Vapers given health warning about going cold turkey in New Year

Whether you’re a social smoker or heavy smoker, you’ll know how hard it is to quit.

From patches to sprays, gums and whatever else, there’s always something being advertised to help you to quit the nicotine hit.

But at some point, most people grow tired of these products and slow quitting and jump the gun, especially at New Year’s.

However, be wary of adding ‘going cold turkey’ on your Resolutions as it could backfire.

As vaping has quickly become a popular trend among younger people, it’s easy to see how it can be hard to quit.

You’ve got so many choices to pick from, with sweet flavours and the option to dispose after a day, falling into the trap of buying more is too tempting.

But it’s also incredibly easy to become addicted to vaping, which can lead to multiple health risks that we have all seen publicised online as even children have been falling ill from the trend.

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So, how do you safely quit?

KMVT investigated how to quit vaping through their partnership with Cody Orchard, a Health Education Specialist from South Central Public Health District.

Orchard claims that quitting cold turkey isn’t effective, and around five percent of people will succeed when attempting to quit this way.

Instead, you should try holding something in your hand that feels similar to a vape pen, like a toothbrush.

A toothpick is also recommended, but it’s just to replace the feeling in your hand to trick your brain into thinking you’re continuing your habit without actually committing to vaping.

But if it’s the taste that you’re craving then something sweet like a lollipop or lozenges could help you to get that same flavour intermittently.

Orchard advises: “The only thing with vaping is that it’s really hard to determine how much they’re actually using compared to like cigarette and even chewing tobacco.

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“So the amount of nicotine they may require could be a lot more than what a patch can provide.”

Counselling is also an option that could help you quit, or you could use the NHS stop smoking service which provides you with a mentor to help you as well as nicotine supplements which will slowly wean you away from the vape pen.

Once you are able to quit, you’ll benefit from feeling so much better.

You could see an improvement in your skin, appetite, breathing and so on once you quit vaping and you’ll also have more money in your pocket to spend on a tasty takeaway as a ‘well done’ for keeping away from the sweet smoke.

But whatever you do, if you actually want to quit in the New Year, try to avoid going cold turkey as you’re likely to start smoking again.

Topics: NHS, Vaping, Health, News

Britt Jones