the social aspect) and more. These are one of the reasons that vaping and e cigarettes offer such effective cessation support.

E liquids also contain nicotine in varying strengths. This means that is switching from smoking to vaping an individual can match up the nicotine level that they are used to and then step it down/reduce it gradually if that is something that they want to do, rather than cutting it out all at once, which causes fierce smoking cravings which is part of what makes quitting smoking long term so difficult. There are also zero nicotine e liquids available for those who are looking to switch away from smoking and nicotine but who don’t want to give up a pleasurable hobby altogether.

It is clear why vaping offers such an effective alternative to smoking!

Why Does Using an LSSS Work

Why do you need an LSSS when you have vaping available? Local Stop Smoking Services offer a different type of support. Habits are hard to break, and smoking can be a particularly difficult but to crack. Smokers know and understand the risks of smoking (which are numerous, according to the World Health Organisation amongst others). This doesn’t automatically mean that they can just put their cigarette packet down one day and give up. If it was that simple so many more smokers would give up.

As well as the physical habits already mentioned and the mental comfort that vaping helps with, making the big decision to quit and following through can really take some doing. Your LSSS offers 1-1 counselling, group support, accountability and more, all of which is personalised and geared towards helping you achieve your goal of giving up smoking for good. This added motivation and peer support system can make all of the difference when it comes to successfully giving up smoking for good.

A Combined Smoking Cessation Effort

It is clear that both LSSS and using e cigarettes as an alternative to smoking can help lower smoking rates individually. If, however, these two well-recognised methods of smoking cessation support were combined the results in term of stop smoking success could be significant.

Studies recognise that vaping is the most popular method of cessation (despite e cigs still not yet being recognised officially as being a medical cessation device, something that Public Health England is trying to remedy). LSSS success rates have also been noted. There is no reason therefore why these two successful aids shouldn’t and can’t be integrated in order to maximise the successful outcome numbers for those looking to quit smoking. Of course, if using vaping as an alternative to tobacco cigarettes NRT wouldn’t be appropriate (too much nicotine can make someone feel very poorly and in this case, NRT wouldn’t be necessary). The counselling aspect combined with the swapping of smoking and vaping could offer an attractive package that really works.

Data shows that only four percent of smokers attending a LSSS clinic in 2016/2017 used an electronic e cigarette and e liquids too. This may be because the two quitting methods have been seen as being either/or; basically making it seem like smokers have to choose one or the other. A combined effort has been identified by researchers and health authorities as having the potential to make real change for many smokers who will struggle to quit smoking when using one or the other.

 

In Conclusion

An exciting collaboration between LSSS and the vaping community could make a huge difference in terms of breaking the stalemate we are currently facing. Progress with reducing smoking numbers has stalled. There are a number of reasons for that however making quitting smoking even easier is a good incentive for smokers to give it a go, to embrace it and to succeed. To that end, GP services and LSSS workers have been given guidelines to help them facilitate incorporating e cigarettes into their stop smoking classes, support documents and more.

With time and with more LSSS being able to make these changes it is hoped that we will see the success rates of these stop smoking clinics rise once more and see England’s smoking rates reduce. We’ll be monitoring the progress of these changes closely as in theory, it could make a massive difference to some smokers.

If you are looking to give up smoking, we wish you the very best of luck whether you are choosing one pound e liquids and an e cigarette, LSSS support or a combination of the two.