Vaping: Case Study

"Could a vape help me stop smoking?" Zak, aged 19, Leicester, U.K

Zak has smoked since he was 14. He started because his older brother smoked and let him join in with his mates. He started with just the occasional one or two and gradually increased, until he was smoking a pack of 20 every day. Last year Zak’s smoking habit cost him £5,000!

Apart from not having any money, Zak found he couldn’t keep up at football and dropped out of a team he used to play with on Sunday mornings. He wants to make a change. He’s not ready to stop completely yet, but is considering buying a vape to help him give up smoking real cigarettes.

What do the experts say?

• If Zak switched to vaping he would not be inhaling all the harmful chemicals included in tobacco, which causes at least 15 types of cancer. This will reduce the risk of damaging his lungs and getting diseases such as heart disease and cancer. It will also help his lungs to recover so that he doesn’t get out of breath so easily
• Zak will still be addicted to nicotine if he uses a vape, but that is relatively harmless compared to all the other toxic chemicals in real cigarettes. It’s also easier to reduce nicotine content in a vape, so he will be able to wean off the nicotine addiction.
• Using a vape to replace his smoking would cost Zak about a third as much as he was spending on cigarettes, saving him thousands of pounds a year!
• Getting help from his free Stop Smoking Service could help Zak to make the switch from cigarettes to vapes. Then, when he’s ready and feels sure he won’t go back to smoking, he can gradually stop vaping too.
• The Stop Smoking Service can provide a wide range of stop smoking medications to help people stop smoking, but most don’t supply vapes. They can advise people how to choose a good quality vape to buy and help them get off of tobacco for good.

Find your local stop smoking service here.

How to get help

If you have any more questions on this area or would like to speak to somebody about this topic, have a look at the links or search for your local services in the blue box below. Alternatively you can always contact your school nurse.

• w: NHS Smoke Free
  
• w: ASH