Why Vaping Matters: Jan’s Story

Meet Jan! She runs a jewellery repair store in Belfast. She switched to vaping 8 years ago and hasn’t looked back since.

What was her experience of smoking cigarettes?

Jan told me she ended up smoking 40 cigarettes per day, having started smoking at the age of 17. She told me that by the end, the experience was simply awful and extremely expensive. Her skin had turned grey, and this is something people used to comment on as naturally, friends and family were concerned for her health.

What is her experience of switching to vaping?

Jan explained that her daughter first suggested that she try a vape device. She gave it a go and decided she would try it for just one week. That one week is now 8 years tobacco-free and counting. Jan told me that her doctor had carried out chest x-rays in the past and more recently, for the first time in decades, the x-rays now show a clear chest. On top of all that, Jan is starting to move down the nicotine strengths in a bid to finally become nicotine-free in due course. Oh, and now her skin looks great!

Jan's advice for someone thinking of switching.

Jan says, ‘Give it a go!’. She warns (very fairly) that it will take a few days to get used to the taste and sensation of vaping in comparison to smoking conventional cigarettes but that if you stick with it, it gets much easier very quickly.