Young ex-vapers share their experience and advice on quitting vaping

Almost half of 15- to- 24-year-olds who vape say quitting e-cigarettes is a 2020 resolution, according to a Truth Initiative® survey, and, on the social platform TikTok, hundreds of thousands of young people are building on this momentum by posting videos about quitting.

The first #ThisisQuitting TikTok challenge, part of the “Ready to Ditch JUUL” campaign from truth® that amplifies the movement young people started to quit vaping, had more than 1.8 billion views and more than 365,000 user-created videos. The latest challenge invites users to creatively express what quitting vaping means to them — whether that is through a dance, an action or a duet response — and drives users looking to quit vaping to This is Quitting, a free and anonymous text-based quit program built with input from young people who have attempted to or successfully quit. Preliminary data about the program published in Nicotine & Tobacco Research show after just two weeks of using This is Quitting, more than half — 60.8% — reported that they had reduced or stopped using e-cigarettes.

As more people decide to quit, others are offering encouragement and advice based on their experiences. Whether they have submitted messages to This is Quitting to help motivate others, told their stories to media outlets or participated in activism programs and events with us like the National Day of Action protest outside JUUL’s D.C. office, we’ve interacted with many young people who have quit e-cigarettes or are on their way and gathered some of their best tips and advice.

Tips and advice for quitting vaping

Young people on This is Quitting:

“Think about who you were before this and remind yourself that the core of that person is still there. You can do this.” – Siobahn

“If you feel like you are having a craving, find an alternative. Great alternatives are drawing, taking a walk, or talking to a family/friend.” – Christina

“When I feel the urge, I get down and do 15 push-ups. Helps you get stronger physically and mentally.” – Nate

 “Chew a lot of gum – it helps keep your mouth busy to prevent cravings.” – Lizzie B.

“Start by not taking your JUUL with you places and soon you won’t even think about it.” – Bradleighd

“Find a good reason for quitting that affects you personally and hold onto that reason every time you feel like giving in or quitting.” – Kaegen

National Day of Action participants:

“If you are vaping today, believe me when I say you are stronger than this. You can quit.” – Ally Harrison, 2019 truth IMPACT scholarship winner

 “For those who want to quit, I know how hard it is and I know that it’s not an easy task to quit but it’s not worth your life. That ‘nic-buzz’ is not worth your life. For me, it was a really scary feeling to almost die from it – vaping is not worth it.” – Piper Johnson

“For those teens who are out there that really want to quit, I understand how they feel. I understand that they don’t want to be buying those next set of pods but that thought is so quiet compared to the screams of addictions that overlap it. The real thing I want to do is speak to those quiet thoughts and make them louder.” – Chance Amiratta

“If you are addicted to vaping and want to quit, consider the reasons why and prioritize them. Prioritize your healing and your health. Make sure that what is best for you is what you are doing.” – Tyra Nicolay

“Don’t worry about fitting in. It sounds very cliché to say, but genuinely just be yourself. The second thing I would say is just to take things day by day and find a healthy alternative. So that could be a sport, reading; there’s also music, which is personally mine. I love music. At the end of the day you’ll never know what [healthier alternative] you’ll like until you try it.” – Luka Kinard, “Luka Kinard Gets Real About Vaping on an Episode of Bright Idea”