How do I help my recovering daughter quit vaping?

[Stopnow144]

My daughter was in a car accident. It is a very stressful time and I feel she is just laying in bed vaping more than usual. I just found out this addiction.

I tried to encourage her to stop but said not now.

A doctor told me that her vaping could be causing the pain meds not to work as effectively.

Should I keep encouraging her to stop? Or should I take the approach that I am her care giver 24/7 she can’t do much of anything for herself. Should I just take them away and say no. She is in bed and can’t fight it.

Which approach should I take.

She is 25 years old.

I need advise!

Sincerely , a desperate and tired mom

Sent from my iPhone

[CommunityAdmin]

Stopnow144 wrote:

My daughter was in a car accident. It is a very stressful time and I feel she is just laying in bed vaping more than usual. I just found out this addiction.

I tried to encourage her to stop but said not now.

A doctor told me that her vaping could be causing the pain meds not to work as effectively.

Should I keep encouraging her to stop? Or should I take the approach that I am her care giver 24/7 she can’t do much of anything for herself. Should I just take them away and say no. She is in bed and can’t fight it.

Which approach should I take.

She is 25 years old.

I need advise!

Sincerely , a desperate and tired mom

Sent from my iPhone

Sorry to hear of your daughters accident but good that you're there to care for her. You're going to probably get the gamut of thoughts on this from you should make the decision as her caretaker and of sound mind in accordance with her Dr. while others would say the decision should be solely hers.  Hopefully she's on board though with the decision even with reservations and appreciates your support. Certainly you should follow her doctors advice as you want her to have a healthy recovery and the vaping might be inhibiting that. Since she's probably sedentary and people who are in the hospital cannot usually smoke it might be a good time for her to stop all together with a fresh start. 

Spend some time reading here on the site to get a sense of what people go through when they're going through withdrawal so you can prepare yourself.  She may get emotional and a mix of other emotions. Withdrawal is different for everyone.  People have expressed their concerns about quitting as they worry they might get irritable.  Not taking it personal and understanding what she's going through will probably be the best thing you can do.  There is a letter on here that some people print and give to their loved ones so they can be prepared for what they're going to face as a supporter.  Maybe reading that would be helpful to you as well. 

This is a great topic and I hope that you post a separate discussion seeking advice on just this topic.  I am sure there are other parents lurking around here looking for the same type of advice and may be just hesitant to step forward.

This song came to my mind.

Mark
EX Community Manager

[JACKIE1-25-15]

Sorry for the dilemma.  It is a difficult situation. I would continue to advise her what the dr has said if you haven't already.  Until she agrees the battle is yours. I believe underneath the addiction there is something that wants to quit but just doesn't know-how.  Hopefully, your discussions do not create hostility.  Right now I would get literature for her to read while she is convalescing. Discuss weaning.  Be willing to listen.  Understand it is an addiction like any other drug. A lot of denials comes with that.  Education is the key to success. Pray that the light goes on and she is willing.  Until then gentle encouragement won't hurt.

[Stopnow144]

Thank you so much for the advice. What literature or support to help her quit would you suggest?

Sent from my iPhone

[elvan]

I agree that ultimately, the decision has to be hers.  No one can force another person into recovery.  Recovering from nicotine addiction is a one day at a time journey.  Education is certainly huge, I would suggest that you recommend Allen Carr's book "The Easy Way to Quit Smoking", I took it out of the library when I wanted to read it.  It is about smoking cigarettes but recovery from nicotine addiction is the same if the method of administration is an e-cigarette.  It's really unfortunate that she is confined to bed and that you are really feeling overwhelmed.  I think the doctor's advice is valid. if your daughter has access to a laptop, I would have her come to this site and read blogs, search e-cigarettes with the magnifying glass.  I would also suggest going to whyquit.com and reading Joel's ebook.  There is a lot that is still unknown about vaping, just like there was a lot still unknown about smoking when many of us started.  We did not know that additional addictive substances were being added to our cigarettes.  She really needs to understand that nicotine is highly addictive and the journey to recovery is not an easy one but it IS doable.

Welcome to EX,

Ellen

[JACKIE1-25-15]

A really good website for info is www.whyquit.com a book that is suggested reading here is Allen Carr's Easy Way to Quit Smoking.  It is based on cigarettes but addiction is an addiction.  The more you know the better you can help her with knowledgeable discussion.  Best wishes.  You can also give her this site to surf/lurk.  Just ask her to be as open-minded as possible. 

[YoungAtHeart]

Welcome to our community!

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 "vape."   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. You can also gradually reduce the amount of nicotine contained in the pods.   That way the physical withdrawal should be more manageable.

The important thing she can do right now is to educate yourself on what nicotine does to your body and mind. To that end, I also recommend Allen Carr's “The Easy Way to Stop Smoking.” This is an easy and entertaining read. You can search for it online or at your local library.

 She should also read the posts here and perhaps go to the pages of folks who you think might be helpful. She might visit whyquit.com, quitsmoking.com and livewell.com for the good information contained there. @https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/groups/best-of-ex has lots of blogs written by members of this site with their experiences and guidance. Here is a video to inform you further about nicotine addiction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpWMgPHn0Lo&feature=youtu.be.

It will be informative if you do the tracking and separation exercises recommended here on the site. As you track each cigarette smoked, note its importance, and what you might do instead. Put each one off just a little to prove that you don't NEED a cigarette just because you think you do.
 

She needs to distract yourself through any craves.  Take a bite out of a lemon (yup - rind and all), play a computer game.  Keep a cold bottle of water handy from which to sip. Don't let that smoking thought rattle around in her brain unchallenged.   Here is a link to a list of things to do instead of smoke if she needs some fresh ideas:
 https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/blogs/Youngatheart.7.4.12-blog/2013/02/25/100-things-to-do-instea...
The conversation in her head in response to the "I want a cigarette" 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.  She will need to put some effort into this in the early days, but it gets easier and easier to do.

 Nancy