Why Vaping Remains An Important Way To Stop Smoking

A New Year is a time for resolutions and while some people might have already broken theirs, others will be keen to press on and achieve some big goals.

While the most popular resolution of all is to lose weight and get fitter through means such as diet and exercise, stopping smoking is still a common one, even though far fewer people in the UK smoke to start with than was the case even a few years ago.

Resolving to stop smoking is one thing. But, just like those who want to lose weight by giving up certain foods, the cravings can make it very difficult. Indeed, given how addictive nicotine is, the task of giving up can be much harder for smokers. If you are among those who have made past attempts to do so and not managed it, you will know how tough it is.

Your past attempts to quit might have included using willpower alone, a bet with friends or some other incentive, or aids such as nicotine patches. If none of these have worked, you will no doubt be looking for an alternative that can help you reach your goal this time.

Make The Great Escape With A Vape

This is where using vape kits could be a game-changer. Using vaping as a means of smoking cessation has been controversial, but it remains the case that this approach is endorsed by the NHS. It states categorically that they are “far less harmful than cigarettes”.

It is important to remember this because at the start of a year when you may have made a resolution to quit smoking, some news about vaping might make you think twice about trying it. The most notable of these is the fact that one of the new laws the government has introduced that will take effect in 2025 is a ban on single use vapes.

There are a few things to note about this. Firstly, it is certainly not a ban on all vapes. The key concern is not about vaping per se, but the fact that single-use vapes are causing a major littering and waste problem. One only has to walk the streets for a few minutes and you are likely to see at least one lying around.

Not only does this add to general untidiness and plastic pollution, but it also means lots of lithium batteries going to waste at a time when this is such a sought-after commodity around the globe. Failure to recycle these also increases fire risk, with lithium batteries being notorious for their exceptional flammability. 

These vapes are “extremely wasteful and blight our towns and cities” said circular economy minister Mary Creagh. She added that getting rid of them will be “the first step on the road to a circular economy, where we use resources for longer, reduce waste, accelerate the path to net-zero and create thousands of jobs across the country."

Learn To Use Vape Kits By June

Secondly, the ban on single use vapes will not come into effect until June 1st, with the main reason for this being to enable retailers to prepare for the change and clear out their stock. This means that if you want to use vaping as a smoking cessation tool, you can use single use vapes until then.

However, because this will only be a temporary possibility, it makes sense to learn how to use vape kits in the meantime. Then, even if you find it more convenient to use single use vapes at first, you will be able to move quickly and easily to using kits once June comes around.

Despite the change, the NHS position on backing vapes remains in place, ensuring that there will still be backing for those who want to use vaping as a means of smoking cessation.

New Zealand Backs Vapes To Stop Smoking

This is not just the view of our own health service. In New Zealand, the government is also using vaping kits as a means of helping smokers quit, a policy supported by anti-smoking campaigner Ben Youdan.

Mr Youdan, who is the director of Action for Smokefree 2025, told broadcaster RNZ: "There's absolutely no doubt that vaping is substantially less harmful than smoking cigarettes.”

The New Zealand case is an interesting one because the country pioneered the policy of raising the minimum smoking age by one year every year, legislation that was axed following a change of government in Wellington, but emulated - with cross-party support - in the UK.

None of the advocates of such measures claim that vaping is harm-free, but as it is nowhere near as bad for health as smoking, it could offer the best way for those who have struggled to quit in the past to do so successfully in 2025.