How To Quit Vaping

E-liquids used for vaping, however, are much more varied, making it harder for scientists to weed out what’s in each of those little pods and what effects they can have.

10 steps to quit vaping

There are several methods a person can try to help them quit vaping, including nicotine replacement therapy or physical activity.

Vaping refers to the use of products more technically known as electronic nicotine delivery systems or e-cigarettes. This article looks at vaping and its prevalence in the United States. It also explores the risks and why people should avoid them.

Finally, we provide tips for quitting vaping and the methods to follow.

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Vaping devices come in all shapes and sizes, including vape pens, e-pipes, and other devices.

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They work by heating a liquid in the device that usually contains nicotine and other chemicals, which help produce an aerosol that a person inhales. Bystanders can also breathe in the aerosol when a person exhales it into the air.

Vaping is increasingly common in the U.S. In 2018, roughly 8.1 million adults in the country engaged in the practice. Vaping is much more common among young people, with 7.6% of those aged 18–24 years identifying as e-cigarette users.

Why should people avoid it?

Even though manufacturers market vaping as a healthier alternative to smoking cigarettes, it is not free from risks. Studies show that 99% of e-cigarettes contain nicotine, a substance that causes physical dependence. Some vaping products even provide higher doses of the substance than traditional cigarettes.

If a pregnant person uses nicotine, it can affect the brain development of the fetus. Additionally, our brains continue to develop in our mid-twenties, so nicotine can cause damage to our brains during our adolescent and young adult years.

Nicotine addiction can cause:

• concentration issues
• restlessness
• irritability
• difficulty sleeping

Additionally, vaping the aerosol in these products can contain harmful ingredients, such as:

• heavy metals
• volatile organic compounds
• carcinogens

The health effects of vaping can be particularly damaging for young people. However, even as the number of young people vaping grows, so does the number of those interested in quitting.

One study showed that 62.4% of current e-cigarette users aged 18–34 planned to quit.

The following 10 steps for quitting vaping can be helpful for people going through this process.

1. Finding the motivation to quit

Many different issues can prompt a person to quit vaping. Generally, health was the most common reason vapers gave for quitting in a 2019 study, with costs being the second most popular.

Additional reasons included:

• having concerns about current health and future risks, including individuals saying their lungs hurt
• wanting to be free from addiction
• being influenced by friends and family
• interfering with their ability to be at their best for activities such as sports or singing
• not enjoying it anymore

When a person names their reason for quitting, it helps them set their course for their recovery journey and can help boost their motivation if it flags.

2. Timing

Setting a specific date to quit vaping is important because it enhances accountability. It gives a person a chance to prepare and gather supplies to help them through the cravings and stress of the early stages of quitting.

Whether someone plans to gradually wean themselves off of vaping or quit “cold turkey,” quitting all at once is a personal decision according to how a person best makes a change in their lives.

A person can try to avoid quitting during stressful times, such as final exams, holidays, or busy seasons at work.

3. Nicotine replacement

Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) is a tool that some people can use to help them stop using tobacco products. NRT addresses the physical symptoms of nicotine withdrawal and involves using over-the-counter (OTC) products such as:

According to a 60-day study, 2021 research concluded that light smokers were significantly more likely to have achieved at least 7 days of abstinence during the last week of the study in comparison with heavy smokers when using NRT.

A 2019 meta-analysis also shows that people who use NRT therapy and quit abruptly are more successful at quitting.

4. Identify triggers

A trigger is a feeling, activity, place, time, or anything that will make a person want to vape. Spending time with friends or going through stressful events are common triggers, but everyone will have their own.

Knowing what can prompt a strong desire to vape gives a person a chance to develop strategies to help them manage these feelings. They can also take steps to avoid these triggers until they feel more secure in their recovery.

5. Strategy for withdrawals and cravings

Strategies for handling withdrawal symptoms and strong cravings will vary, but the basic recommendations involve:

• refocusing
• seeking support
• using distractions
• removing oneself from the situation

A person may find the following examples of possible ways to avoid cravings:

• concentrating on their reasons for quitting
• texting a friend
• chewing gum
• going for a walk or a coffee break

6. Personal and professional support

Support networks can help a person quit vaping. Connecting with friends and family can provide an intimate level of support, particularly if they have quit vaping or smoking.

