Understand Your Habits and Triggers

A trigger is a specific situation in which you feel the need to vape.  You might find there are activities or times of day that prompt you to vape. Prepare for these moments by thinking ahead and planning things to do instead. A handy technique to remember is to use the 4 D’s; Delay, Deep breathing, Do something else and Drink water.  

Take the time to observe your vaping for one whole day.  Notice what triggers you to vape, how you feel while you're vaping and how you feel after you vape. 

Know Your "Why"

Write down the reasons why you want to quit vaping. Is it for your health, your family,  your sleep, feelings of addiction or maybe to save money?

Know That You Will Be Healthier 

1) BRAIN-Many vapes contain high concentrations of nicotine, even if it doesn’t say so on the label. Nicotine harms the way a teenage brain grows, which may affect memory and concentration 

2) ADDICTION- Many vapes contain nicotine (even if they aren’t labelled that way) which is highly addictive. Teens become more easily and rapidly addicted to nicotine than adults. Being addicted to nicotine can make you feel like vaping is controlling you and can impact your daily life. 

Replacement Strategies

Keeping yourself busy can help overcome triggers. A great way to do this is through replacing the hand to mouth action with other behaviours such as holding a drink and taking a sip, chewing on gum or mints, holding a pen in your vaping hand or even brushing your teeth. Little changes everyday will help you reduce your cravings and triggers to vape.  

Change Up Your Routine

Another way to tackle vaping cravings and triggers is to change up your routine. If you use to wake up and vape before school, try to swap out that behaviour by taking a shower as soon as you get up, or start your day by listening to music or eating breakfast. During school you could ask the teacher a question about the lesson, text a friend or eat a mint. This change of routine will help you delay, and hopefully break, the habit of vaping.

Contact a Quitline

If you feel you are ready to quit or even if you are thinking about quitting, you can contact a quitline counsellor. These counselors understand how hard it can be to stop vaping and are there to offer support at every stage. They will help you identify and manage your triggers, understand nicotine withdrawals as well as build the motivation, skills and confidence to quit.