stop smoking Sheffield | Mental Health First Aid Training Courses

Why I’m Changing The Way I Support Smokers To Become Non-smokers

23rd August 2019

by Mike Lawrence Stop Smoking stop smoking by hypnosis Sheffield stop smoking hypnosis sheffield stop smoking hypnotherapy Sheffield stop smoking in Sheffield stop smoking in Sheffield hypnosis stop smoking Sheffield Stress Management

The first country in the world to introduce mandatory packaging for tobacco products was Australia – and the UK followed suit in 2017. But will the UK copy Australia’s plan to keep increasing taxes until a packet of cigarettes costs AUD$40 (£24)?

The average price of a packet of cigarettes in the UK rose over a tenner last year putting the average cost of a packet of 20 cigarettes at £10.80

Therefore a 20-a-day smoker keeping up their habit saw themselves an extra £178.85 out of pocket over a year.

Take a look at the numbers more closely, a smoker who typically smokes 20 cigarettes per day will cost him £70 per week, that’s £300 per month and a whopping £3650 a year.

Smoking ten years £36,500 and for many, it’s over 20 years, especially those that come to see me who’ve been smoking since they left school £73,000.

Can you afford £300 per month to help you manage your stress, anxiety or any challenges that life will put in your path over your lifetime? Or are you willing to look at a healthier natural option that is designed to improve your health and wellbeing?

Quitting smoking does lead to a more abundant life in more ways than one; however, for most smokers, quitting is a difficult process. Many smokers attempt to quit repeatedly before they succeed, with some relapsing even after a lengthy period of abstinence.

Many people have used smoking to deal with stressful situations in their lives. So, when you experience stress after quitting, it may trigger intense craving for a cigarette.

My research highlights that anyone who has suffered trauma, anxiety, or stress is prone to relapse unless additional support is sought or provided.

Following a free consultation, I now offer my clients two options to become a non-smoker. The first option is the standard 2-hour smoking cessation session, which is designed to get you to stop smoking immediately. In this timeframe, we will be dealing specifically with the specific triggers for you that causes you to smoke.

The 2nd option follows the same process but incorporates 11, 1-hour sessions over 11 months.

The sessions provide the scope to analyse the past triggers for smoking and continued reinforcing coping approaches that will assist you to stay a non-smoker for years to come.

Therefore, should you be faced with any trauma, anxiety or stressful situations, I will be at available to assist and support you throughout your journey to be a permanent smoker.

If you’re seriously considering quitting smoking permanently, get in touch and discover how hypnosis could help you to save money, and improve your health, please call 0114 327 2683 or email enquiries@mikelawrence.co.uk for a FREE 20 minute no-obligation consultation.

Elaine Godley Elastic FM Interview with Mike Lawrence

4th August 2019

by Mike Lawrence alternative pain relief Sheffield Anxiety best life coach Sheffield Corporate Wellness Programme Health and Wellbeing Life coach in Sheffield life coach Sheffield Life Coaching life coaching Sheffield Stop Smoking stop smoking hypnosis sheffield stop smoking hypnotherapy Sheffield stop smoking Sheffield Stress stress help Sheffield Stress Management stress management Sheffield treat stress Sheffield Weight Management

I was invited on to the show to talk about my holistic therapy journey and how I made the transition from the corporate business world into the health and wellbeing industry.

By Elaine Godley

I have beaten cancer four times and cured myself of serious kidney disease. A qualified Nutritionist, Psychologist, former Athlete and Business Consultant, I have an all-round appreciation from first -hand experience of what makes individuals and businesses tick, how to manage teams to achieve great results with less stress for everyone, and how to achieve and maintain your own Perfect Health. I volunteer on a cancer charity helpline and mentor people through their cancer journey, and host a radio-show Tuesdays 4-6 on Elastic FM.

https://anchor.fm/elainegodleyofficial/episodes/EFM-Show-with-Mike-Lawrence-26319-e4ceef/a-ah9pe6

Why It’s Easier To Stop Smoking Now Than Ever Before

4th July 2019

Ask any smoker who has tried to quit, and they’ll tell you how difficult it is. All the benefits that urge a person to stop – COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), cancer, cost, etc. seem just to fade away when nicotine craving kicks in and you need rest bite from the stress or other unknown habits because you’ve been smoking for so long. ‘Some of the typical excuses people use not to quit smoking include anxiety, boredom, addiction, stress, driving or a having a cigarette with a cup of tea or coffee.

