XP TRACKERHow to stop vaping: the habit side
Vaping is a nicotine habit and a routine habit at the same time. Support from a doctor, pharmacist or quitline helps with the nicotine. This guide covers the routine: the moments you reach for it, and what you do instead.
Get support for the nicotine. This guide is about the habit side of quitting, not medical advice. A doctor, pharmacist or free quitline can help with medication such as nicotine replacement, and with support while you quit. In the US you can call 1-800-QUIT-NOW; in the UK, NHS Stop Smoking Services can help; elsewhere, your national health service will have a quitline. If you're pregnant, have a health condition or take other medication, ask a professional before you start.
Why it's harder than it sounds
Nicotine is addictive, and the routine around it holds you as well. Three things make vaping a stubborn habit:
- It never runs out. A cigarette ends. A vape doesn't, so you take a puff every few minutes without deciding to.
- It's tied to everything. After meals, in the car, on breaks, when you're bored, when you're stressed, with certain friends. Each of those moments is a trigger.
- Your hands miss it. The hand-to-mouth routine is part of the habit, and it leaves a gap when the device goes.
Start smaller than you think
Before you quit, learn your triggers. For three days, keep vaping as normal but note each time you reach for it: where you were, what you were doing, how you felt. A note on your phone is enough. Most people find five or six moments that cover most of their vaping.
Then practise the smallest version of quitting: the delay. When you want a puff, wait five minutes and do something else first. Drink a glass of water, step outside, chew sugar-free gum. You're training the moment between the urge and the action.
An example starter plan
This plan puts your quit date on day 8, after a week of preparation. If you need longer to prepare, take it.
- Days 1 to 7: prepareLog your triggers. Pick your quit date. Talk to a pharmacist, doctor or quitline about support. Tell one person you trust. Choose a replacement action for each trigger.
- Days 8 to 14: quit day and the first weekGet rid of every device and pod, including the spare in the car or drawer. Take it one day at a time. Use your replacement actions and your support.
- Days 15 to 21: the harder triggersPlan for the moments you couldn't avoid: nights out, alcohol, friends who vape, stressful days. Decide in advance what you'll say and do.
- Days 22 to 30: build the new routineThe after-meal walk, the gum in the car, the breathing break at work. Keep them going. Watch for the thought "one puff won't matter".
Getting through a craving
- Delay. Tell yourself you'll decide in five minutes. Most cravings fade within a few minutes.
- Move. Leave the room, walk round the block, do the dishes. Changing where you are breaks the pull of the trigger.
- Give your hands and mouth a job. Sugar-free gum, a cold drink through a straw, something to fidget with.
- Breathe slow. A few long breaths out give you something to do with the urge besides vaping.
Common mistakes
- Keeping a backup. A vape in the drawer "in case" turns every craving into a negotiation.
- Testing yourself with one puff. It rarely stays at one, and it restarts the craving.
- Ignoring alcohol. Drinking lowers your guard. Plan your first few nights out carefully, or skip them for a while.
What to do after a slip
If you vape again, stop as soon as you notice and treat it as information. One slip doesn't erase the days before it. Many people make several attempts before they stop for good.
Work out what happened. Write down the trigger, then decide what you'll do next time that moment comes. If slips keep happening, go back to your pharmacist, doctor or quitline; they can adjust your support. Our guide to getting back on track covers restarts in more detail.
Get rid of anything you bought during the slip, today. Then count from tomorrow.
No smoking or vaping as a quest in XP Tracker
In XP Tracker, No smoking or vaping is one of the optional quests you can add from the library of about 60 (tap + Add a quest). It's an end-of-day check-in: the app asks whether you stayed off it today, and you answer yes or no. It runs daily by default. Use it alongside support from a doctor, pharmacist or quitline, as a daily line to hold.
Each day you confirm earns XP for your hero and damage on the current boss, and the quest keeps its own streak. Breathwork and Walk pair well because they give a craving somewhere to go. For more ideas, see our list of real-life daily quests, or meet the Warrior, the class that learns fear stays and you move anyway. The art at the top is the Warrior's.
Questions people ask
What's the best way to quit vaping?
Combine a plan for your habits with support for the nicotine. A doctor, pharmacist or free quitline can talk you through options such as nicotine replacement and give you ongoing support. The habit side, covered here, is knowing your triggers and having something ready to do instead.
How long does a vaping craving last?
Most cravings rise and fade within a few minutes. If you can delay and do something else for that long, the urge usually passes. They tend to get less frequent over the first weeks.
Should I quit all at once or cut down?
Both approaches work for different people. Many find a firm quit date easier than cutting down, because vapes have no natural stopping point. A pharmacist or quitline can help you choose and plan either way.
I switched to vaping to quit smoking. Should I stop vaping too?
Talk to your doctor, pharmacist or a quitline about this first. Staying off cigarettes matters, and they can help you plan the order and timing of stopping.
What if I vape again after quitting?
One slip doesn't wipe out your progress. Work out what triggered it, plan for that trigger, and go back to not vaping straight away. Many people make several attempts before they stop for good.
Related pages
Start your journey
Pick a class, do the day's quests, and watch your hero level up with you.
Start free on iPhone and Android.
Scan to install Point your phone camera at the code. iPhone opens the App Store, Android opens Google Play.