Bloody hell, are we lagging behind. Former smokers in the UK are praising the new advancements in electronic cigarettes, or e-cigs, that have improved their health and given them a brand new hobby.

According to ChronicleLive, a recent report published by Public Health England concluded that e-cigs are significantly less dangerous than normal cigarettes and have helped tens of thousands to quit.

A region in the UK known as the North East is leading the pack in reaping the benefits of this new technology. Fresh Smoke Free North East, a local “stop-smoking” program, is actively endorsing the usage of e-cigs to quit cigarettes.

“Despite making great strides to reduce smoking, tobacco is still our biggest killer,” said Lisa Surtees, acting director at Fresh Smoke Free North East.

“Our region has always kept an open mind towards using electronic cigarettes as we can see the massive potential health benefits from switching.”

The dangers of smoking hit close to home for us here in America. In 2014, more than 8.6 million people had a serious illness that was directly related to smoking, and those numbers are only increasing.

According to Marketing Magazine in the UK, a government initiative called the Behavioural Insights Team had similar findings when researching the benefits of e-cigs.

“It is much easier to substitute a similar behaviour than to eliminate an entrenched one,” said Michael Hallsworth, head of health and tax on the Insights Team.

While e-cigs are fairly popularly in the U.S. considering how relatively new the industry is, it’s apparent that we have fallen behind the UK in both the research and usage of e-cigs.

Since we’re so competitive, reports like these will surely fuel the fire for American smokers to try out e-cigs and eventually make the switch. Who knows, maybe your favorite flavor will be Crumpets and Tea?