How to Quit Vaping: A Step-by-Step Plan for Adults

There are two ways to quit vaping: stop on a quit date, or cut down step by step until you reach zero. The NHS describes both, and for cutting down it suggests lowering your e-liquid's nicotine strength over time and stretching the time between vapes (NHS). Here's how to choose your route, how to taper strength and puffs, what to do when a craving hits, what withdrawal feels like, and where to get free help.

Why is vaping hard to quit?

Most vapes contain nicotine, the same addictive substance in cigarettes, and the CDC puts it plainly: "Nicotine is highly addictive" (CDC). When you cut back or stop, withdrawal can make you irritable, restless, anxious, tired or hungrier than normal, give you headaches or trouble sleeping, and bring strong cravings to vape (Smokefree.gov).

Vaping is also easy to do without noticing. A vape is always in reach, so it's easy to lose count of puffs. That's why the first step is to see your real pattern.

Step 1: Get ready

• Know your reasons. Smokefree.gov notes that knowing why you want to quit "can help you stay motivated and focused on your goal of becoming vape-free" (Smokefree.gov). Write them down where you'll see them.
• Find your triggers. "Certain people, places, feelings, or situations may cause you to want to vape" (Smokefree.gov). For a few days, notice when you reach for your vape: waking up, the commute, breaks, stress, evenings.
• Pick a date. Smokefree.gov suggests a quit date "no more than a week or two away" (Smokefree.gov). If you taper, that's the day your taper starts.
• Tell people. Ask friends, family or coworkers for their support. The NHS says support "can make a big difference" (NHS).

Step 2: Choose your route - all at once or step by step

Both routes are real options, and the choice is yours:

• Stop in one step. If you prefer this, the NHS suggests asking a pharmacist or stop smoking adviser about a suitable nicotine replacement product (NHS).
• Cut down gradually. Lower your nicotine and your number of vapes in small, planned steps until you reach zero. The NHS adds one rule worth keeping: "Only cut down when you're ready" (NHS).

If you vape to stay off cigarettes, read the section on that below before you start.

Step 3: If you taper, cut strength and stretch the gaps

There are three levers, and you can use them together:

1. Lower the strength. Check your e-liquid's nicotine content (mg/ml) and reduce it gradually, paying attention to how you feel. The NHS warns that if you find yourself vaping more, "it may be a sign that you've reduced your nicotine level too quickly" (NHS).
2. Stretch the time between vapes. The NHS gives an example: if you normally vape every 20 minutes, try every 40 minutes instead (NHS). Stretch the gap a little more each week until the gaps become your whole day.
3. Make vape-free places and times. Pick places or times where you won't vape, such as at work or in certain rooms at home (NHS).

Stretching gaps is hard to do by feel, because you'd have to keep the clock in your head all day. Puff Pacer's pacing countdown does it for you: log a puff with one tap from the app, your Lock Screen, Apple Watch or Android's Quick Settings, and the countdown tells you when your next one fits your plan. The gaps stretch a little every day, and you choose the plan length.

A shorter plan reaches zero sooner; a longer one makes each step smaller.

Step 4: Have a plan for cravings

"Cravings to vape are common, but also temporary. They will fade the longer you stay quit" (Smokefree.gov). Smokefree.gov's suggestions for the moment one hits:

• Switch things up: change what you're doing.
• Get moving: even a short walk or a few flights of stairs.
• Pause to breathe: slow, deep breaths until the craving passes.
• Stay busy: a phone game can be a distraction.
• Reach out: to someone who supports your quit.

(Smokefree.gov)

For withdrawal more generally, Smokefree.gov suggests drinking plenty of water, keeping a consistent sleep schedule, and keeping crunchy snacks like carrots or raw nuts on hand to keep your hands and mouth busy (Smokefree.gov).

Puff Pacer's Craving SOS puts these in one tap: a ride-it-out timer, guided breathing, the replacements that have worked for you before, and the Arcade, four original mini-games built for the minutes a craving lasts.

Step 5: Know what withdrawal feels like

Withdrawal is different for everyone, but the worst of it doesn't last. "The worst withdrawal symptoms only last a few days to a couple of weeks," and the uncomfortable feelings fade over time if you stay away from vapes (Smokefree.gov). If you taper, expect the hardest days right after you lower your strength or stretch your gaps, and plan something for those days.

Step 6: If you slip, keep going

"If you slip up and vape, don't think of it as a failure. Try to think of it as a temporary setback," Smokefree.gov advises, and learn from it (Smokefree.gov). The NHS agrees: "It's okay if it takes a few tries to quit for good" (NHS).

Log the slip honestly instead of hiding it. It shows you which moment needs a better plan, and it doesn't erase the days you've already done.

If you vape to stay off cigarettes

If you switched to vaping to stop smoking, the NHS advises: "Only quit vaping if you are confident you can do it without smoking cigarettes" (NHS). And the CDC notes that using both, vaping and smoking, "is not an effective way to safeguard health" (CDC). If this is you, talk to a healthcare professional about a plan that doesn't lead back to cigarettes.

Where to get free help

You don't have to do it alone. In the US, trained quit coaches "are available via 1-800-QUIT-NOW to provide confidential help at no cost to callers," and the CDC also suggests talking to your health care provider "about tools and resources you can use to help you quit" (CDC). Outside the US, ask a doctor or pharmacist about your local quit service.

Quitting other nicotine too? See how to quit Zyn and nicotine pouches.

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Sources

• NHS, How to quit vaping.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Health Effects of Vaping, 2025.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Vaping and Quitting, 2024.
• Smokefree.gov (National Cancer Institute), Get Ready to Quit Vaping.
• Smokefree.gov (National Cancer Institute), Nicotine Withdrawal and Vaping.
• Smokefree.gov (National Cancer Institute), Dealing With Vape Cravings.