A Day Per Week

• New research finds that smokers who chose to quit on New Year’s Day could have already saved a whole day of their life by 8 January
• On average, every cigarette smoked steals approximately 20 minutes of life 
• This equates to nearly 7 hours of life lost with every 20 pack of cigarettes smoked, demonstrating the importance of government commitment to a smokefree UK

The experts say that quitting on New Year’s Day would lead to a week of a smoker’s life being taken back by February and, by the end of the year, they could have avoided losing 50 days of life. 

Any smoker considering quitting for 2025 can find advice, support and resources with the NHS Quit Smoking app, which has recently been updated with new information about beating cravings, as well as the online Personal Quit Plan, which tailors its advice to each smoker’s preferences. 

The research follows the introduction of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which recently passed second reading in the House of Commons.  

The bill includes measures claimed to create the first smokefree generation, phasing out the sale of tobacco products across the UK to anyone born after 1 January 2009. 

Critics have said the Bill will fail in its ambitions without adequate funding and will simply serve to boost the black market.

Public Health Minister, Andrew Gwynne, said: “Smoking is an expensive and deadly habit, and these findings reveal the shocking reality of this addiction, highlighting how important it is to quit. The new year offers a perfect chance for smokers to make a new resolution and take that step. 

“For anyone looking to quit in 2025, the NHS provide a range of services to help break free from the habit. This government is going further than ever to protect children and young people from ever becoming hooked on nicotine through our Tobacco and Vapes Bill.”

Dr Jeanelle de Gruchy, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, said: “Smoking has an immediate impact on your lung and heart’s health as well as significantly increasing your chance of getting a chronic illness or disability and of dying young. Stopping smoking is one of the best things you can do to improve your current and future health. This new year, start afresh and leave smoking in the past.”

Sarah Jackson, Principal Research Fellow, UCL Alcohol and Tobacco Research Group, commented: “It is vital that people understand just how harmful smoking is and how much quitting can improve their health and life expectancy. The evidence suggests people lose, on average, around 20 minutes of life for each cigarette they smoke. The sooner a person stops smoking, the longer they live. Quitting at any age substantially improves health and the benefits start almost immediately.

“It’s never too late to make a positive change for your health and there are a range of effective products and treatments that can help smokers quit for good.”

The government’s communication makes no positive reference to vaping. It mentions ‘cracking down on youth vaping’, ‘banning vape advertising and sponsorship’, ‘powers to restrict the flavours’, and that disposable vapes will be banned from 1 June 2025.

It may be a new year, but the government remains trapped in a prohibitionist past.

References:

• The price of a cigarette: 20 minutes of life? - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/add.16757

Photo Credit:

• Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash

Dave Cross

Journalist at POTV

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Dave is a freelance writer; with articles on music, motorbikes, football, pop-science, vaping and tobacco harm reduction in Sounds, Melody Maker, UBG, AWoL, Bike, When Saturday Comes, Vape News Magazine, and syndicated across the Johnston Press group. He was published in an anthology of “Greatest Football Writing”, but still believes this was a mistake. Dave contributes sketches to comedy shows and used to co-host a radio sketch show. He’s worked with numerous start-ups to develop content for their websites.