How to quit vaping, in short: pick a quit date no more than a week or two away, write down your reasons, learn your triggers and plan what you will do when cravings hit. Expect withdrawal to be worst for a few days to a couple of weeks. Free coaching and text programs can help you through it.
This is general information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your own situation.
CDC notes that vaping, like smoking, involves nicotine addiction, so quitting may lead to withdrawal symptoms and strong urges to vape. The good news from Smokefree.gov: the worst withdrawal symptoms only last a few days to a couple of weeks, and the discomfort fades the longer you stay away from vapes. A plan gets you through that stretch.
Pick a quit date. Smokefree.gov suggests a date no more than a week or two away. Avoid stressful times, like right before a big deadline or a holiday.
Write down your reasons. Health, money, freedom from the next refill, someone you care about. Keep the list where you will see it, such as on your phone.
Tell people. Let friends and family know you are quitting and ask for their support. Ask them not to offer you vapes.
Clear them out. Before quit day, get rid of your vapes, pods and chargers.
Map your triggers. Work out when and why you usually vape, and decide what you will do instead (see the next section).
Line up support. Save a quitline number in your phone and sign up for a text program before quit day.
Talk to a clinician. Ask your doctor, nurse or pharmacist whether a medicine could help with cravings and withdrawal.
If you started vaping to quit cigarettes, CDC says it is important to also make a plan to quit vaping, and that using both is not an effective way to protect your health. Talk with your health care provider about the best path for you.
Triggers are the people, places, feelings and routines that make you want to vape. Smokefree.gov groups them into four types:
Social: seeing or smelling someone vape, being offered one, drinking, parties, or vaping content online. Try a ready answer like "No thanks, I quit," spend less time where people vape, and mute vape content.
Everyday routines: scrolling your phone, waiting for a ride, coffee, work breaks, gaming or driving. Change the routine and keep your hands and mouth busy with sugar-free gum or crunchy snacks.
Emotional: stress, boredom, loneliness, anger, or even good moods like excitement and relief. Take a short timeout with a walk, music or slow breathing.
Withdrawal: restlessness, irritability, strong cravings or wanting to vape first thing in the morning. Eat well, drink water, get enough sleep and lean on your support people.
Stop what you are doing and switch to something else, like a quick walk.
Slow your breathing for a minute or put on a song.
Have a glass of water, which may help reduce cravings.
Chew sugar-free gum or snack on something crunchy, like carrots.
Text or call someone who supports your quit.
Reread your list of reasons.
Reward yourself for each day you get through.
The week or two before quit day: prepare. Make your plan, clear out vapes and line up support.
Quit day and the days after: you may feel irritable, restless or jittery, anxious or down, tired, hungrier than usual, and have headaches, trouble sleeping, trouble concentrating and intense cravings. Everyone is different.
A few days to a couple of weeks: this is when the worst symptoms usually pass.
After that: symptoms keep fading the longer you stay vape-free. People, places and feelings linked to vaping can still spark cravings, so keep your trigger plan handy.
To ease withdrawal, Smokefree.gov suggests a steady sleep schedule, turning off screens an hour before bed, limiting caffeine and alcohol, exercising during the day, and keeping healthy snacks and water nearby.
1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669): free, confidential help from trained quit coaches in the U.S.
1-877-44U-QUIT (1-877-448-7848): another line to speak with a tobacco cessation counselor.
SmokefreeTXT: text QUIT to 47848 for text-message support.
Truth Initiative's quit program: teens and young adults who vape can text DITCHVAPE to 88709. Parents and other adults helping a young person can text QUIT to (202) 899-7550. Message and data rates may apply.
Teens: CDC points to Smokefree Teen and SmokefreeTXT for Teens.
About medicines: CDC says the FDA has approved seven medicines to help people quit smoking. Smokefree.gov notes that medicines like nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), varenicline and bupropion are used to help people quit cigarettes, but the FDA has not approved them to help people quit vaping. A doctor or other health care professional can tell you whether a medicine might help in your case. CDC notes that adults who smoke have the best chance of quitting for good when they use medicine and counseling together.
Talk with a doctor if withdrawal symptoms are hard to manage. If you feel depressed or have extreme sadness, do not ignore it. Tell someone who cares about you and talk to a doctor. In the U.S. you can call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org, for free, confidential support 24 hours a day.
Smokefree.gov says the worst symptoms only last a few days to a couple of weeks. After that they keep fading the longer you stay away from vapes, though triggers can still bring on cravings.
Not specifically. NRT, varenicline and bupropion are used to help people quit cigarettes, but the FDA has not approved them for quitting vaping. Ask a clinician whether one might help you.
Change what you are doing. Take a short walk, breathe slowly, drink water, chew sugar-free gum or text a friend. Cravings are temporary.
One slip does not undo your progress. Look at what triggered it, add a fix to your plan and keep going. A quitline coach can help you regroup.
CraveBreaker: Quit Vaping is a self-help iPhone app for adults that keeps a plan like this in your pocket. It builds a quit plan in about two minutes, includes a free craving toolkit with a short breathing reset, a grounding exercise, a puzzle and a craving timer, and lets you log a lapse without erasing your earlier progress or your quit date.
Its guides are based on Smokefree.gov and Health Canada, with quitline information for the U.S. and Canada. It is not medical advice, needs no account, and is free to download with optional Premium.
Get CraveBreaker free on the App Store