Menthol cigarettes have been banned since May 20. Has the anti-smoking law made you reconsider your habit? Are you hoping to give it up for good?
The EU-led Tobacco Product Directive (TPD) ban on menthol cigarettes came into effect to dissuade youngsters from picking up the unhealthy habit.
But what about those who have been smoking for decades – especially the ones who enjoyed puffing away on mint-flavoured sticks?
Vapemate conducted national research involving 2,000 respondents.
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It found that 4.8 million Brits attempted to give up smoking at the beginning of this year.
But more than 40 percent of those surveyed said quitting smoking was the hardest resolution to keep.
The CEO of Vapemate, Simon Manthorpe, said: “The ban on menthol and roll-ups [has] a huge affect on smokers.
“Nonetheless, this presents a great opportunity for smokers who want to kick the habit.”
Public Health England (PHE) have reported that “e-cigarettes are significantly less harmful to health than tobacco”.
To be exact, PHE has estimated that vaping is “around 95 percent less harmful than smoking”.
Mr Manthorpe insisted: “Vaping is a viable solution for successfully quitting.”
Vapemate’s research also found that “54 percent of Brits think health warnings and plain packaging initiatives on tobacco products aren’t enough of a disincentive”.
The Director of Health and wellbeing at Public Health England, Professor Kevin Fenton, had comments to say on the matter.
He said: “Smoking remains England’s number one killer and the best thing a smoker can do is to quit completely, now and forever.
“E-cigarettes are not completely risk free but when compared to smoking, evidence shows they carry just a fraction of the harm.
“The problem is people increasingly think they are at least as harmful and this may be keeping millions of smokers from quitting.”
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But what about those who don’t want to swap cigarettes for e-cigarettes?
For people wanting to quit, the NHS offers self-help tips on how to achieve that goal.
Don’t worry if you’ve tried (and failed multiple times), it’s important to remain positive – you can do this.
Live by the motto: “I won’t even have a single drag.” This is paramount for when cravings wash over you (and they will).
Disrupt your routines associated with lighting up. Used to smoke after meals? Swap it for doing the dishes, or another activity.
Crave one after a cuppa? Change your beverage of choice to an orange juice, for example.
Cravings can last for five minutes, so make a list of five-minute strategies to distract yourself when they arise.
Support is available at your local stop smoking service – so make use of that.
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