However, with increasing awareness of smoking cessation, people have managed to become non-smokers and achieve this challenging task. If you’re a smoker too and quitting smoking is one of your goals that you’ve made this year, here is your quick, no-nonsense 5 Ds guide to quitting smoking.

The 5 Ds to Stopping Smoking

Deferral – After quitting smoking, it takes approximately 3 to 4 days for nicotine to leave your body entirely. That is why the first few days following quitting smoking can be amongst the toughest: this is when cravings first begin and are at their most intense. Cravings last approximately 5 to 10 minutes, you might find this slightly uncomfortable but try to wait it out.

But fortunately, these initial cravings are don’t last long. While it may take your brain chemistry upwards of three months to return to normal, cravings ordinarily begin to decrease in strength and frequency after the first week and are usually entirely gone in one to three months. Crating time-based targets to delay your smoking will reduce the number of cigarettes you smoke each day. Slowly, you might consider increasing the duration of time-based goals until you are ready to quit.

Divert your attention – Countless people who stop smoking find mindfulness assists them to cope with the cravings. It is an activity that can take time to master before gaining the benefits. Mindfulness is paying attention to what’s going on around you at the time. It is being fully aware of the emotions, thoughts, and physical feelings internally, also what you hear, see, smell, and touch.

Practising mindfulness incorporates breathing, techniques and guided imagery, to relax the mind and body. Guided imagery allows you to use all your senses to direct your imagination to a relaxed, focused state. Mindfulness is a skill you can practice in all areas of your life.

Drink water – Our bodies are composed of 65 per cent to 70 per cent water, every cell in the body is dependent on water for healthy functioning. Water also helps flush residual nicotine out of the body, and by keeping yourself well-hydrated, you’ll feel better overall. That can only help as you make your way through the discomforts of nicotine withdrawal.

Deep breathing – Most people aren’t aware of how to breathe correctly. In my early years of training to be a therapist, I was offered the most crucial piece of advice that people should change to improve their health, “Breathe.”

Most people don’t breathe deeply. Shallow breathing leaves humans feeling tired, deprives us of air, and produces tension inside our body. It’s common for smokers only to breathe deeply when they are filling their lungs with smoke.

Instead of a smoking break, I suggest you take a walk outside for a breath of fresh air, merely pausing what you’re doing to take a few slow, deep breaths. Continue at home with 3-part breathing, which is the art of slowly filling the three chambers of your lungs with air, which begins with the abdomen and moving up through the ribs and the upper chest. Then, release the breath fully in all three chambers. It’s incredibly effective at releasing tension. You simply can’t be stressed out when you are breathing deeply.

Discuss – You do not have to be alone in your battle. If your will power starts to wain and you feel the cravings or urge to smoke, talk to a friend or someone who has successfully quit smoking to bring the inspiration back again. Even though you know all the reasons to quit smoking, talking to a non-smoker can keep you motivated.

Hopefully, you’ll remind yourself of these D’s whenever the battle to kick the habit gets tough. Good luck!

Stop Smoking Hypnotherapy In Sheffield

As a highly qualified and experienced holistic professional holistic hypnotherapist in Sheffield, I would be more than happy to help you quit smoking. If you’re considering stopping smoking and would like more information and learn how hypnosis would help you, please call 0114 327 2683 or email enquiries@mikelawrence.co.uk for a FREE, no obligation consultation.

