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Hey, I’m Anthony and I have made the choice to abstain from Juuling after noticing very undesirable physical effects (erectile dysfunction) along with angina (chest pain), lung pain, excessive coughing, etc. I am a 20 year old male, been Juuling since October 2018. I had a successful month of abstaining with only one setback, so this will be my second endeavor. Hope to get to know everyone on here and wish to be a support as well as vice versa. Good luck everyone!!
Welcome to the Ex and congrats on your decision to quit. It's important to educate yourself about nicotine addiction and create a quit plan. Education and preparation leads to success. The support on this site has made such a difference for me. Stay close and reach out if your need help. Here another site for young vaper's trying to quit. The Ex is also a part of the Truth Initiative
https://truthinitiative.org/our-top-issues/vaping-issue
Barb
Welcome to our community!
Although primarily a smoking cessation site, I have seen a huge increase in the number of people coming for help to break free from vaping. Research suggests nicotine may be as addictive as heroin and cocaine. Because it is available to you most anywhere, anytime, I believe it might be more difficult from which to break free than tobacco products - but it CAN be done.
Here is a great article with information about the products: https://www.nbcnews.com/health/vaping/vaping-101-what-know-about-e-cigs-addiction-illnesses-n1054981?cid=sm_npd_nn_fb_ma&fbclid=IwAR1_kp1N7b8vLyjqt3M-Onz2hPEUkBBmUYm98bdRJ9EBVKldRbKbvLwP3ss There is further information here: https://www.becomeanex.org/quitting-e-cigarettes and here; https://www.lung.org/stop-smoking/smoking-facts/impact-of-e-cigarettes-on-lung.html . You might find useful information, as well, here: https://truthinitiative.org/research-resources/quitting-smoking-vaping/quitting-e-cigarettes.
Nicotine addiction is nicotine addiction - no matter the delivery device - and how to beat any of them is about the same. Every time you read :"cigarette" in the information I will give you, just sub "Juul" or “vape,” or “device.” The one thing different I would recommend is that you first start to reduce the nicotine content of the pods. Start with a lesser amount in, like, one in every four, then three, etc. until you are only using the smallest amount, or reduce the amount of nicotine in the pods over time That way the physical withdrawal should be more manageable.
I recommend that you educate yourself on what nicotine does to your body and mind To that end, I suggest Allen Carr's “The Easy Way to Stop Smoking.” . Vaping was not a concern when this was written, so you will need to sub “vape”as necessary. This is an easy and entertaining read which can be found online or at your local library. If you do nothing else to get ready for your quit, please do give this a read. Here is a video to inform you further about nicotine addiction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpWMgPHn0Lo&feature=youtu.be.
After you have completed the recommended reading, it will be time to make an informed choice of the quit aid, if any, you will use. If you go that route, I personally recommend the aids that don't let the addict control the dose such as the available prescription drugs or the patch. If used properly, gum, lozenges and inhalers are fine, but they need to be used only as a last resort after you have tried to delay and distract. I have seen folks become addicted to them if they substitute them for every cigarette they used to smoke - just trading one addiction for another. You need to start out with a plan to reduce use of them over time - which the patch does by decreasing the dose contained in them.. For the gum, you can start by cutting each piece in half, then in quarters, then sub regular gum of the same flavor in between, adding more and more regular gum. For the lozenge, you need to start subbing a mint in between to begin, increasing the number of them over time.
It will be informative if you do the tracking and separation exercises recommended here on the site. As you track each device use, note its importance, and what you might do instead. Put each use off just a little to prove that you don't NEED a puff just because you think you do
The idea is to change up your routines so the vaping associations are reduced. Drink your coffee with your OTHER hand in a place different from where you vaped. Maybe switch to tea for a bit. If you always had that first puff with your coffee, try putting your tennies on right out of bed, going for a quick walk, then taking your shower and THEN your coffee! Rearrange the furniture in the areas you used to vape so the view is different. Take a different route when you are out and about so you aren't driving by your vaping supply shop. Take a quick walk at break time instead of vaping.
You need to distract yourself through any craves. You can take a bite out of a lemon (yup - rind and all), put your head in the freezer and take a deep breath of cold air, do a few jumping jacks, go for a brisk walk or march in place, play a computer game. Keep a cold bottle of water with you from which to sip. Don't let that vaping thought rattle around in your brain unchallenged. Sometimes you need to quit a minute or an hour at a time. You will need to be disciplined in the early days to distract yourself when a crave hits. Get busy! Here is a link to a list of things to do instead of vape if you need some fresh ideas:
https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/blogs/Youngatheart.7.4.12-blog/2013/02/25/100-things-to-do-instead-of-smoke
The conversation in your head in response to the "I want to vape" thought needs to be, "Well, since I have decided not to do that anymore, what shall I do instead for the three minutes this crave will last?" Then DO it. You will need to put some effort into this in the early days, but it gets easier and easier to do.
Stay close to us here and ask questions when you have them and for support when you need it. We will be with you every step of the way!
Nancy
Welcome to EX, I am so proud of you quitting JUUL as such a young man. Good for you. Remember that this is a journey, one day at a time, one step at a time. Be patient with yourself and know that by quitting while you are so young, you will learn to feel your feelings the way you are supposed to and not to have them inhibited by nicotine.
Ellen
Update just wasted to thank everyone for welcoming me in the BecomeanEx Community. As you known, the coronavirus has changed our lives in the past month. My school has closed for the rest of the semester and naturally the stress made me relapse, but now I’m getting back on my feet adjusting to this new reality. Thank you for all the support and look forward in being a support for you guys as well!
*Wanted lol
Get right back on track. It it a stressful time to quit, but with having so little we can control right now, quitting vaping is something you can control. We're still here for you. Come to the Ex before you vape. That's what we're here for.
Barb
What will you do differently this time? If you didn't before, maybe do some reading and prep work ahead of time?
Glad you are getting right back at it!
Let us know how we might help.
Nancy
HI and Welcome to Ex’s Anthonytrujillo
I am so happy to see someone so happy listening to their body and choosing to quit vaping. Be sure to read at My EX Plan | BecomeAnEX and replace smoking with vaping, although we see them as the same thing. Keep all vaping paraphernalia away from you. Keep close to our support site for any and all help. Do not get discouraged sometimes it takes a few attempts until we get the quit right...we are here for you. Colleen ~464 DOF
You might want to join this group here at Ex’s
E-Cig and Vape Quitters and Users