With a new year underway, many people will be committed to making healthy lifestyle changes - and this includes quitting vaping.
In recent years, vaping has sky rocketed in popularity, as many smokers have turned to the e-cigs to help them give up their tobacco addiction. According to charity Ash Scotland, e-cigarette use in the UK is at its highest, with 8.3 per cent of the population - or 4.8 million Brits - now vaping. Findings also show that more than half - or 57 per cent - of vapers are ex-smokers.
It comes as the Daily Record has launched a campaign calling for a ban on disposable vapes in Scotland after a litter epidemic of throwaway e-cigs has been sweeping the nation. Some 1.3million vapes are discarded by Brits every week.
But how easy is it to give up an addiction to vaping? While it offers similar effects to smoking, experts have explained why those looking to give up e-cigs should take a different approach to the cold turkey method associated with quitting cigarettes.
While experts say vaping is "substantially less harmful" than smoking, they are still packed with highly addictive nicotine. The devices also are a relatively new product, meaning their is still a lot to be learned about their long term effects.
According to LloydsPharmacy, vapers should quit the habit slowly by gradually cutting back.
“Unlike smoking where it is advised you ideally quit all at once or go 'cold turkey' as it’s known, the NHS promotes quitting vaping slowly - especially if you started vaping to help you quit smoking," he explained.
Instead, the doctor recommends reducing the amount of nicotine in an e-cigarette and then try to cut down how often you vape as you'll be less likely to relapse.
"It’s suggested you reduce your frequency of vaping over time and gradually reduce the strength of nicotine in your e-liquid,” he added.
They stressed that those trying to quit both cigarettes and vapes who are tempted to relapse should always pick e-cigs. They added: “Of course, the ideal option is not to smoke or vape. However, vaping is substantially less harmful than smoking.
"We know vaping exposes users to fewer toxins and at lower levels than smoking cigarettes. Importantly, vapes do not produce tar or carbon monoxide, two of the most harmful substances in tobacco smoke."
Quitting something as addictive as nicotine may seem like a daunting task, but it can be done if you stay focused. LloydsPharmacy advised: “When quitting vaping, my main advice would be to focus on your motivators.
"Perhaps you are quitting to save money, perhaps you’re concerned about the long-term health effects of vaping. Write them down and revisit them when you feel your willpower waning.
“You’ll also want to identify your triggers - many people vape when they’re stressed or because it’s part of their routine in social situations. When you know what triggers your vaping, you can make a plan for how to deal with those situations.
"You may have to make some small changes to your routines."
They also recommended looking to LloydsPharmacy stop smoking services, as they can offer coping tools to help you quit vaping. "With cigarette smoking, you are four times more likely to quit with help. In particular, combination therapy which includes using several stop smoking aids in combination is proven to be more effective for cigarette smokers.
"For example, you might find using nicotine patches and nicotine gum works for you.”
Those quitting vaping will likely feel similar withdrawals that many ex smokers experience, which include bad moods, cravings and headaches. The severity of these will depend on what level of nicotine is present in your e-liquid.
Luckily, LloydsPharmacy said that there are ways to work around these thought consuming feelings and you don't have to deal with them solo. “We’d recommend reaching out to someone who can help."
"As well as healthcare professionals, asking friends and family for support, and seeking the advice of others who’ve quit vaping may be beneficial.
“Physical exercise can relieve withdrawal symptoms. Similarly, keeping your mind busy through activities like crosswords and sudoku can help to distract you.
"You may also want to explore prescription stop smoking aids with your doctor. These can reduce cravings and dampen symptoms of withdrawal.”
“The reason vaping is often recommended as an aid for stopping smoking is because e-liquid contains nicotine - the highly addictive but not very harmful substance that makes smoking so hard to quit.
“Added to this, vaping can help smokers gradually let go of the routines and rituals associated with smoking. Plus, vaping replicates the same hand-to-mouth action and throat hit sensation as smoking cigarettes.
“Ideally though, if you want to quit smoking, you should aim to stop vaping too. Although less harmful than smoking cigarettes, vapes or e-cigarettes aren’t risk free."
However, to try to quit your nicotine habit, experts strongly advise against smoking both cigarettes and vapes, as this is likely to push you further into the throes of addiction.
Sheila Duffy, Chief Executive of health charity ASH Scotland, said: “Tobacco is lethal and kills at least half of its long-term, regular users so stopping smoking should always be the highest priority. If someone shifts from smoking to e-cigarettes as a way out of tobacco addiction, that is a win but there is no health benefit in using both as there is no safe level of smoking.
“E-cigarettes are health-harming products because, although they have lower levels of the toxins found in tobacco, there are a lot of unknowns. Most vaping products contain nicotine, which is highly addictive, and toxic e-liquids that have not been safety tested for inhalation and could damage people’s health.
“Various generations of e-cigarettes have been available in Scotland for around only 15 years, and globally for less than 20 years, so there is still a lot we do not yet know about the safety and effectiveness of these products and their impacts on long-term health."
Vapes come in various styles, with refillable devices ranging in sizes and prices, but there are also countless single use e-cigarette products on the market that users chuck in the bin, creating massive waste.
Five reasons why disposable vapes should be banned
They're a growing source of plastic pollution on our streets, beaches and in our parks, with two thrown away every second in the UK.
They contain precious lithium batteries - vital in the climate battle - which are also being thrown away, with campaigners saying the lithium wasted each year could power 1200 electric cars.
With the items often ending up in general landfill, there are growing reports of the batteries causing dangerous fires when crushed in with other waste.
When littered, the products which contain plastics, small electronics, nicotine and lithium can harm animals and are hazardous to wildlife and the environment on land and sea.
They've exploded in popularity among Scots, particularly youngsters, while there are still lots of public health unknowns on the risks of vaping.
Read more about the Daily Record's campaign to ban disposable vapes here.
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