The Benefits of Giving Up Cigarettes

By Samuel Lawrence

Some of the information in the following blog is based on external, third party sources and is for educational/informational purposes only. Such content is not intended to be representative of the products sold on this website.

Stopping smoking is one of the best things you can do. Cutting out cigarettes from your life can remove the harmful effects associated with cigarette smoke.

Whilst for many, this may be the most important benefit that arises from giving up cigarettes, there are lots of other benefits too - and they start almost immediately. This article will go on to discuss these further:

No more smoke smells

Every smoker will know how the smell of cigarette smoke lingers. Tobacco smoke residue embeds itself into hard and soft materials alike and can penetrate practically any surface in the home – including furniture, carpets and curtains. Not only that, but cigarette smoke deposits a residue that bonds with porous surfaces – including clothes, hair, skin, even the inside of your mouth and nose.

Cost savings

Smoking is expensive – when you stop smoking, one benefit you’ll quickly see is more money in your pocket. The average pack of twenty cigarettes in the UK is currently £11.20* – consequently, removing cigarettes from your life can quickly save you a lot of money.

Have better breath and less teeth staining

As well as being a common cause of bad breath and gum disease, prolonged contact with smoke and tar also causes staining of the teeth.

Smoke damages the hard enamel of teeth, making them more likely to stain and discolour. It does not take long for a smoker’s teeth to take on a yellowish appearance – and heavy, persistent smoking will often turn teeth even darker, becoming grey or brown in colour.

Say goodbye to tobacco stains

When a cigarette is lit, the process of burning releases smoke – and the smoke from cigarettes contains a mixture of different chemicals.

When they become airborne in smoke, some of these chemicals will settle and cling to whatever they come into contact with. Tar, for example, is a sticky brown substance found in cigarettes that will deposit itself on many surfaces – walls, ceilings, carpets, clothes and skin.

With protracted contact with smoke, the pores of the skin around the fingers of a smoker will typically be penetrated and become ingrained with the chemical residues in the smoke, consequently, it can be extremely difficult to remove these stains.

No more standing outside in the cold

The UK’s indoor smoking ban prohibits smoking indoors.

When you visit an enclosed workspace, shop, restaurant, pub, club, bar or cinema, if you want to smoke you will need to exit the building and/or visit a designated smoking area.

When you stop smoking, you’ll stop having to make trips outside and paying visits to smoking areas in cold and blustery conditions.

Alternatives to cigarettes

The best choice that any adult smoker can make, without question, is to quit altogether. However, for those who do not want to quit, or are unable to, there are a variety of alternatives to smoking available.

E-cigarettes and vaping devices

When you vape, the process involves heating an e-liquid solution containing nicotine (though nicotine-free e-liquids are available), flavourings, VG (vegetable glycerine) and PG (propylene glycol) to create an aerosol that is inhaled.

Unlike cigarette smoke, the aerosol vapour produced by vaping devices quickly dissipates, does not stain, and doesn’t contain carbon monoxide – one of the most harmful constituents in cigarette smoke.

You can find out more about e-cigarettes here.

Heated tobacco products

Heated tobacco products replicate the real tobacco taste and ritual that comes with smoking conventional cigarettes. These products, unlike vaping devices, use real tobacco and no liquids. The tobacco is heated to a lower temperature than in the process of the burning of cigarettes to release a nicotine containing vapour.

Unlike cigarette smoke, the vapour produced dissipates far more quickly, leaves reduced staining and reduced smell.

You can find out more about Heated Tobacco here.

Nicotine pouches

Nicotine pouches are another better alternative to smoking cigarettes. They are small sacks containing either tobacco-derived nicotine or synthetic nicotine that are placed between the upper lip and gum, to allow a slow release of nicotine.

Nicotine pouches are a convenient alternative to smoking cigarettes as they produce no smell, cause no staining, and you can use them anywhere.

*Assumes average price of cigarettes at £11.20 per pack. Source: ONS dataset. Average price – Cigarettes 20 king size filter, Nov 2020.