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Mental Health & Wellbeing

Vaping and Smoking

It might seem like everyone vapes or smokes, and this may make you feel like you want to but both are highly addictive and can cause serious health problems. Find out more about the risks of vaping and smoking and how to quit.

 

There can be lots of pressure from friends and people around you to vape or smoke. It might seem like everyone does it, and this may make you feel like you want to try it but both smoking and vaping can have a negative long-term impact on your health, particularly if you are under 20. Both vapes and cigarettes also contain nicotine which makes them addictive, meaning it can be really hard to stop.

Addiction
Addiction is when someone does not have control over taking something, even though it is harming them or they want to stop. Addiction can be chemical or behavioural, and is often a mixture of both.   
Read more about addiction here

Vaping 

What is it?

E-cigarettes/vapes are devices that heat a liquid into an aerosol that the person then inhales. The liquid usually has nicotine and flavouring in it, and other additives. E-cigarettes are considered tobacco products because most of them contain nicotine, which comes from tobacco. 

What are the health risks?

Vapes are significantly less harmful than tobacco because they do not produce tar or carbon monoxide, so switching from smoking to vaping can offer substantial health benefits. Read more about using e-cigarettes to quit smoking

E-cigarettes and vapes can be useful if you are trying to quit smoking but they are not advisable if you are not already a smoker. This is because they are known to have some risks and are considered unsafe for young people under 20.

This is because: 

  • Most e-cigarettes contain nicotine. Nicotine is highly addictive and can harm adolescent brain development, which continues into the early to mid-20s. Nicotine can also worsen anxiety symptoms.
  • E-cigarettes can contain other harmful substances besides nicotine, such as diacetyl which is a chemical linked to serious lung disease. 
  • Young people who use e-cigarettes may be more likely to smoke cigarettes in the future. 

This is just the harmful effects that we currently know as there isn’t much known about the long-term effect of vaping.

Smoking 

What is it?

Smoking is when someone burns tobacco, usually in the form of a cigarette, and breathes in the smoke. 

What are the health risks?

It’s easy to tell yourself that it doesn’t matter when you’re young and that you’ll quit soon, but there are many health risks that can begin to affect you from when you start smoking: 

  • Studies have shown that early signs of heart disease and stroke can be found in teenagers who smoke. 
  • Someone who starts smoking at 15 is three times more likely to die from cancer than someone who starts smoking in their mid-20s. 
  • Half of all adult smokers will die early of smoking related illness such as heart disease or lung cancer. 
  • Smoking can harm your fertility and increases the chances of complications during pregnancy and labour. Smokers’ babies are also more at risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)

Benefits of quitting smoking

Physical health

The sooner you quit, the sooner you’ll notice changes to your body and health. This is what happens when you stop smoking: 

After 20 minutes: Your pulse rate will already be starting to return to normal. 

After 8 hours: Your oxygen levels will be recovering, and the harmful carbon monoxide level in your blood will have reduced by half. 

After 48 hours: All carbon monoxide will have been flushed out. Your lungs will be clearing out mucus and your senses of taste and smell will be improving. 

After 72 hours: Your breathing will feel easier because your bronchial tubes will have started to relax. Also, your energy will be increasing. 

After 2 to 12 weeks: Blood will be pumping through to your heart and muscles much better because your circulation will have improved. 

After 3 to 9 months: Any coughs, wheezing or breathing problems will be improving as your lung function increases by up to 10%. 

After 1 year: Your risk of heart attack will have halved compared with a smoker’s. 

After 10 years: Your risk of death from lung cancer will have halved compared with a smoker’s. 

Mental health

Most smokers say they want to stop, but some continue because smoking seems to relieve stress and anxiety

It’s a common belief that smoking helps you relax. But smoking actually increases anxiety and tension. In fact, smokers are also more likely than non-smokers to develop depression over time. 

It can feel relaxing to smoke because smoking cigarettes interferes with certain chemicals in the brain. When smokers haven’t had a cigarette for a while, the craving for another one makes them feel irritable and anxious. These feelings can be temporarily relieved when they have a cigarette, meaning they associate the improved mood with smoking, when in fact it’s the effects of smoking itself that’s likely to have caused the anxiety in the first place. 

Cutting out smoking does improve mood and reduces anxiety. When people stop smoking, studies show: 

  • Anxiety, depression and stress levels are lower. 
  • Quality of life and positive mood improve. 
  • The dosage of some medicines used to treat mental health problems can be reduced. 
Money

Smoking is very expensive, so if you quit you’ll save yourself a fortune. If you smoke 10 a day, you’ll save around £112 a week, which is £1,340 in a year and £13,396 over 10 years!

Environment

Quitting smoking is good for the planet.  

Deforestation due to tobacco production accounts for nearly 5% of overall deforestation in the developing world. 

Did you know…?
Cigarettes make up one third of collected litter. Cigarette filters are made of plastic, which doesn’t break down for a very long time. When thrown away, cigarette filters often end up in waterways and oceans. They also release the nicotine, heavy metals, and many other chemicals they’ve absorbed into the surrounding environment. 

What does the law say?

It is illegal to buy a vape or cigarettes if you are under 18. It is also illegal for someone else to buy them for you.

All e-cigarette and e-liquids containing nicotine have to be certified by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) before they can be sold in the UK. Illegal vapes often contain harmful levels of nicotine, lead and nickel. More about illegal vapes

Get help

If you decide to try stopping smoking or vaping, here are some tips to help you.  

  • Find a friend to quit at the same time as you, so you can support each other through the process.  
  • Get ready for a few difficult days; most people find that the first few days after quitting are the hardest, however most of your withdrawal symptoms should subside after the first four weeks. 
  • Whatever your age, don’t be afraid to ask your GP for help stopping smoking. They won’t be shocked that you’re a smoker and will be there to help. 
  • See a stop smoking expert. It’s free and will increase your chances of quitting for good. You can talk about which stop smoking aids will work best for you, and they can provide additional support such as advice on managing cravings. They can also talk to you about the stop smoking medicines that are available on prescription. 

Remember, if you’re not as successful as you want to be, you’ll still have learnt something to help you next time. The more comfortable you are using the support available, the better prepared you’ll be for stopping completely next time. 

If you take antipsychotic medicines or antidepressants, it’s important you talk to your GP or psychiatrist before you stop smoking; the dosage of these medicines may need to be monitored and the amount you need to take could be reduced. 

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