Any news where we see the number of people smoking dropping is normally a good thing. It means the years of information and anti-smoking schemes are working.
However there has been a troubling development in the last 10 years, the rich are quitting but the poor aren't.
What makes it even worse is that this is having a huge impact on life expectancy as well. For the first time in 50 years the life expectancy gap between the rich and poor is growing.
In fact the richer among us have already moved to e-cigarettes, so why haven't the rest?
And it isn't just happening in the UK, but all over the developed world.
Why Is This Happening?
At first glance this doesn't seem to make sense, after all smoking is expensive (and getting more so every day). Wouldn't it be the rich then who could afford cigarettes and why are the poorer holding onto the cigarettes?
Simply put, it can be expensive to be healthy.
Eating only fresh fruit and vegetables, joining a gym, getting help with smoking, these can all cost money.
So when money is scarce things like quitting smoking or eating healthy take a backseat to the essentials.
In America the difference is stark, the national average for smokers in the US is 15%, however if you are in the lower classes (measured by education and pay), the percentage is 40%.
And that number hasn't changed in years.
In the UK the numbers aren't so bad, but smoking is still the biggest cause of inequality in death rates between rich and poor in the UK.
For example if you are a labourer or bar staff you are 16% more likely to smoke then a lawyer or professor. And that divide is growing.
With the number of smokers dropping every year some think smoking will soon be the habit of the poor.
Though the reason for this shift is not certain, a lot of the time it is a matter of the culture which creates lower incentives to quit. In other words if everyone else smokes it is much harder to quit.
Smoking traps people as well, as the price of cigarettes goes up, the more of your income is spent on smoking, and the less you have to improve your life.
This can be a major factor in stopping people progress in life, for example finding better employment or making healthy choices.
As you are staying in the same place, it is easy to keep up the same habits such as smoking. It is a cycle which traps thousands of people into smoking.
Another factor is that it seems that the richer you are, the more you have exposure to healthier food and healthy living. The poorer sections of society also have less access to help, or the time to use it.
What Being Done To Help?
Fortunately in the UK there are schemes and groups that aim to help people stop smoking. This is of course on top of the prescriptions doctors can give such as nicotine patches and gum.
For many though these don't work, or don't work for long.
That is why e-cigarettes have been so helpful. For many people they have been even more helpful then patches or gum.
And they help people who still need the hand to mouth feel of a cigarette. For many people smoking is a habit they have had for years, and having something to puff on helps hugely. This can really help if all your friends still smoke, as it helps avoid temptation.
The best part though? They are MUCH cheaper then cigarettes, and are still 95% less harmful then cigarettes!
A smoker can save themselves thousands of pounds every year by making the switch, and stop taking in all those toxins as well. E-cigarettes can help people break out of the cycle which keeps them smoking and help them make the switch away from cigarettes.
Millions of people in the UK have already used them to quit smoking, from all walks of life. If you want to be one of them why not try one of our New SMOKO VAPE POD Starter Kits today!
