Quitting

[Joosh21]

Hey everyone! My names Josh, I have decided to quit vaping. I have used Juul for about 8 years now. I had a huge motivation to become healthy due to having some issues with mental health(anxiety and depression) that I just came out the other side of. During my time with battling with this, I decided to quit alcohol cold turkey (4 weeks sober as of yesterday) and during the adjustment period of finally feeling like a person again, I’ve realized that vaping has done exactly the same thing to me as alcohol has and I have finally decided to stop, especially with my birthday being tomorrow. So i figured now would be the best time to quit. I just threw my vape away right before typing this out. I am happy to try to quit, in the past I had used smokeless tobacco when I was younger for about 2-3 years and was able to quit cold turkey. The cravings were there in a sense but it felt more like I was just missing something in my jaw. Im nervous about the side effects of quitting, but not of quitting. I realize that finally it has done nothing for me but its more of just a muscle memory type deal for me, especially in high stress moments. I was skeptical about a community for quitting, but I want to be healthier and from reading some of the posts, this community seems like it has each others backs.. Wish me luck, as of now I am quitting vaping! 

[CommunityAdmin]

Welcome @Joosh21!  My name is Quiana, and I am a part of the EX Team. Congratulations on your decision to quit! I wanted to reach out and personally welcome you to the EX Community! We are so excited you have joined us. This is a very supportive community so feel free to keep us all posted on your quit journey reach out and let us know if you need anything. You may find our Daily Pledge page helpful to make a commitment not to smoke on a day-by-day basis. Posting there will also bring visibility to your journey to others who take the pledge daily.  Please join our vaping group where there are more focused discussions on this topic.

Here are some articles that might be helpful as you prepare for your quit date: 

https://www.becomeanex.org/ex-resources/about-quitting/get-ready-to-quit/right-before-you-quit/

https://www.becomeanex.org/ex-resources/about-quitting/get-ready-to-quit/3-ways-to-get-your-support-...

Quiana, EX Team

[McMoney]

Hi Josh! Welcome! 

It sounds like you've been on a journey of self improvement and you're kicking butt!!  It's funny, I had a similar experience except in reverse. I quit smoking cigarettes and realized along the way that the excuses I had been using to smoke were the same ones I was using to drink. So I ended up quitting alcohol too just as a side effect. This site does not focus on alcohol much but everyone has their own experience and so you will find folks here and there like myself who put down the alcohol and cigarettes/vapes using the same tools. 

Anyway, I just want to say I'm glad you found the site and I wish you great success on your journey. Reach out when you need help and embrace the process. It might suck for a while but you KNOW it will pass and you'll have so much more control over your emotional/mental state, your health, and your future once this is behind you. You can do this! You are strong!  Be well!  

[Thyme]

Congrats on your decision to quit vaping. The thoughts, feelings and behaviors that go along with addiction feel very mentally unhealthy no matter what the addiction is. I quit drinking alcohol in 2021 and it’s been one of the most positive changes I’ve made. There’s so much helpful info on this site to help learn about nicotine addiction and how to beat it—it’s so much more than just a habit. I recommend using to tools section of the site to track your triggers and urges and make a plan for how you will cope with cravings. I also used nicotine replacement, which I read on here can boost quit success rates. I had tried quitting cold turkey before and was unable to sustain it. I’m in the process of weaning myself off. It’s not easy to quit nicotine, but it is doable one day at a time.

[Barbscloud]

@Joosh21 Welcome to the Ex and congrats on your quit day today. You've made some great decisions to improve your physical and mental health.

The same principles to quit smoking will apply to your quit. It's important to educate yourself about nicotine and have a quit plan. Knowledge and preparation have been made quitting possible for many of us. I never did neither in the past and I was never successful. I was planning my quit this time and found the Ex a week before my quit date. I finally learned how to quit and how important support from other quitters can be. Read lots of material on the site. This link is a great place to start.

Quitting Guides

Believe in yourself that you can do it. Approaching your quit one day at a time helps to alleviate much of the anxiety we experience when we think about quitting.

