‘Here is the real tea about quitting vaping’: TikTokers are documenting their vaping cessation experiences online
Vaping has been on the rise for years now — especially among younger Americans. In fact, according to the FDA, it’s estimated that 2.5 million middle and high school students actively vape, and 1 in 4 have been found to use some form of e-cigarette every single day.
But at the same time, many Americans are also actively trying to kick the habit, and now there’s a whole corner of TikTok devoted to helping them do it.
TikTokers have been sharing tips, tricks and other advice through candid videos that document their personal experiences. To date, the hashtag #quittingvaping has more than 18.3 million views and seems to be growing more popular by the day.
In one, @smokulani shares what she’s learned after one month of ditching the vape pen. Before this, she’d been a frequent vaper for roughly eight years, so kicking the habit was definitely no walk in the park.
In that time, she tried practically everything she could think of to quit, but what helped the most was smelling nose mint.
“Since I’ve been not vaping for a month, I actually feel so much better,” the TikToker shared. “I feel like I’m not out of breath when I walk up my steps to my apartment. I don’t feel as tired when I’m taking a dance class, so that’s all great.”
The downside, though? “I wanna vape so bad,” she admits.
In the comments, people appreciated her candor.
“You’re so real for this,” wrote one user.
“Glad I’m nota one so now I don’t feel crazy for thinking about it so much still,” shared someone else.
A lot of people also chimed in to share what’s worked for them.
“Zyn helped me quit,” said one person, referring to the popular nicotine pouch.
Someone else said they stopped cold turkey after telling themselves it was an embarrassing habit.
“That worked for me!” they shared.
Many others said that getting pregnant was the only thing that actually forced them to stop.
In another confessional TikTok video, @ihatebriannachickenfry says she’s on day four of quitting and is struggling hard.
“Day four has by far been the hardest,” she admitted. “I woke up like, ‘I need to vape, I need to vape.'”
To help combat those urges, the TikToker tried out a fake device to get her mind off the real stuff.
“I have this little thing, it’s just like a piece of plastic,” she explains in the clip. “It’s supposed to, like, mimic putting a vape in your mouth. So I kinda just chew on it, like minty-flavored.”
But to help ensure she didn’t cave, @ihatebriannachickenfry submerged all her old vapes in a water glass so they wouldn’t work anymore, hoping that would do the trick.
On many of these videos, commenters jump in with supportive and empathetic comments.
“Stay strong,” one person told her.
“Proud of you!” said another. “You got this!”
Apparently, the water glass trick has become a trend on TikTok, as many other users have shown themselves doing the same.
That said, many users warned that practicing this kind of ceremonial “goodbye” to your vape pens is actually quite dangerous since the device could explode in water.
These TikToks have become something of a “safe zone” for people who are all in the same boat — either trying to quit or thinking about how to take the plunge.
In the process, the comments sections often become a little virtual support community.
While leaning on real-world advice is always helpful, it’s also important to listen to the experts.
In an article on Psychology Today, licensed clinical professional counselor Hannah Rose says there are many different approaches to quitting — and she knows many firsthand, as she kicked the habit herself.
Among the six things that worked best for quitting was not assigning a “quit date” in the future but telling yourself you’ll just start now.
She also used oral substitutes to keep her mouth busy — like chewing sunflower seeds.
“Sunflower seeds saved my life,” Rose confesses.
Journaling calmed her mind and body, as did prayer and intention-setting. Gentle meditation apps like Calm put her in a better headspace.
But at the end of the day, Rose found it was most important to “change the narrative.”
“As I love to point out, the story we create for ourselves becomes our reality,” she writes. “This means that I need to tell myself (and others) that I am not a smoker. I am not a vaper. This is not who I am. This is something I did, but I am detaching from that narrative now.”
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