So, you’ve decided to quit vaping? Great idea!
After all, vaping nicotine is linked with many health risks and side effects, including lung disease and heart complications.
But, quitting vaping can be a daunting task, especially when you don't know where to start.
Worry not!
We’ll walk you through three effective methods to quit vaping and some super helpful coping tips.
And guess what! You may not even need to give up the vaping experience!
We’ll introduce you to nicotine-free vapes — a safe alternative to both nicotine vapes and traditional cigarettes.
Read more:
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This Article Contains:
- How To Stop Vaping: 3 Most Effective Methods
- 7 Additional Tips To Help You Stop Nicotine Vaping & Cope With Withdrawal
Let’s go!
How To Stop Vaping: 3 Most Effective Methods
We wish we could say there was a 'quick-fix' solution to quitting vaping, but unfortunately, there isn't.
Kicking nicotine dependency will take some serious work and dedication. Still, the effort is well worth the reward!
Here are three effective methods for ‘ditching the deed,’ along with their benefits and challenges.
1. Nicotine Reduction Method
For those who prefer not to dive into the deep end of vaping cessation straight away – nicotine reduction therapy is the way to go!
With nicotine reduction, the aim is to gradually decrease the amount of nicotine you ingest over a long period.
Here’s how it works:
Step 1: Restrict your daily intake
The first step is to limit your daily intake to a smaller amount than what you’re used to.
Let’s say you vape around 500 puffs daily (half the capacity of a standard disposable vape pen). You can cut it down to 450 puffs per day.
Vape with this restriction for around one week, giving your body time to adjust to these new levels of nicotine intake.
Step 2: Increase restrictions over time
The next step is to keep reducing your daily intake limit each week till you reach a point where you are smoking under 20 puffs daily.
At this point, your body is more dependent on the oral fixation aspect of vaping (the habit of putting a vape in your mouth) and not so much on nicotine.
Step 3: Embrace safer alternatives like nicotine-free vapes
A great way for e cigarette users to stay on track with this method is to slowly replace nicotine vaping with some other safer habits.
Like what?
You can switch to a Nicotine-free vaping product like Cyclone Pods — a fantastic alternative to avoid the nasty health risks of nicotine while still enjoying the pleasures of vaping! These vapes are also a safe option for any young person looking to experience vaping.
Cyclone Pods has a wide range of reusable and disposable nicotine-free vapes in different sizes and flavors. Most importantly, they are – free from harmful chemicals like vitamin e acetate, known to cause shortness of breath and lung irritation.
Fancy a minty fresh vaping experience?
Try this Thunder Mint Starter Kit from Cyclone Pods. The kit packs all the essentials you need to get started — vaping device, nicotine-free pod, and charging cables.
Looking for something disposable?
This Mango Flavored Gust Super is a great option! The long-lasting (up to 5000 puffs) disposable vape is free from nicotine or harmful chemicals like vitamin e acetate and comes with a choice of several exciting flavors.
If you are in a pinch, even chewing gum or sparkling water can trick your mind into getting a fix.
Did you know: Sparkling water mimics the feeling of tobacco smoke on the throat?
As you progress through the nicotine reduction method, you’ll notice these healthier alternatives slowly replacing your nicotine cravings.
Now, there are pros and cons to this method.
Benefits of nicotine reduction method:
This method helps you cope with cravings and nicotine withdrawal symptoms over a period of time instead of letting them hit you like a truck! Because of this, the success rates for this method are high!
Challenges of nicotine reduction method:
Although nicotine withdrawal symptoms (such as shaking, cravings, mood swings, and hunger) are mild, you’ll still need to work towards overcoming them.
As with quitting smoking, you’ll need strong restraint and dedication for this method to be effective.
2. Quit ‘Cold Turkey’
Going cold turkey is one of the most challenging methods, but it can lead to great results! The cold turkey method forces you to end nicotine use immediately, without aids or safety nets.
High risk. High reward!
Here's what to do:
Step 1: Pick a date to quit
Choose a specific day to quit in advance, and stick to it. When the day arrives, get rid of all your vape products.
You heard right – all of them!
Going cold turkey means cutting all contact with nicotine and facing the effects head-on until they pass. Removing all temptations to vape is essential for this method, as sneaking one puff could send you back to square one.
The first week is challenging as you will face heavy withdrawal. This means that nicotine is exiting your system - which is good! As the weeks progress, these effects will lessen, and so will your desire to vape.
Step 2: Be prepared to cope with withdrawal symptoms
When withdrawal starts to sink in, your chances of relapse will increase. Having a plan in place for when this happens will help you cope and overcome these challenges.
Identifying your triggers, learning coping skills, and forming a support structure are all great ways to cope with withdrawal symptoms and prepare you for facing nicotine cravings.
Benefits of going ‘cold turkey’:
Cold turkey gets you over the worst parts of quitting nicotine quicker. Additionally, you start to gain health benefits much faster with cold turkey than with other quitting methods.
The cold turkey method is commonly associated with combating drug abuse. However, it has proved to be equally effective among vapers and cigarette smokers as well – especially young adults.
Challenges of going ‘cold turkey’:
Withdrawal symptoms when going cold turkey are more intense compared to other methods.
And that’s why the success rate for cold turkey is low - only around 25%, as per a study by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. However, a smoker or vaper who quits cold turkey is more likely to stay off vaping or cigarette use in the long run.
3. Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT)
NRT, as the name suggests, is the method where you replace vaping with other less-harmful nicotine-based products.
With NRT, you’ll still need to put in the effort to quit your vaping addiction. However, it'll take a lot of the weight off your shoulders since you’re not giving up nicotine entirely.
