October 29, 2026 - 145 views
People across Wales who want to stop vaping can now access free support through a new NHS Wales app tool designed to help them manage cravings, reduce their nicotine intake and plan to quit.
Public Health Wales has launched the new module within the Help Me Quit app, as new laws come into force extending restrictions on the sale and promotion of vaping and other non-medicinal nicotine products.
The changes extend the ban on sales to under-18s to include nicotine-free vapes and nicotine products such as pouches. Promotional giveaways and substantial promotional discounts on these products are also prohibited.
The new app module is aimed mainly at adults who want to reduce or stop vaping. Users can set personal goals, monitor their progress, identify situations that trigger cravings and gradually reduce the strength of nicotine they use or how often they vape.
It comes as more adults seek help to become nicotine-free, including people who originally turned to vaping to give up cigarettes.
Public Health Wales stresses that vaping remains substantially less harmful than smoking. For people who have successfully used e-cigarettes to quit tobacco, avoiding a return to smoking remains the priority.
Mary-Ann McKibben, Consultant in Public Health for Public Health Wales, said vaping had helped many people stop smoking and remain smoke-free.
She said the new module offered a practical, evidence-based way for people to understand their nicotine use and make informed decisions about reducing or stopping vaping at a pace that suited them.
The app is being launched alongside other bilingual resources, including an online quit-planning tool, advice on managing cravings and a tracker to help people monitor their vaping habits and progress.
People can use the resources independently or alongside support from the Help Me Quit service, where available. Free help is also available through the Help Me Quit website at helpmequit.wales, by calling 0800 085 2219 or texting HMQ to 80818.
Additional guidance has been developed for teachers, youth workers, school nurses and healthcare professionals supporting young people who vape. Public Health Wales says children and young people should not smoke or vape, and people who do not smoke should not start vaping.
However, it says young people who have developed nicotine dependence should be able to seek help without judgement.
Deputy Minister for Public and Preventative Health Nerys Evans said the new support, alongside the changes to the law, would help protect children and young people from nicotine addiction.
The message from public health experts is that stopping vaping is a positive step for those who want to become nicotine-free, but anyone who has quit smoking with the help of vaping should take care not to jeopardise that progress by returning to cigarettes.
