Smoking continues to claim lives at an alarming rate. A recent UK study shows that each cigarette shortens life by an average of 20 minutes. This means that a packet of cigarettes costs seven hours of life and a smoker's life costs 10 years. Meanwhile, other studies by the UK Public Health Agency show that many smokers still try to quit using ineffective methods. Now researchers are speaking out.
"The likelihood of success increases dramatically if you use evidence-based methods such as vejpning or other nicotine alternatives," say the study's lead authors.
Researchers at University College London (UCL), in a new study published in the scientific journal Addiction, has shown the dramatic consequences of cigarette smoking, to say the least. The study, commissioned by the UK Department of Health, shows that on average men lose 17 minutes of their life for each cigarette, while women lose 22 minutes. This means that a packet of cigarettes costs smokers up to seven hours of their lives.
Smoking costs an average of 10 years of life
The study found that lifelong smokers live on average ten years less than non-smokers.
But the study also shows a glimmer of hope and a positive side. Quitting smoking early in life can restore life expectancy to the same level as if you had not smoked at all. Quitting in your 20s or 30s can give back almost all the lost years, while quitting later can still gain years of life - but to a lesser extent.
Many try to quit - but in the wrong way
In parallel with the UK study, other research from UCL - funded by Cancer Research UK and published in JAMA Network - showed that many smokers in England try to quit using methods that have low success rates. That study looked at over 25 000 smokers and found that almost half of those who tried to quit did so by relying on willpower and persuasion - so-called 'cold turkey' - or by using nicotine patches and gum.
The problem is that these methods generally have significantly lower success rates than vejping or prescription drugs. The study found that around two million English smokers tried to quit in 2024, but that success rates varied widely depending on the method they used.
Similar results were shown by the US study that Vejpkollen recently reported on.
The lead author of the new study, Sarah Jackson, draws the analogy "Quitting smoking is like rolling dice" in Vapingpost magazine.
"Some succeed on the first try, but the likelihood increases dramatically if you use evidence-based methods such as vejpning or other nicotine alternatives," they add.
Misconceptions about vejp can hinder smoking cessation
Although more smokers are using vejp as a tool to quit smoking, the study suggests that misconceptions about the safety of e-cigarettes may make some hesitant to make a complete switch. The researchers noted that those who believed e-cigarettes were just as dangerous as regular cigarettes were less likely to fully switch to vejping.
The researchers write that they see younger smokers more often resorting to vejp to reduce their smoking, which they say can be positive from a public health perspective. However, they also note that there are still many misconceptions about the risks of e-cigarettes, which may prevent more people from making a complete switch.
