Hospital Worker Praises Vape Switch After Joining Quit Scheme

Hospital Worker Praises Vape Switch After Joining Quit Scheme

A senior research nurse at York Hospital, Paul Brittain, 53, has shared his success story of quitting smoking by transitioning to vaping through the hospital’s Swap and Stop initiative. Brittain, who started smoking at 17, decided to quit when he became a grandfather at 50. After two years of vaping, he reports feeling significantly healthier, particularly in overcoming recurrent chest infections.

Brittain’s experience comes amid findings from Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), revealing that 11% of UK adults now vape, translating to 5.6 million people. The survey underscores the growing popularity of vaping as an alternative to smoking, with 53% of vapers being former smokers.

While vaping is recognized as less harmful than smoking, it still involves the inhalation of chemicals, including nicotine. However, Brittain feels more like a “non-smoker” and continues to reduce his nicotine intake gradually. He believes that the positive language and supportive environment of the program played a crucial role in his success, a stark contrast to the negative rhetoric that often accompanies smoking cessation efforts.

The Humber & North Yorkshire Health & Care Partnership’s Swap and Stop campaign encourages smokers to consider safer alternatives like vaping, patches, or gum. This initiative is part of a broader effort to reduce smoking-related illnesses and deaths in the UK, where smoking is responsible for 64,500 new cancer cases annually.

The UK government also recognizes the potential benefits of vaping as a smoking cessation tool, but it maintains that non-smokers, particularly children, should avoid vaping. The upcoming Tobacco and Vapes Bill aims to further protect public health by increasing the legal age for tobacco purchases, and gradually phasing out smoking in future generations.

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To read the original article, visit BBC News.