Vaping to quit smoking

Cigarettes release thousands of different chemicals when they burn. Many are poisonous and up to 70 cause cancer. They also cause other serious illnesses, including lung disease, heart disease and stroke.

Most of the harmful chemicals in tobacco smoke, including tar and carbon monoxide, are not contained in vape aerosol.

Watch the UK Health Security Agency’s video demonstration on the impact of smoking versus vaping.

There are a variety of vapes including:

• vape pens which come with a tank you fill with your choice of e-liquid, and a replaceable coil and rechargeable battery
• vape mods, these are customisable devices with variable power (these are more difficult to use and need more maintenance)
• vape bars which are shaped like a highlighter pen (these can be rechargeable and refillable with e-liquid capsules but are usually disposable). From 1 June 2025, it will be illegal for businesses to sell or supply, or have in their possession for sale or supply all single-use or ‘disposable’ vapes. This applies to sales in shops and online and to all vapes whether or not they contain nicotine
• compact pod devices shaped like a flash drive or pebble, which are either rechargeable and refillable with e-liquid capsules, or disposable

A vape bar, pod device or vape pen are good choices, as they are discreet, make small clouds and can give high amounts of nicotine. Starter kits come with a range of flavours.

It’s important to choose an e-liquid with enough nicotine to reduce withdrawal symptoms and urges to smoke. You need to start at a nicotine level that matches your cigarette use – how frequently and how much you smoke. A specialist vape shop or your local Stop Smoking Service can advise you.

Whichever vape you choose, make sure you use it daily to help you make the switch from cigarettes.

You can buy them from specialist vape shops, some pharmacies, supermarkets and other retailers, or from an online vape store.

Make sure you buy your vaping products from a reputable retailer so you can be confident they are covered by UK safety and quality regulations.

So far, no vaping products have been licensed as stop smoking medicines in the UK, so they are not available on prescription from the NHS or from a GP. However, your local Stop Smoking Service may offer a free vaping starter pack.

Common side effects of vaping include:

• coughing, dry mouth and throat
• mouth and throat irritation
• shortness of breath
• headaches

If you experience side effects from vaping, get advice from a stop smoking adviser or specialist vape retailer before you decide to stop using a vape as your quit smoking tool.

Making small changes to your vape products or how you vape should help. Side effects are usually easily managed and should not stop you from vaping as a way to stop smoking.

There is little research on the safety of vaping in pregnancy, but it’s likely to be less harmful for you and your baby than smoking.

Unlike cigarettes, vapes do not produce carbon monoxide, which is very harmful to a developing baby in the womb. If you’re pregnant and need support to quit smoking, licensed nicotine replacement therapy products like patches and gum are the recommended option.

But if you find vaping helpful to quit and to stay smoke-free, it is safer for you and your baby than continuing to smoke.

The most important thing is to not smoke when pregnant or around pregnant women.

Speak to a midwife or a stop smoking adviser for advice and support.

While secondhand smoke from cigarettes causes serious harm to others, there is no
evidence so far that vaping is harmful to people around you and any risks are likely
to be low.

But as a precaution, it is best not to vape around babies and children if you can avoid it. Young children often copy what adults do.

Always be considerate when vaping around anyone else, especially people with
health conditions like asthma or other respiratory conditions, or people who do not like vaping.

Vapes, including single-use “disposables” are classed as Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), meaning they should never be thrown away in general waste.

If vapes are put in the bin, the batteries can become damaged, causing fires in refuse vehicles or at waste management sites.

If discarded outdoors, over time they break down, releasing heavy metals and other pollutants into the environment.

You can take vapes for recycling to the shop where you buy your replacements or to your local authority household waste recycling centre.

Additional collection points are being added all the time, you can use your postcode to find your nearest vape recycling locations.

Once you have been vaping for a while and feel sure you will not go back to smoking, you can aim to stop vaping too. Many vapers find they get to this stage after about 12 months.

There are a couple of ways to try to quit vaping:

• reduce your frequency of vaping over time
• gradually reduce the strength of nicotine in your e-liquid

Do not rush this step. Only reduce your vaping frequency or nicotine strength when you feel you will not go back to smoking and do not have to
puff more to compensate.