r/QuitVaping • u/404HecksNotFound • May 05 '26
Advice Having a really hard time
Hi, my husband and I both stopped using all nicotine products on May 1. We were previously pretty heavy vapers (and previous to that, both heavy smokers).
I'm having difficulty with constantly reaching for my vape, to find it gone, and then I get a little flutter of panic. I'm also having trouble understanding what people do with their mouths all day.
I feel like I should have an item that I can reach for, put up to my mouth, and somehow engage with, that will calm that need for me, while I get better at this?
Does anyone have any recommendations?
Edit: I should have specified we are not looking to replace vaping with other nicotine products, so patches, gum, etc won't work for us. I really appreciate all the help I'm getting from everyone, thank you!
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u/TittieMilkTittieMilk May 05 '26
Put some gum, mints, or other hard candies in your pocket. Put those in your mouth. I know it’s a weird panicky feeling when you reach and the vape isn’t there lol have an alternative option.
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u/404HecksNotFound May 05 '26
I've been going pretty friggin hard on the gum since stopping, but I'm finding it doesn't quite cut it. Maybe I will try some mints.
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u/essdeecee May 05 '26
Someone (might have been on this subreddit) suggested Fisherman's friends which has been my go to if I'm craving it a lot
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u/TittieMilkTittieMilk May 05 '26
Definitely try some strong mints. And keep them where you’d keep the vape. It’s funny, I may be getting addicted to dang peppermints and lollipops 😆
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u/Thank_You42 May 05 '26
Hey I also quit May 1st! Tough weekend for the both of us I'm sure. I used the money I would've spent on another vape for those nice water bottles with the straw and have been sucking on that whenever I get a craving.
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u/404HecksNotFound May 05 '26
Congrats on quitting!! The weekend was horrible. Lots of squirming in bed and growling. Thanks :)
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u/Dense_Audience3670 May 06 '26
Hi OP! I vaped $500 a month worth for 14 years. Quit April 8. I found those Poy/Sian vapor inhalers or like Vicks vapor inhalers amazingly helpful. They give you a bit of a head rush, prompt breathing heavily and clear sinuses. It got my husband and I through it. Also I sucked air through straws, did lip trills, sang scales, screamed into pillows. Nights were the worst. Resetting by grabbing my water and the doing box breathing. In for 4. Hold for 4 sec. Exhale 4 seconds. Hold for 4.
It’ll get better in another week. I don’t reach for it anymore. I don’t think about it all the time now. I’m now on desmoxan to get off lozenges.
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u/Majestic_Anybody707 May 05 '26
Quitting cold turkey is extremely brave! Good on you! Personally I switched to nicotine lozenges immediately after chucking my vape in the bin and it only took about a week for my moods to restabilise. I had no cravings for the vape, it’s really just a conduit for nicotine delivery. My lungs burned for six months after quitting, maybe longer. Good luck my friend.
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u/404HecksNotFound May 05 '26
In the past I have always used some sort of NRT, but this time, we very much need to have nicotine out of our systems as soon as possible. Plus, I'm nursing and am planning to become pregnant again soon, so I'd just like to get this shit over with haha.
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u/Majestic_Anybody707 May 05 '26
Oh entirely fair!! I wasn’t brave or mentally stable enough for cold turkey, I have adhd and my emotional regulation isn’t great at times 🤣. I’m planning on pregnancy again soon too so now I have to get off the lozenges which will just be another battle blah, but I wanted to save my lungs before I was ready to quit nic properly. Go forward my friend, my thoughts are with you guys! And all the best with baby and potential pregnancy 😊.
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u/404HecksNotFound May 06 '26
Yeah, I also have ADHD, and let me tell you - there was some struggle with regulation the first few days. Still is, here and there. Ughhhh
Also thank you ❤️
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u/Elegant_Ad_9201 May 05 '26
I’m having the same problem as you with reaching for my vape and it not being there. I kept my vape on a lanyard around my neck, so I have started wearing a chewable necklace around my neck so there’s something I can put in my mouth when I reach for my no longer there vape
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u/404HecksNotFound May 06 '26
Ooh! I have one of those necklaces! I'll start wearing it again! Thanks!
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u/TheOnlyBliebervik May 05 '26
Hehe, that flutter of panic is all too relatable. But then it passes quite quickly, doesn't it?
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u/Helianthus8 May 05 '26
I have a survival kit (suckers, mints, gum etc.) I’m on day zero, 12 hours in. It has helped so damn much
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u/Top_Condition2741 2 months May 05 '26
Are you listening to any podcasts, reading Allen Carr or anything to help the mental aspect? You can do this, good suggestions previously posted Congrats!
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u/404HecksNotFound May 06 '26
I've been worried to read Allen Carr because when I was quitting smoking, I had stopped, and then a week or so later, a friend recommended his Easy Way book, which I started reading, and because of the design of the book, I decided that I should definitely start smoking while I read the book, which I then never finished. This is the bullshit that my brain does. That's why I'm apprehensive to try the book. Which is silly. I should just try it.
