FRESH & BALANCE Highlights Stoptober

North-East regional tobacco control programme FRESH and BALANCE highlights the ongoing need for the Stoptober campaign to help smokers successfully switch to vaping.

The impact of smoking on the United Kingdom stretches beyond treatment costs, running into hundreds of millions of pounds. In Sunderland along, the cost of smoking (combined with alcohol) costs the city £180 million per year. It highlights the importance of assisting smokers to switch to using electronic cigarettes instead, and E Liquids UK has a wide range of products that complement Public Health England’s Stoptober initiative.

Sunderland City Council has signed off on a new FRESH and BALANCE programme that it has been running in conjunction with Durham County Council since 2016. The programme is an initiative run on behalf of several regional councils and will now continue to run until late 2024.

In announcing the extension to the programme, Sunderland Councillor Kelly Chequer spoke about the impact of smoking on the city: “The economic burden of smoking in Sunderland is approximately £70.8million per year.”

Multiply that figure by the rest of the towns and cities in England and you reach eye-watering amounts of money – and this doesn’t include the pain and suffering to families impacted by tobacco-related disease and death.

The contract to run the programme, worth £167,940, has been granted to the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust. It will provide data gathering, research& analysis, local forums, and community support.

Cllr Linda Williams commented: “There are so many complex areas why people drink and why people smoke, it’s a really difficult one to manage, and it’s so easy to hide it. I would welcome the use of more proactive insight to be able to have a direct impact.”

The NHS recently made supportive comments about switching to vaping in support of the Stoptober campaign: “In recent years, e-cigarettes have become a very popular stop smoking aid in the UK…they’re far less harmful than cigarettes and can help you quit smoking for good…E-cigarettes do not burn tobacco and do not produce tar or carbon monoxide, two of the most damaging elements in tobacco smoke.”

The NHS advises: “If you’re a lighter smoker, you could try a cigalike, vape pen or a pod system. If you’re a heavier smoker, it’s advisable to try a vape pen, pod system or mod.”

A ground-breaking 2019 study, led by Professor Peter Hajek, concluded: “E-cigarettes were more effective for smoking cessation than nicotine-replacement therapy when both products were accompanied by behavioural support.”

Saving money is a key message behind Public Health England’s Stoptober campaign. It says: “The average smoker can save £1,875.60 a year by quitting smoking”.

E-Liquids UK provides a range of products that will help smokers successfully leave dangerous tobacco addiction behind. We hold a wide range of convenient disposable vapes and many excellent e cig starter kits.

Dr Sarah Jarvis said: “As a doctor, I urge every smoker to give quitting a go this October.”

If you are a smoker then why not check out the wide range of vaping products we sell  – and if you have successfully switched then why not encourage a smoking friend to try vaping.