Swap to Stop FAQS

The evidence of pilot schemes and other research show that you are about twice as likely to quit smoking if you use a nicotine vape compared with other nicotine replacement products, like patches or gum, or willpower alone.

Nicotine vapes are electronic devices that work by heating a solution that contains nicotine and propylene glycol or glycerine.

This produces aerosol or vapour instead of the more harmful cigarette smoke that contains tar and other toxins.

The vape brand we currently offer is the Totally Wicked Skope S bundle.

We chose this vendor based on our research, which showed that it has:

• An Open Pod system-aiding controlled usage
• An eco-friendly battery, prolonging life of the coil
• A 1.0A USB adapter provided, reducing faulty charging and fire incidents
• No association with tobacco industry

Support available for disposal.

Choosing the right amount of nicotine will help your quit to be more likely or successful.

Your stop smoking advisor will be able to advise on the right strength of vape depending on how much you smoke.

Both vapes and cigarettes contain nicotine which is an addictive substance.

Nicotine itself is relatively safe, but the reason it can be hard to quit smoking alone is because you are addicted to the nicotine in cigarettes, as well as the habit of smoking. This addiction can lead to withdrawal symptoms when you try to quit smoking.

For this reason, many commonly used stop smoking aids such as patches, gums and mouth sprays contain nicotine (also known as ‘nicotine replacement therapies’) to help people give up smoking cigarettes by switching to less harmful sources of nicotine.

Vape is another tool that can help adult smokers to quit smoking by providing a less harmful source of nicotine. But our aim is to help you make the switch from tobacco to vape, and then to support you to slowly reduce your addiction to nicotine too. We do this by providing you with free vape containing lower and lower amounts of nicotine as the weeks go by.

The vape products we provide meet the regulations about vape strength and will advise you on the right strength of vape based on your current smoking habit including the brand and amount you currently smoke.

Vaping is safer than smoking cigarettes. Cigarettes contain up to 70 other toxic chemicals which are not present in the vapour in vape. Many of these toxic chemicals are poisonous and cause cancer.

Whilst vaping is not completely harmless, it has substantially less risks than smoking cigarettes for smokers.

We have made sure that the vape products we provide meet the safety and labelling standards set by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). This includes their strength and labelling.

Cigarette smoking is much more harmful than vaping, but this does not mean vaping is completely risk free. For this reason, we always advise young people and adults who have never smoked to not start vaping.

It’s also illegal to sell or give vape to under 18s.

There’s currently no evidence that vaping has second hand harm, unlike smoking cigarettes.

However, it’s recommended not to vape around babies and young children.

With all electronic devices, using the correct charger and not leaving devices charging unattended or overnight will reduce the risk of this.

The e-cigarette of choice in Redbridge comes with 1.0A USB adapter, reducing faulty charging and fire incidents.

The vapes we provide in Redbridge through Swap to Stop are rechargeable so they cause less damage to the environment than disposable vape.

However, any batteries that are thrown away (including those in vapes) in household bins or recycling boxes, can be unintentionally crushed or punctured at recycling and waste facilities.

When crushed, some types of battery can get very hot or ignite, resulting in fires that put lives at risk and cause damage.

Even if they don’t cause fires, these damaged batteries can release chemicals and materials that can harm the environment unless they are recycled responsibly.

Find out where your nearest battery recycling service is here: https://www.recyclenow.com/recycling-locator

Local locations include: Seven Kings Library, Redbridge Central Library, Sainsbury’s Convenience Store Gants Hill, Cranbrook Road, and others that can be found through the locator link above. Chigwell Road Reuse and Recycling Centre also has a dedicated Vape disposal bin.

Using e-cigarettes to stop smoking (NHS): www.nhs.uk/live-well/quit-smoking/using-e-cigarettes-to-stop-smoking/

Vaping to quit smoking – Better Health (NHS): www.nhs.uk/better-health/quit-smoking/vaping-to-quit-smoking/#vaping-devices