How to quit vaping when you have a lung condition

If you have a lung condition, it’s especially important to stop vaping if you can. This is because while vaping is not as bad for your lungs as smoking, we can’t yet be sure about the long-term effects.    

It’s also important to avoid vaping if you’ve never smoked tobacco because vapes should only be used by people who are quitting smoking. 

You should only quit vaping if it’s the safest step for you and you feel ready to quit.  

This is because if you find vaping helps you stop smoking, the most important thing is staying smokefree. There’s no rush to quit vaping until you feel confident that you will not smoke.  

There may be many reasons why you want to quit vaping, like you:   

• started vaping to help you quit smoking and you now feel confident you will not smoke
• are worried about how vaping is affecting you 
• would like to save money – your pharmacist or stop smoking adviser can give you advice about this. For example, they may suggest a cheaper e-liquid you can buy.
• feel that vaping is not helping you quit smoking – talk to a healthcare professional if you feel this way. They can help you find something that works for you.  For example, they may suggest a different vape device, higher strength of nicotine, or other types of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT).    

It’s important to know why you want to quit vaping because this will help healthcare professionals offer the best advice for you. Being sure about why you want to quit vaping can also help motivate you to stick to your decision.

Find out about vaping myths and facts from the NHS to help you make an informed decision about quitting vaping.

We need more research to understand what helps people quit vaping and avoid smoking in the long-term.  

You may choose to quit vaping gradually or stop in one step. It’s important to remember that what works for someone else may not work for you.

Talk to a healthcare professional

The safest way to quit vaping is with support from healthcare professionals, like pharmacists and stop smoking advisers.  

Pharmacists and stop smoking advisers are trained to help people quit vaping and can support you to find a safe method that works well for you. They’ll consider things like your motivations for quitting vaping and how confident you are that you can stay smokefree without using your vape.

For example, they may advise you on how to gradually vape less often or suggest NRT to minimise your withdrawal symptoms. 

Your GP can also refer you to specialist services for support. 

Not all stop smoking services support people to stop vaping too. This depends on your local service.

You can ask your pharmacist for advice and you do not need an appointment for this.

Make a plan 

Before you quit, make a plan for what to do if you get nicotine withdrawal symptoms like cravings. For example you may want to use a fast-acting NRT product or try to distract yourself. 

Make sure you know what triggers you to crave vaping and try to avoid these when you can. For example you may not want to be around other people when they’re vaping.

Consider using nicotine replacement therapy (NRT)

Nicotine replacement therapies (NRTs) can help you manage your nicotine withdrawal symptoms.  They can be a good tool to help you stop vaping or smoking.   

NRTs are products that give your body nicotine in other ways, for example:

• slow-acting NRT like nicotine patches deliver nicotine into your system slowly and steadily
• fast-acting NRT like mouth sprays, nasal sprays or gum, deliver nicotine quickly into your system. They can give you quick relief from nicotine cravings. Since vapes are also fast-acting, you may find using other types of fast-acting NRT helpful. 
• combination NRT is when you use both slow and fast-acting NRT products, for example a nicotine patch and a mouth spray. You may feel more confident about managing your cravings safely using combination NRT.  

Your pharmacist or stop smoking adviser can support you to find NRT that works for you.  

It’s a good idea to keep a fast-acting NRT with you in case you get cravings.

Follow our advice on managing cravings, for example how to distract yourself.

Make sure you have a support system

Quitting vaping can be difficult but you don’t have to do it alone. Having support may help you to stay motivated. 

For example, you could set a date you’re going to quit and tell your friends and family. You may find it helps to hold you accountable. 

You could also join a support group or our Health Unlocked forum for people with lung conditions.

Aim to quit gradually

Gradually reducing vaping over time means that your body can adjust to lower nicotine levels. This may help you avoid very strong nicotine withdrawal symptoms. It also gives you time to slowly stop your vaping habits.

To gradually quit vaping, you could try: 

• reducing your vape’s nicotine strength over time  – check the concentration of nicotine in your e-liquid, usually measured in mg or ml, and get lower concentrations at a pace that feels right for you. There’s no rush and it’s important that you feel ready to move on at every step. If you find yourself vaping more, you may have changed nicotine concentration too quickly or lowered it by too much.  
• increasing the time between vaping  – for example, if you usually vape every 20 minutes, try to wait 40 minutes. Slowly make this time longer when you feel ready.
• setting rules about where and when you can vape  – pick some spaces and times where you aren’t going to vape, for example inside your home. Slowly add more to your list of vape-free spaces.