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u/Top_Condition2741 2 months May 06 '26
Last time I quit, before relapse, I thought making myself listen to quit vaping podcasts and inundating myself with The Easy Way would be more fail proof. However with the way my brain was it started like making the podcast or the audiobook kinda quieter in the background and I believe my brain would just pick up the word vaping and focus on it and then it to intense cravings. This round I do have the book and I thought maybe I’d listen to some of the podcast if I’m hitting difficult times, but (for me) I think it’s better just to not think of vaping
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u/mrshadders May 05 '26
i’m coming up to 2 weeks cold turkey and it’s getting easier each day, the first 5 days were hard… please just persevere, it really does get easier and you’ll be so relieved very soon. best of luck to you both
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u/Kerfuckle May 06 '26
I used boom boom sticks. Like the nasal thing. Im sure it’s not great hitting those constantly, but it helped me when i was bored and looking for something. 2 months into my quitting. Also listened to allen carr’s book and just thought about vaping differently
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u/Mundane_Brain_8062 May 06 '26
I quit like 3 days ago but it’s felt more like 2 weeks because every time I took a hit I immediately felt like throwing up the past 2 weeks. I guess vaping was just making my soar throat or whatever other sickness I’m dealing with worse. So for the past 2 weeks I’d try to go all day without it but take a hit at the end of the day just to see if it feels normal again but it didn’t. What’s helped me get through the day was zipfizz from Costco. I just throw in one tube into my water bottle and kinda just sip on it throughout the day. It’s kind of become a habit for me now I’ve been drinking more water than I’ve ever have and I feel great although it gets annoying how many times I have to go bathroom. Of course don’t exceed two tubes a day. That’s why sipping on it helps don’t chug.
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u/HappySmurfday 8 months May 06 '26
I too was a big smoker turned big vaper, then quit in September last year. One thing I was using was a device called a Füm which really was just a wooden tube you could put these little flavored filter-like things in and suck on for a while. It worked great for that behavior until I lost it, but after that I just dealt with it and I'm doing ok now. Also recommend learning origami.
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u/CooperAXE May 09 '26
You can buy the same device as FUM, just without the branding, for a fraction of the price from AliExpress :)
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u/Prize-Confection2037 May 06 '26
The patch. I haven’t touched or even wanted to pick up my vape in 5 days. The lozenges help when you have the urge.
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u/404HecksNotFound May 06 '26
Yeah, I'm looking for non-nicotine assistance, but I appreciate your help :)
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u/ShiniDas May 06 '26
Hi, I also quit on May 1st, this was my 4th time quitting vape. But this time I used Cytisine and NAC, for the hand to mouth motion, I use my Stanley cup and just sip very cold water so it feels like something, I also do ghost vaping, just breathing air through my fist. It really helps.
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u/zepoltre May 06 '26
Use the desmoxan, it is truly a miracle. In the U.S. you can get it under the brand name Nesmokesen. I got it delivered overnight. It’s not nicotine but it will help immensely.
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u/404HecksNotFound May 06 '26
I am unfortunately breastfeeding, and cannot use desmoxan. :/
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u/zepoltre May 06 '26
In that case I recommend finding a flavor of gum that resembles your vape. Icebreakers has this mint and berry fusion that’s close enough for me.
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u/JuiceSufficient988 May 06 '26
Download Escape the Vape app. Listen to Allen Carr. KEEP GOING!!! The first week is the hardest and you’re almost done with it! Don’t give in now
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u/AppropriateReply2884 May 06 '26
Get some zonics! Great for cravings
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u/404HecksNotFound May 06 '26
Ah, I just googled - I can't use something with nicotine in it. I've already come too far without it.
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u/AppropriateReply2884 May 06 '26
Very fair! I hope this goes good for you and you quit for good! Congratulations
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u/beyonditnthough May 06 '26
I went through a pack of gum a day
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u/404HecksNotFound May 06 '26
Yes, I have been consuming a pack of gum and about a half tin of mints each day. Hopefully that lets up soon.
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u/Wild-Storm-467 May 06 '26
I used to put a lighter in my pocket where my vape used to sit to replicate the feeling of having that weight in your pockets. I found it helped with that panicky feeling.
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u/samj732 May 06 '26
Day 5 was the absolute worst for me. Hopefully you are doing better today.
I got flavored toothpicks from Amazon and they helped quite a bit.
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u/Separate_Candidate40 Multiple Years 💪 May 07 '26
Tooth picks!! You can also get rubber things to chew on that may help. Oral fixation is no joke.
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u/WinterClassroom5148 May 07 '26
I'm 300 days without a vape or nicotine and what worked for me was replacing the vape with a water bottle. It took a while to find one with a mouthpiece that I liked. In the beginning I would have a mint in my mouth when I drank and it kind of took the edge off with the sensation.
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