Stop Smoking In Sheffield via Hypnosis

24th April 2019

In the UK, 15.1% of people aged 18 years and above smoked cigarettes, which equates to around 7.4 million people in the population.

Smoking is the biggest cause of preventable deaths in England, accounting for nearly 80,000 deaths each year. One in two smokers will die from a smoking-related disease.

60.8% of people aged 16 years and above who currently smoked said they wanted to quit and 59.5% of those who have ever smoked said they had quit.

But what stops smokers from quitting? In one-word nicotine.

The nicotine in inhaled tobacco smoke moves from the lungs into the bloodstream and up to a smoker’s brain within seven to 10 seconds. Once there, nicotine triggers a number of chemical reactions that create temporary feelings of pleasure for the smoker, but these sensations are short-lived, subsiding within minutes.

As the nicotine level drops in the blood, smokers feel anxious and agitated—the start of nicotine withdrawal. In order to relieve this discomfort, smokers light up another cigarette and then another, and another. And so, it goes the vicious cycle of nicotine addiction. One cigarette is never enough, a fact that every smoker knows all too well.

In order to quit smoking successfully for the long term, it helps to understand the nature of nicotine addiction and what it takes to break free of it. In fact, my clients are often surprised to learn that they are addicted to a substance. Many of us believed that smoking was just a bad habit; something we could stop easily when we decided it was time.

The Chemicals in Cigarettes

Tobacco smoke contains a deadly mix of more than 7,000 chemicals; hundreds are harmful, and about 70 can cause cancer. Smoking increases the risk of serious health problems, many diseases, and death. Even ostensibly ‘low’ levels of smoking can be harmful. One long-term study concluded that people who smoke between 1 and 4 cigarettes a day have a significantly higher risk of dying early than non-smokers.

Help to Stop Smoking Now!

Statistics show that only a small percentage (approximately 7%) of people who try to quit smoking without support are still smoke-free a year later.

However, those who have joined my smoking cessation program that includes education about nicotine addiction and a solid support group, do much better.

Comprehensive Smoking Cessation Session Plan

The smoking cessation session is tailored especially for you, based on your experience and reasons for smoking. A range of techniques is used to create a unique treatment solution that you need.

A range of methods on its own could be 100% effective for you—however, we use a whole “toolbox” of the best techniques to ensure success.

Pre-Treatment

Client encouraged to delay smoking of the first cigarette for as long as you can each day.
Monitors smoking behaviour and maintain a record of thoughts and feelings about first.
cigarette smoked each day.
Attempts to restrict stimuli associated with smoking by only drinking water while smoking, if possible, and doing nothing else.
Listen daily to a 25-minute Preparing to be a Non-Smoker Self-Hypnosis audio (may clients report that they have reduced the daily number of cigarettes smoked without thinking about it having listened repeatedly to the audio.

Primary Therapy Session – 2 hours

Session overview and agenda explained.
Assessment for contra-indications, etc.
Reasons for wanting to quit are discussed and reinforced verbally.
Trigger situations are identified for relapse prevention.
Simple cue-controlled relaxation techniques are taught to prepare the client for further work and provide stress management tool.
Shown visual imagery exercise.
Taught thought-stopping with positive coping statements to deal with cigarette cravings, targeting key trigger situations.
Demonstrate covert rehearsal to prepare to cope with a variety of challenging situations by mentally rehearsing coping skills (e.g., assertiveness) and coping statements /positive affirmations.
Hypnotised and cognitive imagery is used to reinforce reasons for wanting to quit and positive goal imagery.
Provide suggestions of ego-strength and self-efficacy with focus on controlling habits, etc.
Confidence building and motivation.
Provided with Tip Sheet (Easily Staying a Non-Smoker) and 20-minute motivation audio – celebrating and staying a non-smoker

Stop Smoking Hypnotherapy in Sheffield

24th February 2019

by Mike Lawrence Stop Smoking stop smoking by hypnosis Sheffield stop smoking hypnosis sheffield stop smoking hypnotherapy Sheffield stop smoking in Sheffield stop smoking Sheffield

Where Are You In Your Plans To Stop Smoking?

