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‘It seems self-evident that there is a
useful piece of work to be done with
those service users who smoke, while
they are in treatment, to encourage them
to make the switch to vaping as a part of
moving toward a healthier lifestyle...’
The power of e-cigs road To recovery
I am writing in support of Dr Neil
McKeganey and his view on the
prescribing of e-cigarettes (DDN,
February, page 18). As a proponent of
harm minimisation in all its forms and
bearing in mind the alarming
percentage of service users in their
forties and fifties with a diagnosis of
COPD, anything that can reduce the
numbers smoking tobacco is to be
welcomed.
In 2008 at Build on Belief we did an
impact evaluation and asked our service
users how many of them smoked toba -
cco. The answer was 73 per cent – more
than three times the national average.
In 2014 we repeated the evaluation and
asked the same question. The answer
didn’t change by a single percentage
point and remained at 73 per cent.
Then, in 2016 we did another, smaller
survey in one borough and were
astonished to discover the percentage
of tobacco smokers had dropped to 50
per cent.
The following year, we thought to
ask how many of them used e-
cigarettes. The answer was 23 per cent,
the exact percentage of the recorded
drop in tobacco smokers. Interestingly,
the great majority of those who had
switched to vaping were in treatment
and identified as being in recovery.
It seems self-evident that there is a
useful piece of work to be done with
those service users who smoke, while
they are in treatment, to encourage
them to make the switch to vaping as a
part of moving toward a healthier
lifestyle if they are unwilling or unable
to give up tobacco. The health benefits
would be enormous, and our research
suggests that a significant number
would, with a little support, do so.
Tim Sampey, chief executive, Build on Belief I sincerely found the experience of the
DDN conference really amazing as a
new peer mentor for Turning Point
Leicester. I had no help from the armed
forces and left after 30 years both as an
engineering apprentice and soldier,
followed by be com ing an officer with
the rank of captain.
I was simply told ‘as an officer, sort
yourself out!’ I had a well-won nervous
breakdown and PTSD that will be with
me for life. I take professional
counselling once a month and have
been abstinent from alcohol for nearly
four years now. I left the armed forces
20 years ago and never once as a family
man thought a road to hell was ahead. I
now enjoy life with my lovely wife of
some 47 years – without her support I
know I would not be here.
Trevor Mills, by email
www.drinkanddrugsnews.com
geT The picTure
Natalie Davies’ outstanding analysis of
the Cycle of Change (DDN, February,
page 20) was let dow