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.
Quitting vaping can be difficult because of nicotine addiction, and one of the biggest hurdles is managing nicotine withdrawal. The first day may be the most difficult. If you can set a routine and follow it for the rest of your effort to quit, you may see a greater chance of success.
Nicotine withdrawal symptoms set in between 4 and 24 hours after a person last vaped. The symptoms peak around day three of abstinence and then gradually subside over the following three to four weeks.
The first three days of smoking cessation are intense for most ex-smokers, and day 3 is when many people experience the discomforts of physical withdrawal.
Research suggests that quitting cold turkey may be the most effective way to quit. If you go this route, be sure to throw away all vaping materials, including chargers, pods and juices. Another advantage of quitting cold turkey is you won't feel tempted to reach for “just one puff.”
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.
The good news is that the uncomfortable feelings of withdrawal will fade over time if you stay away from vapes. The longer you go without vaping, the more your body can get used to being nicotine-free.
Lung disease: Vaping can make asthma and other existing lung diseases worse. Breathing in the harmful chemicals from vaping products can cause irreversible (cannot be cured) lung damage, lung disease and, in some cases, death.
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.
Nicotine vaping is substantially less harmful than smoking. It's also one of the most effective tools for quitting smoking. Vaping is not recommended for non-smokers and young people because it is not completely harmless.
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.
Typically, manufacturers advise that 10 puffs on your vape are about the same as 10 puffs on your cigarette. They further speculate that 10 puffs are all you take on one cigarette. Of course, this varies based on how big your puffs are, how strong your vape device is, and how much nicotine you are using.
In addition, 4.12% reported unsuccessful quit attempts for e-cigarette vaping in 2020, nearly double that for cigarette smoking. In total, the percentage of all teens who reported an unsuccessful quit attempt was 5.74%.
The Benefits of Quitting
Additionally, quitting vaping will improve your blood circulation and enable your lungs to begin healing. This will result in fewer coughing episodes and improved breathing ability during physical activity.
However, it typically takes years, even decades for those conditions to develop. But with vaping, we're seeing lung damage developing in much less time; often under a year.
Can popcorn lung fix itself? The short answer to this is no. Bronchiolitis obliterans is irreversible. Once the damage happens, you can't fix it.
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.
QUITTING RESOURCES
The common misconception that nicotine relieves stress, anxiety, and depression, may be rooted in the cycle of nicotine withdrawal. Irritability, anxiety, and depression are some of the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal, and using nicotine relieves these symptoms temporarily.
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.
The first week, especially days 3 through 5, is always the worst. That's when the nicotine has finally cleared out of your body and you'll start getting headaches, cravings, and insomnia. Most relapses happen within the first two weeks of quitting.
ADDICTION Chronic use of Juul and other e-cigarettes may lead to nicotine addiction. LUNG INJURIES AND RESPIRATORY PROBLEMS Vaping may cause severe lung injury and can result in cryptogenic organizing pneumonia (COP), popcorn lung, increased cardiovascular risks and even death.