A few people can stop smoking just by throwing away their cigarettes. But for most people, quitting smoking is not that easy. Quitting takes more than willpower it takes a plan of action.

Most smokers like to smoke at specific occasions. It may be as soon as they wake in the morning, driving to work, following a meal or when they are having a cup of coffee. Some people light up whenever they talk on the phone or get into a car.

Often the triggers for smoking are feelings and emotions. Smokers sometimes smoke more when they are unhappy, anxious, or stressed. Reaching for a cigarette is used as a coping mechanism in an attempt to deal with the problem, such as a problems in the workplace, a breakdown in a relationship, or more often than not it becomes a habit which they struggle to shake off.

Why Do Most Smokers Have Trouble Quitting?

It is because they are addicted to the nicotine in their cigarettes.

Smoking cigarettes gives a smoker regular hit of nicotine. After a while, the body gets used to it. For an addicted smoker, being without nicotine brings on feelings of withdrawal.

But the nicotine is NOT what causes the major health risks of smoking. Cigarettes are filled with thousands of other chemicals. Doctors believe the deadly chemicals in cigarettes and tobacco smoke cause the bad health effects of smoking. Most brands are high in tar. Tar in cigarettes causes lung cancer. Cigarettes also have carbon monoxide, which takes oxygen from the blood and can lead to strokes.

Nicotine is an addiction, but quitting is possible.

There are many ways a smoker can gain control over urges to smoke. Here are some ideas.

Drink a glass of water or milk while having a cigarette – and when you smoke only smoke – don’t do anything else (e.g. don’t be on the phone etc.)
Try to change the place where you smoke (e.g. if you always smoke in the kitchen then smoke in the garden)
Cut back on caffeine (coffee and tea). Caffeine increases agitation in your nervous system – leading to more stress and tension
See how long you can go before having your first cigarette each day.
Change your brand of cigarettes (to break habitual associations)

It may not be easy but stick to it until you succeed! Don’t give in. Then go on to the next thing you want to change.

Keep going until you have checked off all the smoking triggers on your checklist. If you can stop smoking at your key times, you are well on your way to stopping. Regardless whether you smoke 10 a day or 40 a day these tips will work for all smokers.

If you always smoke in the car, instead of smoking, listen to some of your favourite music.

Don’t try to do everything at once. Change one thing at a time. Set a date and a reason for wanting to stop smoking and stick to it.

You should choose a specific day to quit. Having a ‘Quit Day’ gives you a goal to reach. It is a promise to keep to yourself and your family. Setting a Quit Day 2 to 3 weeks in advance gives you time to get prepare. Circle your Quit Day on a calendar. Write it down. Carry it with you and inform your friends and family.

Your Quit Day is very important. Ask anyone you know who used to smoke. Five years from now, the day you gave up cigarettes for good will be a day that you remember, like the day you got married or passed your driving test.

Think positive thoughts. Say to yourself, “I can do it this time!” even if you have tried before. Think about how much better you will feel after you quit for good, the money that you’ll save and the health benefits.

Stopping Smoking – You Will Feel Better In The Long Run

Things will get better soon. The “quitting blues” do not last forever. The feelings of giving up cigarettes tend to be strongest during the first week. You may not feel like yourself or may cough more at first. The worst part will be over soon—2 to 3 weeks after you smoke your last cigarette. After a month, you will feel better than you felt when you smoked. So, be patient. Take it one day at a time.

It takes time to get over the urge to smoke. The urges will be strongest in the places where you smoked the most. In the beginning, you may want to avoid places where you used to smoke. After a while, the urges will get a lot weaker.

Avoid smoking even one cigarette. While a single cigarette may not drown your efforts to quit, any smoking makes it easier to relapse into addiction. It is not worth the risk.

If you do get the urge to smoke, don’t act on it. Instead, write down what you will do instead of smoking. It may be as simple as reaching for a notebook which contains the reasons why to stop smoking instead of reaching for a cigarette.

Some people who are still smoking may try to get you smoking again. Be ready to keep saying NO. Your life and your health are at risk. And no matter how much you miss your cigarettes, don’t start smoking e-cigarettes.

Stop Smoking Hypnosis in Sheffield

We are so confident in our ability to make you into a non-smoker that we offer a full 100% money back guarantee if we do not succeed.

Find out more about our stop smoking hypnotherapy here.

Best Alternative Medicine & Holistic Health Service

23rd February 2019

by Mike Lawrence alternative pain relief Sheffield Health and Wellbeing Holistic Therapies Life coach in Sheffield life coach Sheffield Life Coaching life coaching Sheffield natural pain relief Sheffield Pain Relief pain relief in Sheffield pain relief Sheffield Phobias Sleep Deprivation Stop Smoking stop smoking hypnosis sheffield stop smoking Sheffield Stress stress help Sheffield Stress Management stress management Sheffield stress relief Sheffield treat stress Sheffield Weight Management

Customer Service Excellence Award 2019 – South Yorkshire

Following extensive preparations, research and deliberation, I am absolutely delighted to confirm Mike Lawrence Holistic Therapies as one of our chosen winners’ for the 2019 Alternative Medicine & Holistic Health Awards hosted by GHP-News!

These awards were designed to recognise those who go above and beyond for their patients and customers, striving to offer relief and reassurance in places where more traditional medicine cannot.

Having looked into the work of Mike Lawrence Holistic Therapies, in particular, the client/customer relationship, company growth, dedication to innovation, we feel as though we have been able to do just that!

Bark certificate of excellence life coach Sheffield

Bark Certificate of Excellence – 2019 Winner

18th February 2019

by Mike Lawrence Holistic Therapies Life coach in Sheffield life coach Sheffield Life Coaching life coaching Sheffield natural pain relief Sheffield Pain Relief pain relief in Sheffield pain relief Sheffield Phobias Sleep Deprivation Stop Smoking stop smoking hypnosis sheffield stop smoking Sheffield Stress stress help Sheffield Stress Management stress management Sheffield stress relief Sheffield treat stress Sheffield

Mike Lawrence is delighted to have won a Bark Certificate of Excellence Award 2019.

Every day thousands of people visit Bark online to hire professionals to help them suffering from stress, feeling depressed, suffering from chronic pain or struggling to cope with some aspect of their life, therefore, seeking a life coach.

The Certificate of Excellence Awards acknowledge the best professionals on Bark who stand out from the crowd and offer an outstanding service to their clients.

Mike Lawrence Holistic Therapies is privileged to have been recognised as one of the best in the category for Holistic Therapy.

How To Actively Take Control of Your Time and Your Life 2019

29th November 2018

by Mike Lawrence Divorce Holistic Therapies life coach Sheffield Life Coaching life coaching Sheffield Stop Smoking stop smoking Sheffield Stress Weight Management

Price: £27 EarlyBird booking if you book before 29th December 2018, price will then increase to £47

Do you want to get more done in 2019?

Are you ready to take more control of your life and reduce or even completely stop procrastinating?

Or have you been feeling that it’s about time I made significant progress towards my life’s ambitions?

Then come to our workshop in Sheffield where we will learn and discover methods on how to make 2019 one our best years yet!

Price includes:

Entrance to the 3-hour event
Receive 7 Top Tips packed with nuggets of information that will transform your life and help you follow through with your New Year’s resolution
Individual (one-to-one) 40-minute follow-up coaching session either face-to-face or Skype after the event
Refreshments and snacks at the event
Networking opportunity and maybe finding an accountability partner to keep each other on track
Demonstration of benefit of holistic therapy treatment

We all know that everyone makes resolutions and commitments to things that they want to change or otherwise improve. Everything from losing weight, giving up smoking, stop gambling, making more money, finding true love, or getting a better job. And of course, around the holidays people get really excited setting goals. But unfortunately, statistics show it only takes 2-3 weeks before almost 80% of them give up!

