Credits: Social Media
7 most difficult things about quitting vaping, from personal experience
The first stage in quitting anything, vaping included, is to make the active decision to stop. While this is only the first hurdle in one hell of a long race, its arguably the most important one. Still, here are some of the other hurdles Ive come across so far.
At just one week in, minus a few shame drags which I totally own, I find myself still battling the urges. This is to be expected, but it doesnt detract from the frustration and the constant wondering about when nicotine will be just another passing phase.
And while this article doesnt offer solutions as such, I hope it can serve as guidance for what to expect, what to power through and what to completely school me on.
Working from home
Since working from home over the last few years, I have grown accustomed to cigarette breaks at my leisure, and later puffing on my vape while sitting at my desk. I did it while I was thinking, while sending emails, and often on calls when my camera was turned off.
Suddenly, without that comforting puff, I found my mind drifting away from my work and onto what I was lacking. Even as I write this, I cant help but think about air and chemicals in various fruity flavours.
Hand action
Every single advice website I looked at stated that I needed to replace the hand-to-mouth action of vaping. Some recommended 50s-esque toothpicks, while others suggested bubble gum.
Although the idea of looking like an extra from Grease did catch my attention, I knew neither would grease my lightning (Pardon the pun). I was hopelessly devoted to inhaling you could say (seriously, I’ll stop the puns now).�
I am currently trialling an anxiety necklace I found on Amazon. Thank you, Jeff Bezos!
Bedtime
I was very much guilty of vaping in bed at night, contorted in a strange position while scrolling through TikTok.�It became a ritual of sorts although, admittedly, an unhealthy one. Instead, I am now opting for melatonin, nasty lavender tea and self-declared “calming” Spotify playlists.
Social interaction
Irritability is to be expected, but no one tells you just how rageful you will become. But this is one area I have found myself succeeding in. While some would do breathing exercises, I have learned to embrace the rage. While Im not suggesting you Hulk out on your loved ones, get comfortable with the uncomfortability. Dont shove those emotions down.
Overeating
Its a well-known fact that quitting nicotine could mean putting on weight. While this has a metabolism component, its also understood that the lack of nicotine increases your appetite. I can personally attest to that.
The violent urge to consume as much cheese as possible is proving more difficult with each day. But, again, Ive learnt to embrace these feelings and instead replace the cheese and chocolate with healthier choices.�
Temptation
My favourite author, Oscar Wilde, wrote in The Picture of Dorian Gray: The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. Resist it, and your soul grows sick with longing for the things it has forbidden to itself, with desire for what its monstrous laws have made monstrous and unlawful.
In my early teenage years, I lived by this quote. While this is arguably why I regret so many past decisions and current fixations, overcoming temptation is by far one of the most difficult obstacles to quitting vaping.
Every time Im at the shop, I look at the vapes and then at the cigarettes. Maybe Ill just cut down, often springs into my mind.
Forgetting about quitting vaping
For me, the most infuriating aspect of quitting vapes is forgetting that I have given them up. Any vapers will know the feeling of frantically patting down your clothing and bed to find your little death machine. I still do it, and then feel like an idiot with amnesia.