Join many of us on the Daily Pledge to stay on track one day at a time.

We're here to support you so reach out anytime you need help, want to share your experience, and to support other quitters.

Stay busy and stay close.

Barb

[YoungAtHeart]

Welcome to our community!

Congratulations on your decision to quit vaping! It's common sense that anything you put in your lungs that isn't clean air can't be good for you! You will need to substitute “vape” or “device” as you do the reading I will recommend. Research suggests nicotine may be as addictive as heroin and cocaine. Because vaping is available to you most anywhere, anytime, I believe it might be more difficult from which to break free than regular tobacco products - but it CAN be done! There is a blog written by one of our success stories that you might find informative: I Quit Smoking and Vaping - EX Community . If you would like to use a quit aid and would like information on the various ones, let me know.

I recommend that you educate yourself on what nicotine does to your body and mind To that end, I suggest Allen Carr's “The Easy Way to Stop Smoking.”, which can be purchased online or borrowed from your local library. Here is a video to inform you further about nicotine addiction : Nicotine and Your Brain.

The idea is to change up your routines so the vaping associations are reduced. Drink your coffee with your OTHER hand in a place different from where you vaped. Maybe switch to tea for a bit. If you always had that first puff with your coffee, try putting your tennies on right out of bed, going for a quick walk, then taking your shower and THEN your coffee! Rearrange the furniture in the areas you used to vape so the view is different. Take a different route when you are out and about so you aren't driving by your vaping supply shop. Take the Daily Pledge each day, Just look for it on the home page. It helps to hold yourself accountable to your quit and the community..

You need to distract yourself through any craves. You can take a bite out of a lemon (yup - rind and all), do a few jumping jacks, go for a brisk walk or march in place, play a computer game. Keep a cold bottle of water with you from which to sip. Don't let that vaping thought rattle around in your brain unchallenged. You will need to be disciplined in the early days to distract yourself when a crave hits. Get busy! Here is a list of things to do instead of vape if you need some fresh ideas:

101 Things to Do Instead of Smoke - EX Community

The conversation in your head in response to the "I want to vape" thought needs to be, "Well, since I have decided not to do that anymore, what shall I do instead for the three minutes this crave will last?" Then DO it. You will need to put some effort into this in the early days, but it gets easier and easier to do.

Stay close to us here and ask questions when you have them and for support when you need it. We will be with you every step of the way!

Nancy

[AnnetteMM]

Ahhh, the Juul! So easy, so delicious. How smart of you to see through that and throw it away! I promise you, you'll feel so much better in the long run.

[CommunityAdmin]

Welcome @Joosh21 My name is Quiana, and I am a part of the EX Team. Congratulations on your decision to quit! I wanted to reach out and personally welcome you to the EX Community! We are so excited you have joined us. This is a very supportive community so feel free to keep us all posted on your quit journey reach out and let us know if you need anything.

Here are some articles that might be helpful as you prepare for your quit date: 

https://www.becomeanex.org/ex-resources/about-quitting/get-ready-to-quit/right-before-you-quit/

https://www.becomeanex.org/ex-resources/about-quitting/get-ready-to-quit/3-ways-to-get-your-support-...

Quiana, EX Team

[indingrl]

 @Joosh21 

I am so glad for you and thank you for sharing and happy birthday to you tomorrow

What a wonderful gift you give yourself no vaping and another congratulations on sober choice too 

WoooooWOOO 

[Social12]

@Joosh21 Hi there!  Was just wondering how your quit is going?  I got sober from alcohol on 6/12/07 but kept on smoking because everyone said not to tackle too much at a time.  I gradually quit smoking cigs and switched to ecigs.  That was over 8 yrs ago!  I have 2 ecigs left and after that won't buy any more.  Before when I tried, I never asked for help.  Now, I will post on here when I am tempted to buy some more so someone can encourage me.  Good luck with your quit!

[Barbscloud]

@Social12 

Hugs

Barb