​The Impact on Vaping So Far

We know that vaping has been responsible for helping many individuals quit smoking but how has it and how many? We look at the bigger picture in order to help you make the right decision about whether it is worth switching over from smoking to vaping in terms of health, enjoyment and affordability.

The easiest way to quantify the impact that vaping has had on the decline in number is to use government figures. In six years over 1.6m smokers have turned to vaping in order to successfully quit their harmful tobacco smoking habit. This means that while 20% of adults in England smoked tobacco in 2011, this number had dropped in 2017 to 15%. This is a significantly drop in a relatively short space of time. In comparison just under 4 percent of adults surveyed in 2014 stated that they vaped with an e cigarette while in 2017 this number had risen to 5.5% of adults surveyed. This means that as many as 2.8 million adults were vaping in 2017. It is reasonable to expect that this number has risen since that time.

Health Benefits

The dangers of smoking are well researched and documented. Passive smoking too has been found to be equally damaging to non-smoking individuals breathing in other people’s smoke which is partly the reason behind the Go Smoke Free ban of 2007. The ban effectively eliminated smoking in public places including cafes, pubs, stadiums and more, as well as on public transport and in the workplace.

WHO (the World Health Organisation) have publicly classified many of the ingredients in tobacco cigarettes as being toxic and potentially cancer causing. This alone is enough to make smoking a bad idea.

Vaping on the flip-side has been responsible for helping many people leave smoking behind when previously they’ve found quitting difficult. Public Health England, the government body who put together and executed the Go Smoke Free ban and additionally a number of incredibly successful public campaigns including Stoptober, are keen advocates for vaping as an alternative to smoking. Indeed, in their own review PHE (Public Health England) announced recently that they are clear on the fact that vaping is at least 95% less damaging to health than smoking. The additional 5%? Vaping needs to have been around a little longer in order for researchers and scientists to assess longer term effects than they already have in order to tick that box.

How Does Vaping Help?

We’ve looked at how many people are estimated to be benefiting from vaping and how their health is likely to be better off than if smoking tobacco cigarettes (according to PHE, 95% better off). Now we look at why vaping is so preferred by health professionals and why it’s helping people.

Smoking is highly addictive.Not just nicotine but smoking as a whole. The social aspect, having something to do with your hands, the inhaling and exhaling and more. All of this wrapped up in an enjoyable habit makes quitting smoking hard and the motivation to do so is often lacking. When switching to vaping you may still enjoy all of these aspects and much more besides, without the toxic and otherwise harmful aspects. You can still enjoy a tobacco flavoured vape if you miss the taste or choose from any of the massive number of e liquids available. Something many people don’t realise is that with vaping, you may also choose your nicotine strength. It is entirely possible to reduce your nicotine level when vaping over time until you are vaping nicotine free e liquids if your prefer. It’s clear to see why NHS trusts, health charities and government groups are so keen on encouraging smokers to switch over to vaping.

In Short

Vaping offers so many benefits that smoking just doesn’t, from health benefits to variety to affordability (vaping works out considerable cheaper over a longer term period). The numbers speak for themselves; as vaping numbers rise, smoking numbers are going down. If you’re still smoking it might be time to consider a change. If you have any questions about starter kits or anything else, don’t hesitate to get in touch.