With a new year underway, many people will have undertaken new years resolutions, with many vowing to ditch e-cigarettes for good.
However, the second Friday in January is also known as “Quitter’s Day”. This event is known as the turning point when most people give up their New Year’s Resolutions and go back to the bad habits that they’d promised to change.
But for those of us who are strongly committed to healthy lifestyle changes in 2025, including giving up vaping, there are some important facts to consider.
The past few years has seen a colossal increase in the popularity of vaping, as many smokers have switched out their ciggies for electronic vapes in a bid to quit tobacco.
According to data from charity Ash Scotland in 2023, e-cigarette use in the UK is at its highest, with 8.3 per cent of the population (4.8 million Brits) having turned to vapes. Research also showed that more than half (57 per cent) of vapers are ex-smokers.
Some 1.3 million e-cigarettes are discarded by Brits every week. Following a tidal wave of littered disposable vapes that began sweeping the country in 2023. The Daily Record launched a successful campaign calling for a ban on disposable vapes in Scotland, which will come into force this June.
And it’s not easy to give up this addiction. While using e-cigarettes offers similar effects to smoking, experts have explained why those looking to quit should take a different approach to the cold turkey method associated with quitting cigarettes.
Vapes are packed with a high content of addictive nicotine, even though experts say vaping is “substantially less harmful” than smoking. Seeing as vapes are relatively new on the market, there is much to be discovered about the long term effects of using them.
According to pharmacists at LloydsPharmacy, vapers should quit the habit slowly by gradually cutting back, rather than trying to give up cold turkey.
“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,” they explained.
It is recommended that quitters reduce the amount of nicotine in their e-cigarette or vape and then try to cut down on how often they use it. This will make the user 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,” they said.
If tempted to relapse into vaping or smoking, it’s advised to always reach for the e-cig first. 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.”
Kicking the habit in 2025 may feel impossible, but it’s important to stay focused on your goal. 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.”
LloydsPharmacy’s stop smoking services offer coping tools to help you quit vaping and tobacco smoking. “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.”
Depending on the strength of nicotine in your vape, the withdrawal symptoms can feel similar to giving up smoking. These include bad moods, cravings and headaches.
Luckily, LloydsPharmacy explains that there are ways to work around these withdrawals and you don’t have to deal with them alone. “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.”
When trying to quit nicotine, experts warn of the dangers prompted by a combined habit of smoking and vaping, which can lead to a worse addiction to the substance.
Sheila Duffy, Chief Executive of health charity ASH Scotland, said last year: “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 throw away, creating massive waste.
Five reasons why disposable vapes should be banned
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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 successful campaign to ban disposable vapes here.
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