Alternatives to Vaping

[Ambedo.]

Two weeks ago, I made the decision to quit smoking/vaping. For a little bit of context, I started smoking cigarettes when I was roughly 14, made the switch to vapes about 5 years ago, and have been doing that ever since. Quitting is something that I've attempted a couple times prior to this, but I never made it farther than a couple of days, so making it two weeks already feels like a pretty big win. Most of the physical withdrawal symptoms have subsided and I'm slightly less moody than I was when I first quit (which I'm sure everyone in my life is thankful for), but I have noticed that I still feel the need to reach for my (non-existent) vape from time to time. I've been using nicotine gum to help ease the process, so I don't think it's necessarily out of cravings, although I do know that that contributes to it. I've noticed that there are certain times throughout my day where it happens more, such as immediately after waking up and during any down-time in my day. Honestly, it might even be that my hands are just bored from not constantly holding onto the thing.

Whether you've quit smoking or not, I'm curious if you have any suggestions for things I can do to replace that need. Like I said, I'm not even entirely sure what it is that I'm craving, as I have a workaround for the nicotine cravings. But, they do tend to increase when I notice myself reaching for it, so I might just be psyching myself out.

Any thoughts or suggestions are hugely appreciated!

[Ennui.]

I know with regular smoking I’ve heard of people using cinnamon gum to help. Big Red is a brand that comes to mind. Or if you need something in your hands maybe you can get a lollipop to simulate holding something in your hands and bringing it to your mouth. Fidget toys may also help for the need to have things in your hands. I personally like the fidget cube.

[Wͦaͦtͦeͦrͦ Sͦpͦrͦiͦtͦeͦ]

My grandma has said the worse thing about quitting is the habit and routine of smoking. So like mom smokes after she eats, so it really hard for her to quit that habit not necessarily the nicotine. My Aunt when she quit smoking would always use tictacs so every time she went to reach for a cigarette she would pick her tictacs up instead. I just remember always having tictacs with her. Or like Dez has suggested every time you want to reach for a citrate maybe pop some gum. Find something to replace the hand motion. Hopefully this helps a little.

[Proud90sKid]

You could just remain off for a while. I remember my vape broke and I did not purchase a new one. After weeks go by you just stop thinking about it. Once you are past the withdrawal of it, you just need to get past the habit of it.

Right now I use On! nicotine pouches to simulate dipping tobacco. With those it is a bit easier I feel to quit as you can "double dip" your used pouches for a few days to get a weak nicotine stimulation that satisfies the craving and lessens the withdrawal.

I personally would not take drugs like Chantix as I have known people who have had significant mood problems from trying them and they also still smoke today. Taking Wellbutrin could potentially work though as it blocks nicotine receptors in addition to its antidepressant action. It has been successful in nicotine cessation for some people. Basically on wellbutrin, nicotine stops producing as strong of an effect and eventually you naturally quit (at least in theory).

Abstain from using substances that make nicotine more reinforcing. I have found that: alcohol, adderall, cocaine, kava, and kratom all strongly increase the reinforcing effect of nicotine. Some people only smoke when they drink and I notice an increase in nicotine cravings from all of the above. I would actually partially credit my previous quitting of vaping to getting off of kratom. And before that, my quitting of smoking was definitely a direct result of me quitting adderall. I found that as soon as I got off adderall, I lost my tolerance to nicotine and a single cigarette would make me sick whereas before I could smoke all day. It was like trying cigarettes for the first time all over again and I found I didn't like it so much without the adderall. So I was able quit overnight practically without any effort whatsoever. It's not well advertised but if you asked around, many people will tell you that stimulant ADHD meds increase their urge to smoke or vape nicotine.