If you are considering stopping vaping, these tips can help you get started.
There are lots of reasons you might want to stop vaping, such as:
- Saving money
- Not wanting to rely on nicotine
- Concerns about the health effects on your lungs
Think about what stopping vaping could mean for you: benefits may include
- More money
- Better physical health
- Better mental health
- No more dependence on nicotine
If you feel ready to stop, make a plan!
The following tips can help you to get started:
What nicotine strength are you using? Vapes come in a range of different strengths. Nicotine vape pods and refillable e-liquids are available from 0mg to 20mg.
How often you are vaping? Every half hour or every hour or more often?
How long does each vaping session last? A couple of puffs or for a few minutes?
Know what to expect. Most vapes contain nicotine, this is the addictive chemical. When someone regularly vapes nicotine and then stops, their brain and body need time to adjust. They may experience temporary withdrawal symptoms, just like stopping smoking.
Knowing what’s normal can make the experience less worrying. Common withdrawal symptoms can include:
- Headaches
- Anxiety
- Low mood
- Difficulty concentrating
- Irritability
- Restlessness
- Strong urges to vape
These symptoms usually peak in the first few days and begin to improve over 2–4 weeks, which can help keep you motivated.
Getting Ready to Quit Vaping
There are 2 ways to stop vaping. Think about whether you want to gradually cut down or if you want to stop in one-step. Which way will work best for you?
Gradually reduce vaping rather than stopping suddenly.
Cutting down slowly often reduces the intensity of withdrawal. Strategies include:
- Lowering nicotine strength step by step.
- Increasing the time between vaping sessions.
- Creating vape free spaces or times of day.
If reducing too fast increases cravings, step back to the previous strength temporarily.
Make a Plan – Cut down to quit
- Pick a date let those you trust know that you are cutting down to quit from this date and discuss what they can do to help.
- Set rules for yourself about where you do and don’t vape (e.g. only use when outside of your home or car, only on work breaks).
- Change your routine. Think about the times and activities where you vape. For example, if you vape when you first wake up, try having breakfast instead or if you vape when you have a coffee, try switching to tea or another drink.
- Remove temptation by putting your vape out of sight when not using it; only buy one refill liquid or small pack of pods at a time or try switching to a flavour you like less. Try leaving the house without your vape for short trips.
- Reduce how long and how often you vape by taking smaller puffs, increasing the time between vaping (e.g. if vaping every 20-minutes increase this to every 40-minutes). Start later in the day and finish earlier at night.
- Reduce the strength of nicotine (From 20mg–18mg–12mg–6mg–3mg–0mg). The speed at which you reduce is up to you. Stay at the reduced strength for a week or two or longer if you’re not feeling ready to drop down to the next nicotine strength. If you start to experience urges to smoke and you feel like you might go back to smoking, then increase your strength of nicotine until these feelings go away.
- Celebrate your success. Plan your rewards. For example, taking the money you would have spent on vaping and treat yourself.
Make a plan – Stopping vaping in one step
If you feel ready to simply stop vaping, you could try to go through the day without vaping. Some things that might help:
- Let those you trust know that you are stopping vaping and discuss what they can do to help you.
- Remove all vapes and where possible yourself from situations where others are vaping.
- Plan how you will manage urges to vape, such as distracting yourself by changing your routine.
- Celebrate your success by planning rewards for yourself such as having your favourite meal, a trip to the cinema or treating yourself some other way.
Cravings often last just 3–5 minutes so having small, quick distractions is extremely helpful.
These could be:
- Listening to music
- Going for a walk or simply stepping out of your house for some fresh air
- Talking to friends
- Doing a task with your hands (puzzles, fidget toys, playing games on your phone)
These activities help your brain ride out short-lived nicotine urges. Remind yourself that these symptoms will pass.
Vaping as a Stop Smoking Aid:
Nicotine vaping should only ever be used for a time-limited period, as a cessation tool by adults who currently smoke tobacco.
Nicotine vapes are NOT a type of Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) and therefore cannot be marketed as a medicine. None have tried to meet medicine-level standards of quality, safety and efficacy.
Current evidence shows that although nicotine vaping is less harmful than smoking, there is insufficient evidence on the long-term health effects of using them.
Many adults have used them to help them stop smoking. Dual use (smoking and vaping) should be avoided.
You are more likely to successfully quit smoking if you get support from your local Quit Your Way service and use either NRT or Varenicline to aid that quit attempt.
Re-commit to not smoking
If you have used your vape to successfully support you to stop smoking, it is important that you don’t start to smoke again when you come off your vape. Staying smoke free is very important so make sure you are ready to stop vaping.
Consider Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT)
If going vape free is too difficult, Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) for example, patches, spray, gum, lozenges can provide a more stable, lower-dose nicotine supply. This can help prevent relapse to smoking and/or vaping
You can buy NRT products from most pharmacies who will be able to help find the right product(s) for you. Quit Your Way Ayrshire & Arran can provide further information on how NRT works and offer behavioural support, advice and some NRT products for free for up to 4 weeks. Call 0800 783 9132 for further information.
Remember – if you have a blip and vape, don’t be hard on yourself.
Think about why you vaped and the next time you get an urge to vape, think about what you might do instead and remember not smoking is the priority.
If you vape and want to stop, support is available for up to 12 weeks. For more information, please contact 0800 783 9132.