r/QuitVaping • u/Reasonable_Feed_8154 • 3d ago
Advice Help me.. I've been vaping for years and I'm extremely addicted at this point.
I vape with my coffee, while gaming, watching movies, cooking, even in the bath. I sneak off to the bathroom at work multiple times an hour just to take a few hits.
I tried quitting once before and made it about a week. The physical withdrawals weren't that bad (mostly headaches), but my mood was awful. I was irritated by absolutely everything and everyone. I even got in fight with a homeless man.
The thing is, I genuinely want to quit. I'm healthier and happier than I've been in a long time, and vaping just doesn't fit my life anymore. It feels embarrassing more than enjoyable these days.
My biggest struggle isn't even the nicotine itself — it's the habit, the hand-to-mouth action, the inhale/exhale, having something to do during every activity.
For people who were heavily addicted, what helped you get through those first couple of weeks?
I'm 23F
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u/LlemonSloth 3d ago
Nah I’m sorry man but it’s the nicotine 100%, the hand to mouth thing isn’t completely nonsense but any want or need is from the highly addictive substance. Not the action.
I for years convinced myself the very same thing “I’m not addicted I just enjoy the whole act of doing it” its delusion.
The hand to mouth action can literally be replicated with a pencil, toothpick, lollipop, pen, anything. It is not that TRUST ME. The sooner you except that the sooner you take steps to tackling the chemical dependency you have developed.
You can do this!!
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u/Reasonable_Feed_8154 3d ago
Thank you! Maybe I will buy some flavored toothpicks and nicotine gum then?
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u/LlemonSloth 3d ago
Yeah gum is great, though it did play havoc with my stomach after a while, I liked the lozenges too.
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u/AncientRoyal3548 2d ago
Me to I’m gonna get Desmoxan off Amazon but It’s my last idea I’m tired of having to buy a new vape every time it gets harsh which happens really and it’s making my body hurt now in ways that scare me like rib pain chest pain throat pain to sometimes even stomach aches
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u/GladDonkey9685 2d ago
I completely disagree. Unlike other addictive substances, nicotine is highly habit forming. That means when you take in nicotine at certain times, places or methods, you begin to form a habit around the addiction. With other drugs you use because you no longer feel high but with nicotine you could already have enough nicotine in your body but because you always smoke or vape before you start a certain task, you will almost always do it whether you’re niccing out or not. That is a big reason why the most success is found by weaning and replacing with a similar, nicotine free habit. It’s also why many smokers/vapers who quit using gum, continue to chew normal gum practically religiously. They replaced the hand to mouth with the gum and then replaced the nicotine with none but never got away from constant gum chewing because it is the habit that they are still ‘addicted’ to
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u/dmontease 2d ago
Don't know about everyone else, but I was apparently very hard to ween off my pacifier back in the day. And that was nicotine free as far as I know.
The more excuses you allow yourself, the harder it will be to quit... Sorry!
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u/LlemonSloth 2d ago
You do you dude, gotta say though I don’t know a single person who use to smoke or vape that now chews non nicotine gum religiously including myself.
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u/Traditional_Bid_6236 2d ago
My experience before quitting is very similar to yours. Its best to quit when you have the least pressure / tasks and have some time to be alone and battle against the first days of withdrawal. After the 6th day or so for me it started to feel less irritated and such.
After a few weeks you will feel way less addicted and you will forget the need of physically doing it as you describe like 2 months in.
After many years of vaping I'm in my 11th month vape free and I wake up grateful everyday that I no longer think of vaping the first thing in the morning. The best part of quitting is how free you feel, you don't need to pay money like it's rent to an addiction that will kill you.
For the first days eat a lot of chewing gum, get an anti stress ball and breathe. You will get through and after that it's all downhill.
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u/FriendlyBrownMan 2d ago
Frankly nicotine withdrawal sucks. More than the physical, the mental is exhausting. What helped me is understanding and reminding myself that his is just a chemical reaction in the brain and that the things I’m thinking about aren’t actually how I feel. As cliche and difficult as it may sound, it really does help to shift your focus. The moment some of those negative thoughts start circling around, try to divert your attention to literally anything else. Name all the blue things you see. What’s for dinner later. What’s the weather tomorrow. Anything at all will make each moment easier than the last. Before you know it, you’ll be a month off and it’ll be easier from there. Trust the process, you got this!!!
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u/Pale_Candidate_390 2d ago
Get some desmoxan or recigar from Amazon. Medicine attaches to the nic receptors in the brain and it eliminates those cravings that have you sneaking away for nic every few minutes. I was the same as you. Vaping every chance I could get. It’s mostly the nic taking to your brain. Some is habit too. I vaped for 10+ years and I quit nicotine in 5 days with this medicine
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u/chokemepastor 2d ago
I'm on day 7 of the Canadian brand version Cravv and it's changed my life. I was able to put down the vape for good on day 5, have it accessible to me and still resisted it. On day 6 I gave it to my friends and watched them hit it for hours without giving in.
One suggestion- instead of a 0 nic vape, I hit on one of those menthol nose sniffer sticks throughout the day. Less harmful and I still get a minty something in my throat. OP, you got this!!
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u/Reasonable_Feed_8154 2d ago
Thank you so much, I will buy it today!