If you don’t feel very confident that you can stay smokefree when you stop vaping, your pharmacist or stop smoking adviser may suggest that you’d benefit from quitting vaping gradually.

Quitting in one step

If you feel very confident that you can stay smokefree when you stop vaping, your pharmacist or stop smoking adviser may ask if you feel ready to quit in one step and use NRT. 

Before you start, make sure you feel confident that you can safely manage your nicotine cravings by having a plan for what to do, like using short-acting NRT.  

Specialists say that it’s a good idea to first see how you feel after one day without vaping.  If you find that quitting in one step doesn’t work for you, ask a healthcare professional for support to make another plan to quit.

It’s important to remember that you can go back to vaping if you have a craving for a cigarette that feels uncontrollable. Quitting can be difficult and you can always try again when you feel ready.

Should you quit vaping ‘cold turkey’?

Quitting cold turkey means that you’re not using any NRT or nicotine-free medicines and you’re just relying on your willpower. 

It’s important to have personal motivation and willpower to quit vaping. But stopping without any NRT or medicines can mean that you’re more likely to get withdrawal symptoms like cravings. These symptoms can make quitting harder. 

This is why we recommend using NRT, nicotine-free medicines, and get expert support to help.

Be patient with yourself 

It can take your body some time to adapt to not having nicotine. You may find the first few weeks really difficult.

Keep trying and remember to celebrate your progress, for example by treating yourself when you reach certain milestones like 1 month vape-free. This can help you stay motivated. 

If quitting vaping is still not working for you, talk to a healthcare professional about your experience. 

It’s common to get nicotine withdrawal symptoms when you’re quitting nicotine vaping. This is because your body is used to having nicotine.  

You may experience symptoms like: 

• strong cravings to vape or smoke
• feeling easily irritable or upset
• feeling anxious or low in mood
• trouble concentrating
• feeling restless
• difficulty sleeping
• feeling hungrier than usual.

Similarly to smoking, the need to have more nicotine to stop getting withdrawal symptoms is what makes nicotine vaping addictive and difficult to quit.  

You may start to feel symptoms within a few hours of stopping vaping. The symptoms are usually stronger within the first week of quitting, especially the first few three days.

Talk to your pharmacist or local stop smoking adviser to get more help to cope with cravings.

It’s important to remember that nicotine withdrawal symptoms will pass and that there are ways to manage them. Each day you don’t vape will feel easier over time.

How can I cope with nicotine withdrawal symptoms? 

• before you quit, plan what you’ll do when you get symptoms
• use NRT to help your body get used to lower amounts of nicotine
• keep a fast-acting NRT like nicotine mouth spray, nose spray or gum to use if you feel the urge to vape or smoke
• remind yourself why you want to stop vaping – you may find it helpful to write this down to look at when you’re having cravings.

Distract yourself when you get a craving to vape. You could try:  

• move your body – you could move into another room, do some exercise, or go for a walk outside
• keep your hands and mouth busy, for example by chewing on sugar-free gum or using a stress ball
• try breathing exercises – these may help you relax
• talk to someone on the phone on in person for support.

If you use a vape after starting to quit, this is called relapsing. 

Quitting can be very difficult, especially for the first few weeks, and you haven’t failed if you vape again. 

You can always try quitting again when you feel ready.

If the method you’re using to quit vaping isn’t working for you, try something different next time. 

If you were vaping to help you quit smoking, remember that going back to vaping is a lot less harmful than smoking again. If vaping helps you to not smoke, it’s okay if quitting vaping doesn’t feel safe or right for you. 

We have more information about using vapes to stop smoking.

Some people say that vaping helps them feel less stressed, and that quitting nicotine can make them feel more anxious and irritable. This is because nicotine withdrawal creates a cycle where it seems like vaping helps you feel calm.

The link between vaping and mental health isn’t completely understood yet, but research shows that people who vape are more likely to struggle with their mental health. We know that quitting smoking improves mental health and it’s possible that quitting vaping will have a similar effect.

Find out how to look after your mental health and wellbeing.