Want to quit vaping? How to tell if you’re ready

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If you vape regularly, you’re probably already aware of the downsides: It’s expensive, time-consuming, and comes with proven health risks (such as e-cigarette or vaping use-associated lung injury, or EVALI). Still, it’s a habit that some young people have picked up. As of spring 2021, 33 percent of college students surveyed in the National College Health Assessment said they had used some kind of tobacco or nicotine delivery product in their lifetime, with 12 percent saying they had used vapes, Juuls, or e-cigarettes in the last three months. 

Let’s get this out of the way: Quitting any addictive substance isn’t easy. But learning to understand your triggers and using the “three Rs”—reminder, routine, and reward—can help you break free from vaping and breathe easy.

“Many people mistakenly think of vaping as the ‘safer option’ in comparison to smoking cigarettes, but [some] research now proves that it also causes lung damage, so that perception is false,” says Dr. Eva Pordan, a general physician in Quebec, Canada. “To add to that, those who vape regularly may also be doing so more frequently than they would have otherwise smoked cigarettes.”

The CDC confirms evidence of lung damage and links to chronic lung disease associated with vaping. Also—since nicotine affects cognitive development—vaping can impair brain development in younger people, according to Jessica Liu, MPH, a vaping researcher and PhD candidate at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, in Boston. 

Internal motivation plays a critical role in quitting. You have to want to quit for yourself. If you’re not sure you want to quit, or if you’re considering doing so just because someone else (like a partner or family member) wants you to, you’re less likely to succeed. The readiness evaluation below can help you determine how ready and motivated you are to quit.

Rate your motivation

On a scale from 1 to 10, with 10 being fully committed to change and 1 meaning it hasn’t crossed your mind, rate your level of motivation. 

Rate your confidence level

Now give yourself a number for your confidence level, meaning how sure you are that you can quit vaping. 

Determine your “ready to quit” number

Add up the two numbers (for instance, 8 for motivation and 5 for confidence), then divide by 2. Ideally the result should be at least 6 before you embark on your journey to quit. 

Keep in mind that, depending on your circumstances, it might be easier or more difficult for you to quit vaping than someone else, and it may take some experimenting to find a strategy that works for you. 

“Cold turkey worked the least [of any quitting techniques],” says Ben H., a fifth-year student at Michigan Technological University. “I lasted a day or two at most, and I would pick it right back up.”

If you’re not quite ready to quit altogether, consider modifying your goal. For instance, maybe your first step would be to limit vaping until after school, or dial back the amount or strength of nicotine you inhale (if your device has a control). Tapering off nicotine (instead of quitting cold turkey) can help your body adjust to the change and reduce the severity of withdrawal. 

Try the Three Rs technique to help you quit vaping

As shared in the Harvard Review, this strategy for quitting any unhealthy habit involves a three-step process known as the “Three R’s”: reminder, routine, and reward.

1. Identify the trigger (reminder)

By gaining a more intimate understanding of what triggers you to vape, you’ll be able to move away from the situations and circumstances that encourage the habit. 

For instance, are you generally vaping while bored on the couch alone after school? Or maybe it’s with a specific group of people on weekends? A helpful way to keep track of these triggers is by writing them down, labeling the circumstances in the same way each time (see the example below). Once you’ve done this a few times, compare your lists and note any trends—whether it’s people, places, or your emotional state.

2. Change the routines

Once you’ve identified your triggers, you’ll have simultaneously identified the associated routines. Work on changing these up, even if only temporarily. 

For instance, if you’re vaping out of loneliness in the evenings, try to find an activity that keeps you busy during this time (e.g., look for an organized sport or a gym class, or find a part-time job where you’d work evenings). If you’re vaping with a specific group of friends, change your environment and suggest a hangout somewhere new—even better if it’s someplace where vaping isn’t allowed, like a movie theater or a concert venue. The goal is to override or avoid your usual triggers. 

3. Reward yourself for positive change

Instead of punishing yourself for failures, reward yourself for every success along your journey (and accept that a journey is what it will be, since most people experience setbacks when quitting smoking or vaping).

If you’ve made it through your first two days without vaping, why not treat yourself to your favorite food for dinner? Now is also a great time to swap an unhealthy habit for a self-serving one (like exercising, saving money, etc.). 

“There are vaping cessation programs for adolescents and young adults that utilize innovative platforms,” says Liu. “For example, the Truth Initiative has a program called This is Quitting that allows adolescents and young adults to easily sign up for a texting support intervention.”

Quitting an unhealthy habit is hard. Don’t give up entirely if you slip up. Even incremental progress is valuable, so there’s no need to throw in the towel if you can’t quit cold turkey from day one. Go easy on yourself, and don’t give up.

“To be honest, I still crave my Juul sometimes if I’m around friends who are vaping,” says Alex L., a recent graduate of University of Waterloo, Ontario. “But then I think about all the willpower that went into quitting, and how much better I feel now. Each time I can resist a craving, I feel more confident that I’m quitting for good.”