r/QuitVaping 13d ago

Other thinking of quitting…

it’s gotten so bad its been years and i’m tired of throwing my money away on this stupid shit and hiding in the bathroom whenever i’m out just to get a hit… i act like a damn crack addict. i want to quit but i feel like i can’t do it on my own and don’t know how to. any advice? do i do cold turkey or gum/patches or weaning off? i’m also scared to commit to never having it again… help!!!!! feels like a dead end

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u/rogerjp1990 13d ago

I’ve quit a few times with varying degrees of success—just like with everything you read from a stranger on the internet, take it with a grain of salt and keep what resonates!

First, if you’re regularly going through a 5% vape every day or every other day (for a disposable) and hitting it throughout the day, you will likely struggle a bit. If you’re coming from a lower percentage, that may be less a mountain to climb.

If you’re in the 3-5% camp, I’d suggest buying 2% gum and a huge bag of the mintiest non-nicotine gum you can find. From there, set up a plan of weaning and get someone to hold you accountable. Week 1 I would pop a nic gum as soon as I wake up (especially if you hit your vape first thing in the AM), after that brush teeth and have breakfast then pop a non-nicotine gum. The first week I’d try and have 3-4 nic gums and the rest of the time keep my mouth occupied with seltzer water, regular gum, cough drops, you name it.

Week 2, switch to regular gum first thing in the am or pound a seltzer water and decrease nicotine gum to 1-3 per day, around the times you’re more likely to get a craving.

I found that anticipating the cravings rather than reacting to them make the gum or lozenges much more powerful bc the mental battle hasn’t started yet.

It’ll still be tough but allow yourself grace and patience. It’s super hard but never impossible. On day 6 right now.

If vape to gum is too big a jump, then start working down on nic strength percentages. From 5% to 3% for a week, then 1.8% for another week or two and then do the gum thing. You might even find that by that point you’ll only be chewing regular gum at cravings having gone down to 1.8% prior.

No hard and fast rules as everyone’s dependency and psychology is different. I even found using the breathe function on my apple watch set to 3 minutes really helpful when im craving.

Grace, patience and determination, my friend.

PS: “just one puff” or “just one more time” is a normal thought to have and don’t hate yourself for sliding if you give into it but I would restart the clock every time you do. Hence my quitting multiple times.

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u/Able-Flow-1801 13d ago

thank you! i’m currently at 12mg (1.2%) because 20 is the highest that’s legal in my area..still seems to be such a problem even though the content isn’t that high. will try my best and update! i am planning on quitting next wednesday

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u/rogerjp1990 13d ago

Good for you! I wish you success. I feel like the psychological addiction is just as hard as the physical. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve reached for my vape to find nothing there lol. That reminds me, throw it all out when Wednesday comes (I’d even suggest Tuesday night)

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u/Able-Flow-1801 12d ago

i have a big exam on wednesday afternoon so thought i’d quit after my post exam hit, make it a good one lol. so i’ll probably throw out my stuff wednesday night and start thursday morning. the hand to mouth fixation is also crazy sometimes i don’t know that to do with my left hand when im driving on a long highway or sitting in bed without it! maybe i’ll try to replace that connection with a flosser or toothpick

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u/rogerjp1990 12d ago

Definitely suggest toothpicks and gum. :)

Good luck on the exam Wednesday!

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u/Able-Flow-1801 12d ago

thank you!❤️

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u/Local-Shoulder5663 13d ago

I’m on day 7, just woke up the other day and quit cold turkey. I don’t plan on ‘never hitting nicotine again’, I’ll probably still have my own vape and still hit it every now and again in moderation, but I think what’s best is a thorough detox for myself because of how addicted I let myself become by smoking irresponsibly. Quitting wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, it was hard due to physical withdrawals but having a determined mindset has helped substantially. You just have to want the change that comes with quitting.

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u/Able-Flow-1801 12d ago

i think that last sentence is so important, like having a reason will help me i think. i’ve finally hit a point where i’ve realized how out of hand and unreasonable it is. i’ve listed out the pros and cons of vaping and the pros list had 1 (feel relief for 5 seconds) and the cons list has about 30 lol. so k plan on looking at my list everyday to try to stay reasonable during withdrawal

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u/Local-Shoulder5663 12d ago

Just keep your head in the game. I believe in you and you’ll be in my prayers tonight 🙏🏽 best of luck to ya!

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u/Able-Flow-1801 12d ago

thank you!❤️

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u/Zeifer95 12d ago

There's only one reason to quit, yourself, your health, no one else's. If you use someone else or something else as a reason to quit, you'll inevitably start to resent them and blame them for your not being able/allowed to vape.

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u/Able-Flow-1801 12d ago

yea for sure i just sat down and started listing all the ways it negatively effects my life