Keep in mind though, that each of these methods have their own risks.
The three most common forms of NRT include:
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Nicotine patch: Nicotine patches are adhesive badges that release nicotine into your body through the skin.
The slow release of nicotine from a nicotine patch can last several hours, satisfying your nicotine cravings in a controlled manner.
Possible risk: Skin irritation
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Nicotine gum: Nicotine gum is a two-for-one smoking aid - it satisfies nicotine cravings as well as the craving for oral fixation. It releases nicotine into your bloodstream through the tissues in the mouth.
Possible risks: Nausea, insulin resistance
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Nicotine inhalers: Nicotine inhalers work just like asthma pumps. Taking short, shallow breaths from the inhaler throughout the day supplies you with fast doses of nicotine, giving a similar experience to smoking tobacco.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nicotine inhalers differ from asthma pumps in that they are not inhaled directly into the lungs and are absorbed in the back of the throat.
Possible risks: Headaches, throat irritation
Benefits of NRT:
Many people find quitting smoking or vaping easier when not facing intense withdrawal symptoms and nicotine cravings. NRT has proven to be highly effective, with increased chances of success between 50% - 70%.
Challenges of NRT:
While NRT satisfies a nicotine craving, the release of nicotine is slow compared to inhaling e-vapor or tobacco smoke. Moreover, NRT methods may have several health risks and side effects, including skin irritation (with patches) and mouth sores (with nicotine gum.)
While nicotine replacement therapy is excellent at diverting nicotine addiction, you may still have the urge to vape since the nicotine addiction itself is not combatted - only replaced.
7 Additional Tips To Help You Stop Nicotine Vaping & Cope With Withdrawal
Cravings and withdrawal are the toughest part of quitting! Here are six helpful tips to help remove some extra pressure and push you toward success!
1. Identify Why You Want to Stop Vaping
Maybe it’s for health reasons or to prove to yourself that you can! Having a firm sense of why you want to stop cigarette smoking or vaping is fuel to the fire that keeps you headstrong when times get tough.
2. Identify Your “Triggers”
Vaping can quickly become associated with many parts of a daily routine without being noticed.
Certain feelings or experiences can “trigger” the need to vape. Figuring out these triggers is crucial to making the process more manageable in the long run.
Here are some common triggers:
- Emotions such as stress, anger, and boredom
- Being around people who vape
- Drinking coffee or eating a meal
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Drinking alcohol
By identifying your vaping triggers, you can adjust your daily routine to work around these experiences and sensations. This will increase your chances of successfully quitting vaping.
3. Research Health Risks
Researching the health risks of nicotine vaping and e cigarette use is a fantastic way of reminding yourself that you're doing the right thing!
According to a study by the American Lung Association, health risks linked to vaping and tobacco cigarettes include lung damage, lung disease, and heart disease.
The Mayo Clinic has also found that vape pen and e cigarette use may cause permanent brain damage in an unborn child during pregnancy. Many of these health risks are linked directly to harmful chemicals in vape liquid, such as vitamin e acetate and diacetyl.
Feeling motivated yet?
4. Form A Support Structure
Informing your friends and family of your decision to quit smoking or vaping will help them better understand ways to support and encourage you through the process.
As a result, friends and family who use a vaping device, electronic cigarette or smoke a tobacco product will avoid doing so when around you and will motivate you to stay focused.
Surrounding yourself with other people trying to quit vaping or quit smoking a tobacco product is a great way to keep yourself on the right track.
5. Try A Third-Party Support Programme
Support programs like the EX Program provide cessation services to people trying to quit vaping or smoking tobacco cigarettes.
Programs like the EX program are especially effective at keeping young adults off vaping and tobacco cigarettes and creating community support for participants.
6. Use Coping Skills and Distractions
Finding it challenging to cope with nicotine cravings and nicotine withdrawal?
Try distracting your mind with some coping skills and helpful practices!
Here are six simple ways to keep you ahead of the challenges.
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Physical exercise: Physical exercise is excellent for your overall health and releases endorphins that help reduce the physical and mental cravings from nicotine addiction.
Your appetite will dramatically increase while you quit your vaping device or electronic cigarette. An added benefit is that physical exercise helps control weight gain due to comfort or stress eating.
- Pick up a hobby: A new hobby can keep you distracted during bouts of intense cravings and nicotine withdrawal.
- Listen to music: Listening to music releases hormones in your brain, like vaping.
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Read a book: Just like music, reading is a great way to shift your focus from cravings to creativity. The author Allen Carr has published several books on how to quit smoking and overcome addiction.
Get hold of an Allen Carr book for extra tips and tricks to help you quit vaping.
- Fidget Toys: Gadgets and toys like spinners and stress balls will keep your hands busy when physical symptoms of nicotine withdrawal start to set in.
- Mental health exercises: Mental health exercises are great for avoiding doubt and warding off vape or cigarette withdrawal. Some effective mental health exercises for overcoming nicotine addiction include meditation and breathing exercises.
7. Celebrate Your ‘Wins’
Quitting vaping or tobacco cigarette use is a challenging task that requires constant motivation. Patting yourself on the back for your progress will encourage you to keep pushing.
You can do this!
Make a Smart Move - Switch to Nicotine-Free Vaping!
Take some time to plan before starting your journey to stop vaping. You can determine what will work best for you using these methods and tips.
You can combine these practices (such as using nicotine-free vapes while practicing nicotine reduction) to give you the best chance of cessation success!
To see how a nicotine-free vaping product can help you overcome the grip of nicotine, check out Cyclone Pods. We have a range of high-quality nicotine-free vapes in many delicious flavors to help you control your habits and live a healthier life!