Stopping Smoking – Health and Wellbeing Portal

Who is Smoking?

Current figures suggest that approximately 11.9% of the adult (16 and over) UK population smokes – this translates to about 1 in 8 people. Within the four countries that make up the UK, England has the lowest proportion of smokers at 11.6%, followed by Wales at 12.6%, Northern Ireland at 13.3% and Scotland has the highest proportion at 13.5%. These figures have been consistently declining since 1974, when the government first started surveying how many smokers there were in the UK.

Recent figures also suggest that the way people smoke is changing. Where once cigarettes dominated the market, people are increasingly turning to hand-rolled cigarettes. This appears to be primarily cost-based, with those on lower incomes making up the majority of smokers and the cost of cigarettes rising.

Why Smoking is Bad

We all know that smoking is the primary cause of preventable illnesses and premature death, responsible for approximately 74,600 deaths in England per annum, having an effect on nearly every organ of the body.

Smoking causes a wide range of cancers, with lung, mouth and throat cancers being chief amongst them, as well as respiratory disease and heart disease. More recent research has also established a strong correlation between smoking and developing dementia in later life, probably as a result of raising smokers’ blood pressure. Studies have established that there is no safe level of exposure to tobacco smoke.

Many smokers believe that filters reduce the harm done by smoking; however, recent research published in Addiction, the journal for the Society of the Study of Addiction, has shown that they may actually cause more harm and do nothing to reduce toxicant exposure. The reason for this is that, with the filter, smokers have to draw harder to achieve a nicotine hit, thereby shedding cellulose acetate fibres and microplastics, which are then inhaled into the lungs. There are calls for cigarette filters to be banned in the forthcoming tobacco and vapes bill in the interests of both public health and the environment.

The environmental concerns of smoking are also very real – beyond the air pollution and littering caused by the act of smoking and discarding cigarette butts, growing tobacco can have a devastating effect on the ecosystem, requiring huge amounts of fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides, as well as large areas of forest being cleared to provide growing space.

The Benefits of Quitting

The primary reason is: your health. Recent research by UCL and commissioned by the Department for Health and Social Care suggests that, on average, smokers who quit will extend their lifespan by one day for every week they don’t smoke. The research suggests that, on average, each cigarette shortens a smoker’s lifespan by approximately 20 minutes. This means that, over the course of a year, a reformed smoker may extend their life by up to fifty days.

Research carried out at the end of 2024 suggested that 53% of smokers planned to quit smoking in 2025 as a new year’s resolution.

The benefits of quitting will be felt almost immediately – within 72 hours, your breathing will feel easier, within 12 weeks, your circulation will improve and, within a year, your risk of heart attack will have halved.

Even quitting smoking in middle age will have benefits. UCL research shows that giving up in middle age can reduce smokers’ cognitive decline such that, within 10 years of quitting, the risk of developing dementia is the same as that of someone who has never smoked.

What About Vaping?

Vapes and e-cigarettes have been marketed as a healthier way for smokers to indulge as they do not produce tar or carbon monoxide, two of the most damaging elements in tobacco smoke. However, they do contain nicotine and, with a growing number of young people who have never smoked taking up vaping, the WHO is concerned that this is leading to a new generation of nicotine addicts who would never have smoked thanks to better education and awareness of the dangers.

The long-term health impacts of vaping are not yet known in full, but the phrase “popcorn lung” has become associated with the practice. However, the evidence linking popcorn lung (or bronchiolitis obliterans) with vaping is low – the condition tends to be caused by the flavouring chemical diacetyl, which has been banned in vaping liquids in the UK since 2016.

How to Quit

Evidence shows that seeking support in stopping smoking is three times more likely to be effective than attempting to quit unassisted.

The NHS offers a number of services that can support those who want to quit, such as the NHS Quit Smoking app, or even offering varenicline, a pill that can simulate the effects of nicotine on the brain by releasing dopamine. Other forms of nicotine replacement therapy include patches, lozenges, nasal sprays and inhalers.

Vaping can also be an effective tool to stopping smoking.

What Should I Do Now?

If you’ve decided that now is the time for you to stop smoking and start living a healthier lifestyle, we recommend accessing your local free Stop Smoking service using one of the following links: