Smoking and vaping
It's never too late to quit and become a smoke-free role model
From the physical health benefits you will feel within a few hours of quitting, to improvements in your mental health and wellbeing in the longer term, quitting smoking will help you to feel healthier and happier.
The sooner you quit, the sooner you'll notice changes to your body and the good news is, you don't have to quit alone! You are four times more likely to quit smoking with support than on your own.
Smokefree Knowsley is your local stop smoking service and provides one-to-one support which can be given face-to-face, over the phone, online or text support. The service offers specialist support to all residents who want to stop smoking, including those who are pregnant.
For help to quit visit Smokefree Knowsley, call 0151 426 7462 or text QUIT to 61825 to receive a call back from an advisor.
Watch the animation below to find out more about the service and how they can support you to stop smoking today.
Vapes are a proven way to quit smoking and can be provided by Smokefree Knowsley to support you in your stop smoking journey. Vaping nicotine is not completely harmless, but it is less harmful than smoking.
For help to quit visit Smokefree Knowsley, call 0151 426 7462 or text QUIT to 61825 to receive a call back from an advisor.
Illicit vapes, also known as counterfeit and blag vapes, are often made without any control over what is going into them, making them potentially far more harmful to health than legitimate, regulated vaping products.
Where illicit vapes are commonly sold
Illicit vapes are normally sold cheaply from places such as:
- Retail outlets e.g. shops
- Residential addresses
- Pubs
- Sunbeds
- Car boot sales
- Ice cream vans
Health risks of illicit vapes
Some Illegal vapes have been found to contain unsafe levels of metals such as nickel and lead, along with other harmful substances. This may pose a particular risk to children and young people.
Why report?
The illicit tobacco and vape trade makes it easier for children to start smoking or vaping as they are sold at ‘pocket money’ prices. The illicit trade also helps to fund criminal activity and gang-related behaviour in the local area.
How to identify illicit vapes
If a vape isn’t regulated then you may notice one, or more, of the below:
- incorrect or absent health warnings. All legal vapes are marked with the kite mark and have the CE sign
- over-capacity tank sizes, 2ml is the standard limit
- a higher than permitted concentration of nicotine, 20 mg/mL (or 2%) is the permitted strength. This means, the maximum strength you can legally buy is 40mg (or 4%) with a 2ml vape
- containing CBD
- incorrect labelling.
How to report illegal vapes
Any information received about manufacturers, importers, distributors, businesses or individuals dealing in illegal vape products will be investigated by Trading Standards. Action will be taken against those found to be breaking the law and this can include prosecutions.
There are a number of ways to anonymously report illicit vape activity:
- Knowsley Council : Email us – Tradingstandardsteam@knowsley.gov.uk – or telephone 0151 443 2242.
- Citizens Advice Consumer Service: Reports can be made online or by calling 0808 223 1133. Lines are open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. Lines are closed on bank holidays.
- Crimestoppers: Call 0800 555 111 or fill out the form at crimestoppers-uk.org to report anonymously.
- Keep It Out: Use the keep-it-out.co.uk website to report the illegal sale of vapes and tobacco.
Are you using a vape as a quit tool?
If you don’t smoke, don’t vape. If you do smoke, vaping is much safer.
Regulated vapes are an effective quit tool. Residents of Knowsley can contact the local stop smoking service, Smokefree Knowsley, for support with quitting. They can call 0151 4267462 or text QUIT to 61825. Visit Smokefree Knowsley for more information.
Disposable vapes
Single-use or ‘disposable’ vapes can no longer be legally sold online or in shops, whether they contain nicotine or not. The banning of disposable vapes is designed to reduce the appeal of vapes to children and also to protect the environment.
More information on the Single Use Vapes Ban can be found here: GOV.UK: Single-use vapes ban
No matter your age, or how long you have smoked for, as soon as you quit smoking you will feel almost immediate improvements to your health.
You'll notice some benefits within days or weeks:
- your senses of taste and smell improve
- you start to breathe more easily
- you have more energy
Other benefits will follow, including:
- better blood circulation to your heart and muscles, which will make physical activity easier
- improved lung function, leading to reductions in any cough, wheezing or other breathing problems
The average smoker can save £49 a week by quitting smoking – that's over £2,500 a year!
Smokefree Knowsley has a quick money calculator you can try to get an idea of how much you might save if you quit.
Smoking during pregnancy can put yourself and your baby at risk of complications during pregnancy and birth. Specialist support for expectant mums is available from Smokefree Knowsley and a number of quit aids can still be used to support you to quit.
For help to quit, visit Smokefree Knowsley, call 0151 426 7462 or text QUIT to 61825 to receive a call back from an advisor.
For more information, you can visit the NHS website.
"I was 17 when I first tried smoking. It happened at school, with friends, as a lot of teenagers do. Soon enough, it was part of my life, especially when I was socialising. My family smoked too, so it didn't feel unusual.
What followed was 30 years of smoking, every day. On a typical day, I'd smoke about 20 cigarettes, but if I was bored, stressed, or hanging out with people, that number could easily climb to 30. In the beginning, I enjoyed smoking. It felt good, gave me a rush, and fitted into my life easily. But as the years went by, I didn't enjoy it anymore. It became less about enjoyment and more about addiction. Even when I didn't want to smoke, I kept doing it because I couldn't stop.
Over the years, I tried quitting a few times. Once, I even managed to stay off cigarettes for four months, but then stress hit, and I started smoking again. I realised that to quit, you have to really want it deep down. You can't force yourself or do it halfway. This time was different, though—I wanted it more than ever.
The real wake-up call came from my GP. I had some tests done, and it turned out I was almost in the high-risk category for strokes. My GP referred me to the Knowsley Stop Smoking advisor at Wingate Medical Centre. They prescribed me Zyban to help with the cravings. The service was amazing—honestly, I couldn't have asked for better support. Nicola, my advisor, was fantastic. She really understood what I was going through, and she made me feel like I could be open about everything.
Since quitting, so many things have improved. My appetite is better, and I just feel healthier overall. My sense of smell has come back, and on top of all that, I'm saving a lot of money. I've managed to pay off some credit cards with the money I used to spend on cigarettes, which has been a huge relief.
If I had to give advice to anyone trying to quit, I'd say to find your biggest challenge—the moment you struggle the most—and work on that. Keep chipping away at it until you've overcome it. That's what worked for me and I've been smoke-free for six months now. And if you're thinking about quitting, I'd recommend reaching out to Knowsley Stop Smoking Service."
Further support and health information you can trust
For local support contact, contact Smokefree Knowsley on 0151 426 7462, text QUIT to 61825, or visit the Smokefree Knowsley website
Smoking Ends Here website contains online guides to help you quit at every stage. You can also find local support across Cheshire and Merseyside.