That’s right. Nearly 80% of the people who said they want to make significant changes in their life never actually do it. So why do so many people give up? We’ll discuss that as well at the workshop.

Just look at Levi Roots. Musician, restaurateur and philanthropist, who was guest speaker in Sheffield recently. He said, mentors (coaches) can help to offer a sounding board to explore new ideas, as well as helping to connect business owners with the support and advice they need.

He said: “After appearing on Dragon’s Den my career took off in so many exciting directions and at an accelerated pace. Once again, the coaching I received from Peter Jones proved to be instrumental in the development of my business. His guidance and business expertise were crucial to the final outcome.”

We don’t all have businesses, but we’re all looking to keep becoming better.

Also, a client who was a member of the 2018 workshop wrote: “I am delighted to have been introduced to Mike, he was brilliant. The reason I contacted him was to seek advice about the broken relationship between my partner and I. Mike was not only a very good listener, he also made me feel at ease, whilst he uncovered some of the issues which I had which were underlying. This was by talking through with me about the situation, which was seemingly beyond repair. However following Mike’s coaching, my partner and I have become a lot closer than ever before. We now enjoy the most fantastic loving relationship. I am over the moon and the last few weeks have been amazing! Thanks so much from us both Mike.”

This is why we are offering this workshop in Sheffield, so you can witness first-hand the benefits of having that little extra bit of help and support towards your goals.

Some of the things we’ll be going through are:

Addressing any negative emotions, you are feeling
Getting clarity on what you want from life
Identifying a better career path
Working through relationship issues
Support on improving your health or losing weight
Stop smoking with hypnosis
Figuring out why you are struggling financially
Getting unstuck from any situation that may be holding you back
Ridding yourself of fears and phobias
Fear of flying

But please be aware that we can only accommodate a limited number of people throughout the day. Because we are providing focused sessions, we want to make sure we have enough time to help everyone who signs up. So, if you are ready to tackle the New Year and stick to your goals and commitments, make sure to sign up early!

Looking forward to meeting and supporting you as best as I can.

Click here to reserve your place.

Stoptober – Your Natural Guide to Stopping Smoking In October

4th October 2018

by Mike Lawrence Health and Wellbeing Stop Smoking stop smoking by hypnosis Sheffield stop smoking hypnosis sheffield stop smoking hypnotherapy Sheffield stop smoking in Sheffield stop smoking in Sheffield hypnosis stop smoking Sheffield Stress

Stoptober is a health initiative run by the NHS, encouraging people to quit smoking for 28 days during the month of October. The premise is that after abstaining for this period of time, individuals are five times more likely to quit smoking permanently. Therefore, feel healthier, save money and improving overall health and wellbeing.

But as any smoker who’s quit or tried to quit before, smoking can be a difficult habit to kick so where do you start?

How do I stop smoking? Where do I start?

Choose a date to stop and commit to it
Tell friends, family and colleagues that you’re quitting
Get professional advice from your local pharmacist, GP, or therapist
Don’t worry if you don’t succeed at your first attempt – it can take several attempts to quit smoking but the health benefits of becoming a non-smoker means that it’s worthwhile
Reward yourself for quitting – with the money you’ll save by becoming a non-smoker!”

What treatments can help me quit smoking?

There are several types of treatment available, including nicotine replacement in the form of patches, gum, inhaler, nasal spray, microtablets or lozenges.

Prescription pills such as Zyban or Champix and e-cigarettes are also good stop-smoking treatments, and e-cigarettes if other treatments haven’t worked for you.

Can hypnotherapy stop me craving cigarettes?

Hypnotherapy (or hypnosis) is a popular treatment for quitting smoking. Hypnosis is the most effective way of giving up smoking, according to the largest ever scientific comparison of ways of breaking the habit. Willpower, it turns out, counts for very little.