Additionally, smokefree.gov has links and phone numbers a person can use to:

• sign up for daily text messages
• connect to smartphone apps
• join social media pages or groups
• talk on the phone with live experts and counselors

7. Medical support

Medical support can help a person who wishes to quit vaping. These methods may particularly help individuals who have been heavy users of other nicotine products or have other underlying health conditions that benefit from professional guidance.

Some NRT products , such as inhalers and nasal sprays, require a doctor’s prescription.

Additionally, people with significant underlying conditions, such as diabetes, may also wish to consult a healthcare professional before using an OTC product.

8. Recognize strategy and challenges

Breaking the nicotine habit and changing daily personal and professional activities and social settings is difficult.

The physical withdrawal, emotional cravings, and triggers add another level of complexity, as do changes in moods and metabolism. Identifying a strategy to face these challenges can help.

Many resources are available online to help people identify these challenges and plan to handle them before they become too much.

9. Physical activity

Physical activity is a suitable way to address the many challenges that make it difficult to quit vaping. Exercise, especially aerobic exercise, can help former smokers fight cravings and should also work for former vapers.

Exercise also helps a person productively relieve stress. It can help boost metabolism and work against any weight gain when trying to quit a nicotine habit.

10. Destress or relaxation techniques

Some people may think vaping helps them handle stress. However, this makes it even more difficult to quit vaping because trying to break a nicotine addiction is stressful, and they are now missing one of their tools to cope with stress.

However, there are many healthy ways to manage stress, such as:

• practicing mindfulness and meditation
• yoga
• breathing and relaxation techniques

Researchers consider vaping or electric cigarettes a less harmful alternative to smoking cigarettes. However, it still contains nicotine, which is prone to causing physical dependence.

Whether a person gets their nicotine from vaping or more traditional forms of tobacco, breaking the habit is difficult. There are varying methods that a person can try when trying to quit, ranging from NRT, OTC and prescription medications, and other self-help techniques.

Last medically reviewed on August 5, 2022

How we reviewed this article:

Medical News Today has strict sourcing guidelines and draws only from peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We avoid using tertiary references. We link primary sources — including studies, scientific references, and statistics — within each article and also list them in the resources section at the bottom of our articles. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

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How To Quit Vaping

No one is surprised to hear that smoking cigarettes is bad for your health. Decades of Surgeon General warnings and terrifying public service announcements (PSAs) have really made that point loud and clear.

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But what’s been less clear is the guidance on vapes (or e-cigarettes, mods, Juuls® or whatever you choose to call electronic pens that deliver nicotine and other products without a lighter).

So, let’s get that out of the way first: Hands down, vaping is not a safe alternative to smoking cigarettes. Period. Hard stop.

True, there’s a wide range of nicotine-containing vaping pods (or e-liquids, vape juice or whatever you choose to call the cartridges that hold the chemicals used by a vape). And those pods have varying contents. Some have more nicotine, some have less, some are fruit flavored, some you can manipulate to add in other ingredients. But none of them are without significant risks to your health, including the high probability of nicotine addiction, says pulmonologist Humberto Choi, MD.

“Vaping addiction is treated the same as a nicotine addiction in people who smoke cigarettes because, at the heart of it, that’s what it is,” Dr. Choi says. “When you vape nicotine products, you’re being exposed to nicotine throughout the day. We know that nicotine is a highly addictive chemical. For most people, it’s not easy to quit.”

We talked with Dr. Choi about the dangers of vaping and nicotine addiction and got his advice on how to kick the habit. (Separately, some vape products are used to smoke marijuana. The recommendations for quitting those products would be similar to these ways to quit smoking weed.)

The dangers of vaping

Vaping nicotine products come with some of the same risks as smoking cigarettes. Both vaping and smoking are addictive and bring potentially dangerous chemicals into your body. While cigarettes have been studied extensively for decades, vaping is relatively new — they were first sold in the U.S. in about 2007. So, the long-term effects of vaping on your health still aren’t known for sure.

