More socially acceptable than smoking but just as addictive, vaping has become the standard way of consuming nicotine in the UK.
Figures published Office for National Statistics Last month showed that the number of people over 16 in the UK who use vapes or e-cigarettes exceeded those who smoke cigarettes for the first time, with 5.4 million adults now vaping daily or occasionally, compared with 4.9 million who smoke.
But along with this shift is a growing sense of unease. Many people who vape say they want to quit smoking, or at least cut down on smoking, and find that it's more difficult than they expected. Some are even thinking about returning to smoking cigarettes, which, despite all their dangers, are more difficult to mindlessly puff on at the table or hide from others.
Confusion about risks can exacerbate the problem. Some public health experts are concerned that the risks of vaping may have been exaggerated, and that it could inadvertently encourage a new generation of smokers. Data published in September by the charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) showed that 63% young people Vaping is now believed to be as harmful as smoking or even more harmful, despite decades of evidence that cigarettes remain far more dangerous.
So if you want to quit vaping—or just do it less—what does the evidence say about what actually works?
At first glance, vaping and smoking may seem similar: both deliver nicotine, both involve inhalation, and both can become deeply addictive. But public health experts are clear that they fall into very different risk categories.
“We can be absolutely confident that vaping is much less harmful than smoking,” said Martin Dockrel, the recently retired head of tobacco data at the UK Office of Tobacco Research. Health Improvement and differences. “They are really disparate and people who say they are either misinformed or perhaps deliberately trying to give a false impression.”
The reason lies in the fire. Smoking kills due to smoke components, including tar, carbon monoxide and hundreds of toxic combustion products. Vaping avoids fires, and while it involves inhaling a different set of chemicals, there are fewer of them and evidence suggests they are safer.
A number of high-profile health scares have also added to the confusion. The hypothetical risk of “popcorn lung” has never been demonstrated in vapers, and investigations into the US outbreak of vaping-related lung injuries have linked most cases to illicit cannabis vapes rather than legal nicotine e-cigarettes.
However, less harmful does not mean harmless. Vaping the lungs are still exposed to heated chemicals, and the long-term effects—especially over decades—are not yet fully known.
Vaping also creates a behavioral challenge that has largely disappeared with indoor smoking bans: ease of use. “Anecdotally, I hear a lot of people say they find it harder to quit vaping, or they assume it's harder, but the evidence doesn't support that yet,” said Jamie Hartmann-Boyce, an assistant professor of health policy at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and co-author of the recent study. Cochrane review about measures aimed at helping people quit vaping.
From a psychological perspective, vaping and smoking are “ultimately what people have learned to do over time to avoid uncomfortable internal states,” said Dr. Jamie Heffner of the Fred Hutch Cancer Center in Seattle — whether it's a physical urge or anxiety, a thought such as “I can't get through this without vaping,” or an emotion such as anxiety, sadness or anger.
They also contain nicotine, which is highly addictive. Addiction has a physical component, caused by changes in the brain that cause cravings and withdrawal symptoms when nicotine levels drop, as well as a behavioral component, in which vaping becomes tied to routines, places and emotions. Because these processes reinforce each other, it is expected that approaches that address both issues—alleviating withdrawal through nicotine replacement (such as patches or gum) while helping people quit their habit—are expected to work best.
In a recent review, Hartmann-Boyce and colleagues found early evidence that text message-based support may help some people—especially teenagers and young adults—to quit smoking, compared with little or no support. There was also preliminary evidence that varenicline, a drug that helps people quit smoking, may increase quit rates among adults who vape.
Another approach being tested focuses less on suppressing cravings and more on learning to live with them. Heffner tried acceptance and commitment therapy, which teaches people to allow unpleasant thoughts and nicotine cravings to be present without affecting them. IN pilot studyParticipants using this approach made more attempts to quit smoking than participants in the control group. A larger trial is now being planned.
While the research on the best way to quit vaping is still relatively young, experts are also clear on what it is. No do.
“Smoking is ridiculously deadly: one in two people who smoke regularly will die from it,” Hartmann-Beuys said. “So you should only try to quit vaping if you are confident you can do so without smoking cigarettes.”
For young people the picture is different. Unlike adults, most of them do not smoke cigarettes to quit smoking; this is their first exposure to nicotine, so the argument that vaping reduces harm does not apply. Their lungs and brains are also still developing. “There is a growing consensus that vaping among young people is a bad idea: children should only be breathing air,” said Dr Rachel Isbah, a pediatrician who earlier this year ran the UK's first vaping cessation clinic for teenagers at Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool. “There is also growing evidence that some children and young people are starting to smoke as a result of vaping.”
Social factors may become more important during adolescence: peer pressure, device sharing, and vaping to combat anxiety all play a role. “You can’t just tell young people not to do it,” Isbah said. “First, you have to understand why they are vaping.”
Rather than insisting on abstinence from the start, her clinic supported young people to find their own reasons for cutting down or quitting. Although the pilot has now ended, the trust hopes to use what it learns to provide additional services in Cheshire and Merseyside while awaiting funding.
For those trying to change their relationship with vaping in 2026, the experts' message is equally pragmatic: quitting nicotine is rarely easy, failure is to be expected, and harm reduction should not be confused with failure – smoking should be avoided at all costs in the first place.
“Most people don’t quit smoking on the first try,” Hartmann-Boyce said. “This is fine”.
How to quit smoking: expert advice
Pay attention to your triggers
Pay attention to situations that make you more or less likely to vape, whether it's stress, certain friends, or your environment. Try to do more things that make smoking less likely, such as exercise. “If you vape to fidget, consider finding something else to fidget with,” said Dr. Rachel Isbah. “If you're a vaper who has a vape in one hand and a phone in the other, try putting your vape in another room while you're on the phone.”
Cut back gradually
While quitting abruptly works best with smoking, experts say that's not the case with vaping. “We are finding that gradually reducing smoking, pausing when there is a risk of returning to smoking, is a more successful approach,” said Louise Ross, former manager of Leicester's Stop Smoking Service and co-author of the study. brochure on how to quit smoking published by the National Center for Smoking Cessation and Education.
Set limits to stop using autopilot
Vaping fits easily into everyday life. Setting rules—for example, not smoking at the table or smoking only outdoors or in the evening—can help reduce these habits.
Consider low nicotine content products.
Reducing the nicotine concentration in your vape may ease withdrawal symptoms, but watch for compensatory behaviors such as taking deeper breaths or smoking more frequently. You can also try nicotine-free vaping along with patches, gum, or lozenges to help control cravings and make vaping less rewarding.
Change the taste
Switching to a less attractive flavor can make vaping less enjoyable. Or try replacing the flavor with sugarless gum.
Learn to overcome cravings
Instead of fighting urges, approaches like mindfulness encourage people to notice cravings without reacting to them until they pass.
Get professional support
“If you're not sure whether nicotine replacement will help, consider how long it will be after you first wake up before you reach for a vape,” Isbah said. Achieving this goal very quickly may signal a stronger addiction. “People who try to quit smoking with professional support and medication are two to three times more likely to succeed,” said Professor Jamie Heffner.
Don't do it alone
Friends can help too. “Consider going away with an 'accountability buddy' so you can support each other,” Isbah suggested.
