The good news is that there is much you can do to reduce nicotine cravings and manage common withdrawal symptoms. Also, it may help to know that nicotine withdrawal symptoms do subside over time. They are usually worst during the first week after quitting, peaking during the first 3 days.
Understand that the most intense feelings of withdrawal and cravings will often diminish after the first week, and the addiction will begin to subside. Nicotine withdrawal usually lasts about one month, and will get much easier after that time. Find healthier activities to replace vaping.
If you're experiencing cravings months after you quit smoking, they're likely being triggered by something you're feeling or something in your environment. 5 Your emotions—like happiness, sadness, and boredom—can also increase cigarette cravings. Emotions can act as triggers for smoking.
The withdrawal timeline is also different for everyone, but according to a 2015 study, symptoms like these set in between 4 and 24 hours after the last use, peak on day 3, and typically subside during the following 3-4 weeks.
After just 72 hours, nicotine is completely out of your system. During that time, you may experience headaches, chills and feel irritable as a result of nicotine withdrawal. Nicotine is shown to decrease blood flow around the heart, and some physicians believe vapes can have similar effects.
At three weeks, you've likely gotten through the shock of physical withdrawal. Now you're beginning to tackle the mental side of nicotine addiction, or psychological withdrawal. 2 This turn of events often triggers cravings to smoke that can feel like you're back at square one.
Studies have found that the most common negative feelings associated with quitting are feelings of anger, frustration, and irritability. These negative feelings peak within 1 week of quitting and may last 2 to 4 weeks (1).
Put simply, if you stop vaping, your skin will improve. “Blood flow increases and carbon monoxide levels drop,” says Dr Khorana. “Your complexion will improve as oxygen, antioxidants and new skin cell production return to normal.
Breathing in the harmful chemicals from vaping products can cause irreversible (cannot be cured) lung damage, lung disease and, in some cases, death. Some chemicals in vaping products can also cause cardiovascular disease and biological changes that are associated with cancer development.
Emotional Triggers
Emotions can be powerful triggers for vaping. It's common to want to vape to escape a bad mood or to make a good mood better. For example, you may notice an urge to vape when you're having negative emotions, like: Stressed or anxious.
Most people should expect to experience some of the following vaping withdrawal symptoms such as headaches, mood swings, anxiety or irritability, to start within about 24 hours of the last vape. It's important to be mentally prepared to accept vaping withdrawal symptoms and know they'll pass in a short time.
Cigarette cravings typically peak in the first few days after quitting and diminish greatly over the course of the first month without smoking. 1 While you might miss smoking from time to time, once you make it past six months, the urge to smoke will be diminished or even gone.
In other words, while some people can quit this way, at least 95% of people can't. Quitting cold turkey has such a low success rate due to the nature of nicotine addiction. Addiction undermines willpower, or the ability to control impulses through decision-making.
Exercise is one of the most effective alternatives to vaping, as it releases endorphins that can improve mood and reduce stress levels. Encouraging your teenager to engage in physical activities like running, playing sports, or doing yoga can provide a healthy outlet for stress and anxiety.
When you go without vaping, the nicotine level in your bloodstream drops, which may cause unpleasant feelings, physical symptoms, and strong urges to vape. This is nicotine addiction.
3 months – According to research, your dopamine levels will return to normal3 at this point, and the reward part of your brain no longer requires nicotine.
Benefits of vaping
Vaping can help some people quit smoking. Vaping is usually cheaper than smoking. Vaping is not harmless, but it is much less harmful than smoking. Vaping is less harmful to those around you than smoking, as there's no current evidence that second-hand vapour is dangerous to others.
E-cigarettes are closely associated with tobacco cigarettes and for obvious reasons: Both are popular among teens, both contain highly addictive nicotine, and both can ruin health and potentially the brain development of adolescents. One big difference: It's harder to quit vaping than traditional cigarettes. Why?
Vapes with nicotine can be as addictive as cigarettes, which doesn't do anything to help you quit. In fact, some e-cigarettes can deliver even more addictive nicotine, making it even harder to give them up.
About two thirds of people who use a vape along with expert support successfully quit smoking.
Vape In Moderation. Nicotine can be addictive. As such, the key is not to let yourself vape too frequently. If you can vape only once a day or even just occasionally, you can stay as safe as possible.
1: Vaping is less harmful than smoking, but it's still not safe. E-cigarettes heat nicotine (extracted from tobacco), flavorings and other chemicals to create an aerosol that you inhale. Regular tobacco cigarettes contain 7,000 chemicals, many of which are toxic.