Effects of vaping

But some of the known dangers of vapes include:

Another known effect of vaping is a serious lung condition called EVALI (e-cigarette, or vaping, product use associated lung injury), which sent thousands of people who used vapes to the hospital in 2019 and 2020. The outbreak was mostly associated with people who used vapes containing THC (the psychoactive compound in marijuana that makes people feel “high”), but EVALI can develop in people who use nicotine vapes as well.

Unknown additives

When you go to the gas station and see that wall of different kinds of cigarettes behind the counter, it’s fairly well understood what’s in them. The boxes may have different logos, but they’re all tobacco products that contain nicotine and other chemicals.

E-liquids used for vaping, however, are much more varied, making it harder for scientists to weed out what’s in each of those little pods and what effects they can have.

Further complicating matters, the internet is full of “advice” from the vaping community with hacks to DIY your own e-liquids by adding alcohol, flavors, vitamins and other ingredients. And in case you’re wondering, manipulating your own e-liquids isn’t recommended, Dr. Choi says.

“It’s really hard to track exactly what substances are being used in e-liquids, and when people are trying to create their own e-liquids, it can make things even more dangerous,” he adds.

Risk for nicotine addiction

Addiction to nicotine is the most pressing danger of vaping, states Dr. Choi. This is particularly true because vaping can be done discreetly and without some of the restrictions put on smoking cigarettes.

“The number one concern is nicotine addiction,” Dr. Choi explains. “The content of one e-liquid cartridge can be the same as a full pack of cigarettes. And because vaping doesn’t require you to light something up and step outside, people can use it continuously throughout the day. You can easily go through a full cartridge in a very short time and be exposed to a very high concentration of nicotine.”

Are you addicted to vaping?

So, you might be thinking, “OK, maybe I vape, but that doesn’t mean I’m addicted” — the ol’ “I can stop whenever I can want” mentality. Let’s look at the signs of nicotine withdrawal to see.

When you stop using nicotine products (or are in between uses), a person with nicotine addiction may experience:

These changes (and more) happen because nicotine binds to receptors in your brain to release the chemical dopamine, the “feel-good hormone.” When you take away the nicotine, you release less dopamine, which can negatively affect your mood and behavior. Additionally, stopping the use of nicotine can upset certain chemicals in your body, leading to the physical effects of withdrawal.

How to quit vaping

A desire to quit using nicotine is an important and necessary first step. And you deserve a hearty congratulations for your commitment to quitting. (Your body — and wallet — will thank you for it!)

The ways to quit vaping are similar to the recommendations for ways to quit smoking, including:

• Tossing out your vape pens and pods.
• Identifying habits and rituals that are associated with your habit and breaking those cycles.
• Distracting yourself with exercise and relaxation techniques.
• Building a support system.
• Talking with a healthcare provider about pharmacological options, like medication and nicotine replacement therapies like patches, lozenges and gums.

Dr. Choi stresses that talking to a doctor about your addiction and your goals can be helpful.

A doctor can help you find the best methods for treating your dependence. For teens and young adults, nicotine replacement therapies, like patches, lozenges and gums, are the primary treatments recommended. For adults, certain medications can also be prescribed to help kick the habit.

In addition to physical tools, there are social and mental aspects to vaping. Understanding your triggers and why you vape in the first place can help you give up the vape for good.

“An important part of your quitting journey can come down to understanding why you vape,” Dr. Choi says. “Sometimes, we have to go deeper and see what’s going on. Some people use vaping to self-medicate their anxiety or depression. Or are you trying to use vaping as a way to ‘fit in’? Knowing why you started vaping in the first place can help you overcome any underlying issues and increase your chances of success.”

How long does it take to quit vaping?

There isn’t a specific timeline that works for everyone when they choose to quit vaping. No two people will have the same experience quitting nicotine vaping. How long it takes you to quit will likely depend on a number of factors, including:

• How much you vape.
• The ingredients in your vape.
• Why you vape.
• How long you’ve been vaping.
• Your level of commitment to quitting vaping.

“My best advice for someone who is quitting vaping is to be patient and give yourself some grace,” Dr. Choi advises. “Quitting is a process. Nicotine is highly addictive. It may take you a few attempts, and that’s OK. Try again. And don’t hesitate to reach out for help.”

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