‘Combination’ techniques, combining, for example, exercise and breathing therapy, came second with a success rate of 29 per cent. Smoke aversion, in which smokers have their own warm, stale cigarette smoke blown back into their faces, achieved a 25 per cent success rate, followed by acupuncture at 24 per cent.

The least successful method turned out to be advice from GPs, which appears to convince virtually no one to give up. Sheer willpower proved little better, with a success rate of only 6 per cent. Self-help, in the form of books or mail-order advice, achieved modest success – around 9 per cent, while nicotine gum was a little better at 10 per cent.

In the New Scientist report David Pollock, director of ASH, said he was surprised by the success of hypnosis, which anecdotal evidence had suggested was not very effective. One organisation not surprised by the results is the British Society of Medical & Dental Hypnosis. Christopher Pattinson, the society’s academic chairman, said that current hypnosis techniques are a far cry from their
popular image of music-hall tricks involving swinging fob watches. The latest relaxation techniques achieve success rates of up to 60 per cent from a single session, he said.

Nonetheless, hypnotherapy isn’t licensed for NHS use, although lots of smokers try it and the majority of clients that visit Mike Lawrence succeed in quitting.

To find out if you can see a hypnotherapist on the NHS in your area, ask your GP or local clinical commissioning group (CCG)

Are e-cigarettes bad for you? Can they help me quit?

“E-cigarettes are believed by most experts to be a lot safer than smoking tobacco products. Most contain nicotine and so inhaling from an e-cigarette will replace the effect of nicotine in cigarettes, which accounts for their addictiveness. However 2018 in a March study published in Plos One suggests E-cigarettes cause more harm than good.

So, e-cigarettes can help you quit conventional cigarettes and can be especially useful in the early stages of quitting. However, because the long-term health effects of vaping are not yet known, the prolonged use of e-cigarettes is not recommended.

For more information, help and support please take a look at the stop smoking page, or if you’ve tried to give up and started again, read some of the testimonials from people who are now non-smokers click on the link Quit Smoking Now.

E-cigarettes—is the UK throwing caution to the wind?

26th August 2018

The public health implications of e-cigarettes are a highly polarised debate, with mixed, largely low-quality, evidence and fervent advocates on all sides. It is therefore surprising that the UK’s House of Commons Science and Technology Committee report on e-cigarettes, released on Aug 17, contains chiefly positive testimonies from experts and organisations. If there are two approaches to the debate on e-cigarettes—precautionary and harm reduction—then the report promotes the latter.

Along with the growing trend from professional bodies in the UK, such as Public Health England and the Royal College of Physicians, the report concludes that e-cigarettes are likely to be far less harmful than smoking tobacco. Despite the evidence being incomplete, the Committee suggests smokers be enabled to switch to e-cigarettes, with the potential for e-cigarettes becoming medically licensed and available on prescription. But the recommendations go much further: petitioning to relax the regulation of e-cigarettes to allow stronger refills, to rethink taxation and the convention of smoking e-cigarettes in public places, and to permit e-cigarette use throughout mental health facilities. Most worryingly, the Committee suggests reviewing the regulatory pathway for novel tobacco products post-Brexit to make it easier for products like heat-not-burn and snus oral tobacco to get to market as part of a more “risk-proportionate regulatory environment”. They go on to propose a more lenient approach to advertising and discard concerns about e-cigarettes being a gateway for adolescents to smoking tobacco as an anxiety that has not materialised.

Although the evidence is weak, it is reasonable to believe that e-cigarettes have a part to play in smoking cessation as a less harmful alternative to tobacco. But e-cigarettes are big business, with tobacco companies having a large stake in many of the products. It is naive and premature of the Committee to confuse an absence of evidence with an absence of harm. The more extreme recommendations from this report lack a firm evidence base and are disappointingly ill advised at this time.

Article published in the The Lancet 25 August 2018

Posts in category: stop smoking Sheffield