The Guide To Quit Smoking

The Stats Relating To Smoking Make For Some Scary ReadingText

• Tobacco kills up to half its users(5)

• In 2016, tobacco was 27 per cent less affordable than it was in 2006 ‘Statistics on Smoking, England 2017’(2)

• Smoking causes 7 out of every 10 lung cancer cases in the UK(1)

• There were 474 thousand hospital admissions attributed to smoking in 2015/2016 ‘Statistics on Smoking, England 2017’(2)

• It’s not just you it affects - second-hand smoke contributes to COPD, cot death, ear and respiratory infections in children ‘Cancer Research UK’(6)

• Vape e-liquid and its ingredients carry 95% Lower levels of ‘Cancer associated chemicals’ ‘Public Health England’(3)

• 20,000 successful people quitting smoking per year because of Vaping. ‘Action on Smoking and Health’(7)

• 1.5m vapers have quit smoking altogether. ‘Action on Smoking and Health’(7)

• 2.9M people using E-cigarette to help them quit smoking. ‘Action on Smoking and Health’(9)

Still With Us? Good. Here's What You Need To Know

Smoking VS Vaping - What's The Differance?

Compared to conventional cigarettes, vaping is 95% safer than smoking(3) - the reasons for this come down to the ingredients used and the way in which each works. As cigarettes are burning, they release more particulates and make toxins more easy for your body to absorb(9). The number of toxins in cigarettes is in the thousands, whereas vape liquid has only four ingredients and second hand vapour carries no risk to anyone else who breathes it(10).

Is It Really Possible To Quit, Like, Really?

Yes, it really is. In the UK, 30 - 40% of smokers make an attempt to quit in any given year(11). Of those people, 30% will succeed with the use of an e-cig(11). When you find an e cig that suits your lifestyle and needs, making the switch is a lot easier than you might think.

There is a vape to suit you - even if you’ve tried someone else’s and didn’t like it, with so many models, juices and strengths to try you absolutely can find the right one.

From cig-a-likes to pod kits, vape pens to box mods, nicotine free all the way up to 24mg e liquid and hundreds of flavours to choose from, vaping is incredibly customisable to every user. The key is knowing your smoking habits, then choosing the correct device, juice and nicotine strength to suit you.

What's The Difference Between Vapes?

• Cig-a-likes are discrete, lightweight and mimic the design and style of smoking very closely. They’re a disposable kind of e cig and carry a limited amount of vape juice with a limited battery life. They’re a starting point for your vaping journey but do cost more over time.

• Pod kits are also lightweight enough to fit in your pocket and have a similar feel in the hand and vaping these replicates the feeling of smoking. They’re fuelled with pre-filled pods which are sometimes refillable making them a little more cost effective than cig-a-likes.

• Single Use Disposable vapes are another fantastic choice for new vapers. Consisting of a non-rechargeable battery, disposables are pre-filled with e-liquid and once the battery is depleted these are disposed of.

• Vape pens are one of the most popular choices for new vapers. Their battery life is decent, ranging from a few hours up to a day. They’re simple to use and you can refill them meaning you don’t need to spend money on pod refills.

• Vape kits are the big boys of the vape world, typically used by more experienced vapers. They have significantly more battery capacity, are larger and can be customised more with different tanks. Like vape pens, they’re also refillable.

If you need some advice, pop into your local Vape Superstore or check out our Beginners Guide to Vape Kits.

What's The Process?

It does take some getting used to. The way you vape is a little different from how you smoke. How so?

There’s two main methods to vaping - MTL and DTL. MTL or, mouth-to-lung, is mimicking the technique used by smokers in that you first draw vapour into your mouth, then into your lungs. There are certain vapes that are designed especially for this. DTL or rather, direct-to-lung, is usually the method used by more experienced vapers who want a deep lung hit. You inhale deeply and get more of the flavour on the exhale.

The absorption rate of nicotine also varies from smoking to vaping - due to cigarettes being a combustion form of smoking and vaping is an aerosol (water vapour) nicotine will take a little longer to absorb into your system. If you try it out and find you’re still craving that hit, give it a few minutes and see how you feel. If you find it an ongoing issue you might want to look at moving to a slightly higher level juice.

So What About E-Liquid?

Getting the right amount of nicotine in your e liquid is an important thing to consider when you’re making the switch. Too low and you won’t get enough satisfaction out of it and may head back to cigarettes, too high and you could get that nicotine headache or dizziness. As a guide, if you’re a heavy smoker (over a pack a day) we’d say to start on a high nicotine level, around 18-24mg. If you’re more of a pack a day kind of person, go for a 12mg. For those of you who are light smokers, smoking only a few a day try out the 6mg strength. For anyone who’s a social smoker, start out on 3mg and see how you feel.

Once you’re used to the feel of vaping and have settled on a strength that works, over time you can gradually reduce the mg level. If you cut out nicotine altogether but still enjoy vaping you can still get your favourite juices - just find it in a 0mg instead.

Get a more in depth look into what goes into vape juice in our Beginners Guide to E-Liquid.

How Long Before I Start To See The Results?

After you stub out that last cigarette, it doesn’t take long to start noticing the difference.

• After 20 minutes, your blood pressure and pulse rate will be back to the normal rate of a non-smoker.(4)

• After 24 hours, the carbon monoxide from your cigarettes will be gone from your body. Your lungs will start to clear out unwanted mucus and smoking debris.(4)

• After 48 hours, food will start to taste better and your sense of smell will improve too.(4)

• After 72 hours, your breathing will become easier and your energy levels will increase.(4)

• After 2-12 weeks, your circulation will improve, making your skin look better.(4)

• After 3-9 months, smoker’s coughs and breathing problems should improve as your lung function increases by up to 10%.(4)

• After 5 years, your risk of a heart attack will fall to about half that of a smoker.(4)

• After 10 years, your risk of lung cancer will fall to half that of a smoker… and your risk of a heart attack should be the same as someone who has never smoked.(4)

Things To Remember:

It’s OK to slip up.

Stopping smoking is a process, you might try a vape and never look back. Or, you might still need the odd cigarette for a while. Do what feels right, as a gradual change is better than a total relapse.

Too much of a good thing - you can overdo it.

Like we said earlier, if your nicotine strength is too high you might get some side effects from too much nicotine. Because of the portable nature of e cigarettes and how easy they are to use anywhere (cloud filled living room, anyone?), sometimes it’s easy to end up vaping more than you smoked for a while. If you do notice this, let the feeling pass and when you next purchase vape juice, go for a lower dose.

Sources:
1. Smoking Facts and Evidence - Cancer Research UK
2. Statistics on Smoking, England - gov.uk
3. E-cigarettes around 95% less harmful than smoking - gov.uk
4. What happens when you quit - nhs.uk
5. Tobacco - who.int
6. What is passive smoking - Cancer Research UK
7. ASH Briefing on E-Cigarettes - ASH
8. 2.9 Million People Now Vape - ASH
9. 7000 Harmful Chemicals in Cigarette Smoke - cancer.gov
10. How safe is e-cig vapour? - nhs.uk
11. One person quits smoking every 80 seconds in England - gov.uk

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