Four doctor-approved ways to quit smoking as cigarette costs could soar to 16

Publish date: 2024-07-25

Holy smokes – cigarette prices could be set to reach £16 a packet.

Apparently, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is considering a hiking tobacco duty on March 6. This could be announced at next week's budget, which will be miserable for smokers.

While vapes may remain cheaper, disposable ones have been banned. And next week's Budget could see new fees on imported e-cigarettes.

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So for the sake of our bank balances, and physical health, it may be worth considering quitting altogether. Don't know where to start?

Daily Star has rounded up some advice from medical professionals to help you on your way – and here's everything you need to know...

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How to quit smoking

Don't go cold turkey and get help

Studies reveal only 4% of those quitting "cold turkey" can keep away from cigarettes after a year. The sad truth is about 90% who try to stop, end up lighting up again, despite their best efforts at quitting.

Previously, Dr Sarah Jarvis, a GP and media medic, exclusively shared her top tips for staying smoke-free for good. And apparently, you shouldn't aim for an all or nothing approach.

She said: "The least effective way is to go 'cold turkey', with no support from a healthcare professional."

Try nicotine replacement therapy

Instead, she suggests seeking help from smoking cessation advisors and using nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) to boost your chances of quitting. This can really help to keep those nicotine cravings away.

You can find NRT products such as patches, gums or lozenges from brands such as NiQuitin, Nicorette and Nicotinell. These can help reduce the urge to smoke cigarettes. A review of 150 gadgets shows that people are 50-70% more likely to stop smoking with some help.

Dr Jarvis explained: "Cutting out nicotine can cause headaches and other physical withdrawal symptoms, but there's also the psychological addiction. The evidence is that your chances of quitting successfully are much better if you tackle one addiction at a time.

"Getting support from a smoking cessation advisor or using smoking cessation aids such as nicotine replacement products are both more effective than trying to quit on your own. But combining the two is more effective still in terms of the likelihood of you quitting successfully in the long term.

"NRT products allow you to concentrate on overcoming the habit of smoking in certain situations first. This increases the chances of success in the long run."

Ask the NHS for help

No man or woman is an island – so reach out to your doctor for help if needed. There are often group support groups and smoking advisers available to help on the NHS.

Dr Jarvis added: "As well as NRT, I would also advise people to visit the NHS Smokefree website, or speak to their friends and family to get the support and reassurance they will need. The NHS offers support through a variety of methods, including an app and via email. They also run local groups across the country, which offer face-to-face advice and encouragement to help people stop smoking for good."

Visit the NHS website for more information.

It's all in the mind

Dr Jarvis also suggests remembering why you wanted to quit in the first place. Writing down your reasons can make them stick and might help you win the battle.

As well as this, she recommends making other healthy lifestyle changes. This includes drinking more water, finding new ways to chill out, exercising more and thinking about the money you'll save by not smoking.

A study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that people who were paid to stop smoking had impressive results. You could try saving the money you're not spending on cigarettes to treat yourself at the end of each month – with fags possibly going up to £16, it'll be a lot!

Vape warnings

Is vaping any better than smoking?

Tobacco is known to contain thousands of chemicals, and the NHS revealed that around 76,000 people in the UK die each year due to smoking-related illnesses.

Smoking is extremely addictive due to a substance known as nicotine, which releases a chemical in the brain called dopamine. So many vapers believe they are healthier as there's no tobacco.

Instead, vapes are made up of vegetable glycerin, flavourings and vitamin E to act as a thickening agent. But vapes do still contain nicotine.

As a result of this, Pulmonologist Dr Humberto Choi warns that vapes will not stop a nicotine addiction if people switch from cigarettes.

“Vaping addiction is treated the same as a nicotine addiction in people who smoke cigarettes because, at the heart of it, that’s what it is,” he said. “When you vape nicotine products, you’re being exposed to nicotine throughout the day.

“We know that nicotine is a highly addictive chemical. For most people, it’s not easy to quit.”

Health impacts of vaping

Known dangers increased by vaping include:

“The number one concern is nicotine addiction,” Dr Choi added. The content of one e-liquid cartridge can be the same as a full pack of cigarettes.

“And because vaping doesn’t require you to light something up and step outside, people can use it continuously throughout the day. You can easily go through a full cartridge in a very short time and be exposed to a very high concentration of nicotine.”

In other news, a recent British public health campaign warned that vaping can damage male fertility, alongside other lifestyle factors such as smoking, steroids, and drinking.

How to quit vaping

Although vaping may seem like an obvious method to help quit smoking, it can often just lead to swapping one nicotine addiction for another.

The NHS offers tips for those wanting to quit both vapes and cigarettes, which include:

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