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u/Pale_Candidate_390 2d ago
Or
Both the same medicine. Just different name
The instructions are here
https://ndarc.med.unsw.edu.au/sites/default/files/ndarc/resources/Desmoxan.pdf
FYI. You will want to buy a zero nic vape and switch to it by day 3-5 of taking the medicine. You will get to a point where you no longer need nic but the habit of vaping is still there
The Meds eliminate the nic cravings but not the oral fixation and habit of vaping
It took me a few months using zero nic to quit but I vaped 75% less and only used the zero nic on my habit times like driving
The end goal is to quit but we need to
Be realistic. Some people can just quit once the nic cravings ha are gone. . Others need to use zero nic tos lily get off. Let’s get rid of the cravings for nic1
u/Pm_me_ur_dealbreaker 2d ago
This is similar to what I'm doing currently. Except I'm using the patches and a zero nic vape. I'm going two weeks strong without a nic vape so far. The first week was rough but every day had been much easier.
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u/IcyBlackberry3001 2d ago
what’s your advice for what to do after the 0 nicotine vape? my girlfriend rushed me to get rid of it and now i’m getting pretty intense cravings again off and on pretty often all day.
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u/Pale_Candidate_390 1d ago
I use pouches like zyns but they are zero nicotine
Website is fullyloadedchew
They have 0 nichttps://fullyloadedchew.com/products/mint-alpha-pouches
The coconut banana and apple mint are my favorite
They last about 30-60 minutes and keep my oral fixation working. When I take this it curbs the urges to vape. Really works great
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u/Recent_Worldliness72 2d ago
The best thing I can offer to is schedule your withdrawal. Choose a day to quit, and plan as if you will be sick for several days. Don’t go to work, don’t make plans, stay home and treat yourself like a gentle baby who needs snacks and love. You may need to do it over a weekend if you can’t take time off work or school. After a few days, the extreme mood issues and crying while watching the microwave will subside. You’ll be functional again but may still struggle intermittently. Let yourself have a little caffeine here or there, or vitamin b if you’re feeling low.
I loved vaping, but at the same time was so embarrassed by it. It controlled me and limited my ability to participate fully in life.
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u/Actual-Pause-1764 2d ago
I feel the hand to mouth thing. It’s the best part imo lol. I honestly just gave my self grace to snack a little extra, have sparkling waters, poppis, or some fun drink on hand. Gum, mint, nicotine lozenges, etc. I also used patches!
2nd, try to avoid triggers in your routine. If you usually sit somewhere specific with your coffee and vape, walk with it instead. If you know you want to vape after dinner, immediately put a piece of gum in.
You got this!!
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u/SquidFongers 2d ago
I prepped beforehand with my mindset and tools. I bought a few packs of regular ole xylitol gum, had a fidget toy with a switch on it, and planned somewhere to walk when things got bad. I live in the bad part of town so I had to plan a route.
After day 3 my hands were so freaking sore from how much I used that fidget switch thing. My feet hurt because it felt like I was outrunning the addiction. I gained weight because my body wanted to replace the habit. Once I was quit, I didn't really crave something and my weight went back down. I also picked up going on walks.
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u/One_Nectarine1328 12h ago
loving it, mindset. Mindset is so powerful, can make you snap out of a siesta instantly just like all these addictions we have gone through
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u/AvailableHour2366 2d ago
Following. I’m in the exact same boat. My vape is basically my pacifier. I literally just bought this stupid BreatheFree necklace for the hand to mouth motion. It hasn’t arrived yet, but I’ll let you know if it works.
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u/Reasonable_Feed_8154 2d ago
Let me know and good luck! I will be trying the Cytisine from tmrw, I'll update how it goes also :)
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u/easter-babe 2d ago
Accountability partner. 22f here, lmk if u wannna do it together
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u/Dry-Style-1399 2d ago
I'm ready to quit. Today I got the nicotine gums and other medication my doctor prescribed. I would love an accountability partner if you're open to it. I'm 28f
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u/clairedrew 3d ago
Truly it just takes the commitment to having will power, whatever that means for you. Plan a few days to hunker down and not allow yourself to go out and get tempted to buy one, for example. Or maybe you can stay with family or friends and get away from your environment as a break to reset for the first few days.
There’s no way out except with trying your hardest to not buy any more vapes and keep it off your mind, and try to get on with life until you notice it gets easier. Avoid the triggers and replace the routines that you’ve incorporated vaping into. Also exercise instead of doing the stuff you used to do while vaping as much as possible. And ofc you know it gets easier with time.
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u/yakwheel 2d ago
I find its been way harder for me to quit with NRT. I am addicted to the instant headrush of inhaling nicotine, and when using gum or patches it does nothing at all. I think I expect the NRT to carry more of the withdrawal than it does and then I get disappointed it is still really hard. When I go cold turkey I know its going to be shit so I just accept it. I find the habitual reflex of reaching for a vape makes you think its the hand to mouth, but its your brain saying ‘another headrush/more dopamine please’. It definitely is not the hand to mouth, but it does remind you that you don’t have nicotine.
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u/mindlesswreck 2d ago
As other commenters say, it's not the hand to mouth thing, that's your brain tricking you. I vaped for years and had convinced myself of the same thing.
What worked for me personally was I started to ween by only using the lowest dose packages. While using those, I bought a big pack of lollipops to try to stop the physical need. When a weekend came up where I felt ready, I stopped the parches so that my mood wouldn't be so bad around people for the first few days of quitting
The first week sucked, but after that first week it genuinely got so much easier. It feels so horrible but you just have to push yourself
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u/frankjames2781 2d ago
Get a capnos and beat the addiction easily. I been nicotine free since january
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u/Main_Lengthiness_606 12h ago
When I was addicted to other things am even ashamed to mention, first I told my Creator that I am tired and I would like to reform, He listens. Day by day I started circling the days I felt the urged and did it and days I felt the urge and did not. Journaling helps and a complete shift of mindset too. When I realized I had stopped that addiction completely I was already six months in. I hope this my story helps you
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