Vaping is safer than smoking, so why are people struggling to quit?

ONS figures show more adults in Great Britain now vape than smoke, and many report difficulty quitting; experts say vaping is less harmful than smoking but remains addictive and research on effective support is still developing.

Vaping has become the most common way adults in Great Britain consume nicotine, with Office for National Statistics data reporting 5.4 million adults now vape compared with 4.9 million who smoke. Many people who vape say they want to stop or cut down but find it harder than they expected. Public health experts quoted in the article stress that vaping avoids combustion and is far less harmful than smoking, yet it still delivers addictive nicotine and involves learned routines. Confusion from past health scares and changing perceptions about risk are also affecting how people view vaping. Key points: - The Office for National Statistics figures cited by the article report 5.4 million adults vaping daily or occasionally, versus 4.9 million who smoke in Great Britain. - Experts in the piece say vaping is far less harmful than smoking because it avoids combustion, but vaping still exposes users to heated chemicals, delivers nicotine, and may carry long-term effects that are not yet fully known; behavioural habit and dependence can make quitting challenging. - The article describes early evidence about ways to help people stop, including text-message support, nicotine-replacement approaches, medications mentioned in studies, and behavioural therapies such as acceptance and commitment therapy, plus a pilot NHS vaping cessation clinic for teenagers. Summary: The shift from smoking to vaping changes the public-health context: vaping is reported as less harmful than smoking but remains addictive and behaviourally ingrained. Research and trials into effective cessation approaches are continuing and some service pilots are being evaluated; Undetermined at this time.