‘Suspicious’ smokers aren’t willing to try vaping because they wrongly think it’s as bad for them
Vaping isn't without its dangers but it's nowhere near as bad for you as smoking is
A QUARTER of smokers don’t want to try vaping, with many believing it’s just as unhealthy as cigarettes, a new study has found.
Scientists have found that many tobacco users are “suspicious” of e-cigs and have no intention of giving them a go – despite health experts urging them to do so.
That’s despite the fact that two-thirds of cigarette smokers have tried to unsuccessfully kick the habit at least once.
The average smoker has tried to quit four times, to no avail.
Stress, peer pressure and a lack of support are the three main reasons why they’ve not managed to stick to their resolution.
844 smokers and 1,156 ex-smokers were surveyed as part of the study commissioned by Yorkshire Cancer Research.
They found that the typical smoker had been puffing away for 22 years and burns through 12 cigs a day.
One in ten of the ex-smokers have managed to stop smoking thanks to vaping – saving a yearly average of £337.80.
Despite that success rate, 44 per cent of smokers believed that going cold turkey was the best way to quit.
The NHS has said that you’re four times more likely to ditch the ash if you have support from a stop smoking service.
Bizarrely, the number one reason smokers wanted to quit wasn’t to save their lungs, it was to save cash.
Is vaping really any better for you than smoking?
This isn’t the first survey to find that smokers don’t believe the hype around e-cigs.
Research by Public Health England, published back in December found that nearly half of smokers don’t know that vaping is less harmful than tobacco smoking.
Researcher Dr Lion Shahab, from University College London, said e-cigs were “relatively safe” compared to tobacco.
“False belief” is stopping smokers from quitting successfully
He said: “The false belief that vaping is as harmful as smoking could be preventing thousands of smokers from switching to e-cigarettes to help them quit.
“I hope this illustrative experiment helps people see the huge damage caused by smoking that could be avoided by switching to an e-cigarette.” Officials claim vaping is 95 per cent less harmful than cigarettes – with one person a minute is admitted to hospital due to smoking.”
Around one in six adults in the UK still use cigarettes – dramatically raising their risk of cancer, heart problems and dementia.
According to the NHS, around 2.9 million Brits currently use e-cigs and 1.5 million of them have completely stopped smoking tobacco.
E-cigs work by helping you to manage your nicotine cravings
The NHS says that you “won’t get the full benefit from vaping unless you stop smoking cigarettes completely”.
They aren’t totally risk-free, but they do carry a fraction of the risk regular cigarettes do because they don’t contain tar or carbon monoxide.
So far, there’s no evidence to suggest that e-cig vapour causes harm to people around you either – something that is definitely not the case with regular cigs.
Other motivators also included pressure from friends or family, becoming a parent or grandparents, and the death of a family member or close friend from smoking.
So why are smokers still smoking?
Nearly 40 per cent said it was because smoking helps them to feel relaxed, while 12 per cent said that having a ciggie break helped t break up the day.
75 per cent of everyone surveyed said that they regretted having ever started smoking.
Although vaping isn’t exactly good for you, it is believed to be a lot safer than regular smoking.
Chief executive of Yorkshire Cancer Research, Dr Kathryn Scott, said: “Vaping is a great tool to help people quit – and it’s 95 per cent less harmful than cigarettes.
“But everyone is different, so the best way to help you give up is to get support from a local stop smoking service.
“These services understand people smoke for a whole host of reasons and know it is really hard to stop.
“They can help smokers quit using a method which suits them, whether it be vaping, patches or something else.”
The charity, who commissioned OnePoll for the survey, found that over half believe fewer people now smoke because it’s no longer a socially acceptable hobby.
Dr Scott added: “There are a whole host of methods for quitting and as the results show, many of those polled think cold turkey is the best way to stop.
“However those who use this method might be suffering needlessly – support makes quitting for good so much easier and so much more likely.”
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