A hospital nurse has said he feels far healthier after ditching cigarettes for vaping, as figures show vaping is the most successful aid to quitting smoking.
Paul Brittain, 53, a senior research nurse at York Hospital in the UK, said he had noticed major health improvements after taking part in the NHS project ‘Swap to Stop’ for two years.
He spoke out as a survey from Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) found more than half of people who had successfully given up smoking had used a vape to help them.
The UK government has long said vaping can be an "effective tool" to stopping smoking, while warning that non-smokers "should never vape".
'I feel tons better'
Mr Brittain told the BBC: "I started smoking at about 17 but became a grandad at 50, so I wanted to give quitting another try and so far, it has worked this time.
"For the first couple of weeks, I was very pleasantly surprised as it was the nicotine that you’re addicted to, not the craving of the cigarette, and I’ve been slowly reducing my nicotine down.
"I feel tons better and healthier within myself, as for the last 10-15 years, I had concurrent chest infections of bronchitis, and colds, but for the last two years, I’ve had no issues with this."
Smoking is estimated to be responsible for nearly one fifth (64,500) of all new cancer cases a year and causes 27 per cent of all cancer deaths in the UK, according to ASH.
Meanwhile, recent research shows that vaping - while not risk-free - does not cause any tobacco-related diseases.
Mr Brittain said he was starting to think of himself as more of a "non-smoker" and he was working on further reducing his nicotine intake.
He said: "In terms of trying to stop before, it has always been the negative language around wanting to quit.
"You were sort of doomed to fail before you started, because it was hard, you were going to get cravings, it would be horrible and you were just not going to succeed.
"This time I felt the language was all changed, so I felt this is more about preparing you to change to healthier habits and options, so I was doing everything I would do with a cigarette, but without the added toxicity that comes with smoking."
The Swap to Stop campaign, introduced by the UK government last year, aims to encourage smokers to switch to a safer alternative, such as vaping, patches or gum.
Tobacco and Vapes Bill
Last month, the Labour government revived plans to introduce the Tobacco and Vapes Bill. This would progressively increase the age at which people can buy tobacco, preventing anyone born after January 1, 2009 from ever being legally able to do so.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "While vaping can be an effective tool to stop smoking, the health advice is clear: children and adults that do not smoke should never vape.
"The upcoming Tobacco and Vapes Bill will protect future generations from the harms of tobacco and nicotine, saving thousands of lives and easing pressures on the NHS.
"By building a healthier society, we will help to build a healthy economy."
