Quitting vaping this year: What your body goes through (and how to make it easier)

You've made the decision. You’re done with vaping.

Maybe you're tired of the control your vaping device has over you. Maybe you're frustrated by how much it intrudes into your daily routine, or how often you have to excuse yourself from conversations to go and vape. Perhaps you switched from cigarettes to vaping as a step towards quitting smoking, and you've realised you’re vaping more than you used to smoke tobacco.

Breathing in the freedom of life without the urge for vapes and e-cigarettes

This time of year brings a natural momentum for change - a collective exhale and fresh start. But alongside that determination, there could be a glimmer of nervousness too. What will withdrawal actually feel like? How long will it last? Can you really do this?

Here's what I want you to know from working with clients through this exact process: Your body is extraordinarily good at healing itself. Withdrawal is temporary and manageable. Understanding what's actually happening, both physically and psychologically, makes it so much easier to get through.

Let's demystify what really happens when you quit vaping, and give you the practical tools to this the month you finally become free.

What actually happens when you stop vaping?

The first 72 hours of quitting vaping: your body starts healing immediately

The first three days are the steepest part of the climb. But they're also when your body begins repairing itself with remarkable speed.

Hours 1-12: The nicotine exodus

Within the first 12 hours of your last vape, approximately 93% of the nicotine in your body has already left. Gone. That's how quickly your body processes and eliminates it.

This is actually good news, even if it doesn't feel like it yet. What you're experiencing in those first hours - the restlessness, the frequent thoughts about vaping, the urge to reach for your device - that's not your body "needing" nicotine. It's your brain looking for a familiar pattern. It's more linked to habit and routine than physical dependency.

You might notice yourself automatically reaching for your pocket. You'll think about it a lot. That's completely normal.

Hours 12-24: Your system recalibrates

As your body continues clearing nicotine and its metabolites, your heart rate and blood pressure are beginning to normalise. Blood oxygen levels are improving.

At this point, you might notice irritability creeping in, or have trouble concentrating. Your attention might feel scattered. Again, this is temporary and entirely expected. Your nervous system is recalibrating to function without the regular hits of stimulant it's been receiving.

Days 2-3: The peak

This is the hardest bit. I won't pretend otherwise. Days two and three are when withdrawal symptoms typically reach their peak intensity. You might feel:

• Irritable or short-tempered (some people say they feel a bit “rattled”)

• Anxious or  slightly on edge

• Difficulty concentrating or finding focus

• Increased appetite or cravings for sweet foods

• Restless or unable to settle
  

"Day three was tough," one former vaper told me. "I felt agitated in my own skin. But I kept telling myself - if I can get through today, I've climbed the steepest part. And I did."

Here's the thing to remember: if you can make it through day three, you've conquered the worst of the physical withdrawal. From here, it gets easier.

Getting through the first 72 hours when you quit vaping

These practical strategies can help you through the hardest window:

• Hydrate constantly - Water helps flush metabolites out faster and gives your hands something to do

• Keep your hands busy - Fidget tools, a stress ball, knitting, doodling - anything that occupies the hand-to-mouth pattern

• Change your routine - If you always vaped with your morning coffee, switch to tea or take a short walk instead

• Tell someone - Let a supportive friend or family member know what you're doing. Accountability helps.

• Be kind to yourself - Your brain is doing something tough as it adapts to your new healthier choice of habit. Treat yourself with the compassion you'd show a friend.
  

  

  Find distractions like walking, getting outside and breathing to keep your mind off vaping

Need some support in strengthening you willpower and mindset to quit vaping and to set yourself up for success?  Download my free guide to freeing yourself from self-sabotaging habits like smoking and vaping with hypnotherapy

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Week one: When the physical becomes psychological

There is a real window of opportunity to lay down new healthy lifestyle habits after day three or four of quitting vaping. As the physical symptoms begin to ease., your body is adjusting and he acute withdrawal is subsiding.

This is the time to really commit to new healthy habits and to make those part of your routine so that this new way of being feels increasingly normal and you become increasingly open to discovering new passions and interests.

It’s time to replace your old vaping ritual with new micro-rituals that will bring greater all round benefits:

• After meals: A short walk, stretching, a glass of cold water with lemon

• During work breaks: Step outside for fresh air and three deep breaths (more on this shortly)

• When stressed: A breathing exercise that genuinely activates your calm response

• When bored: Keep your hands busy with something tactile
  

The goal isn't to white-knuckle through cravings. It's to give your brain a new pattern to latch onto.

Breathing exercises are a key way to down-regulate the nervous system when feeling stressed

Weeks 2-4: The habit breaking zone

By weeks two to four, the physical withdrawal is largely complete. Your body has adjusted to functioning without nicotine. What remains now is behavioural and psychological - and this is actually good news, because these are things you can actively work with.

This phase is less about physical discomfort and more about navigating unexpected moments. A random craving triggered by a specific situation - a stressful day at work, a Friday evening, a difficult conversation.

"Three weeks in, I had a moment where I was tempted to take a drag on a friend's e-cigarette, " another former vaper told me. "Then I remembered: I wanted to stop planning my life around a device. I wanted to be present. That reminder was enough."

This is why knowing your "why" matters so much. In moments of wobble, come back to it. For example, would you like increased:

• Autonomy - not being controlled by a device

• Presence - not having to excuse yourself from moments

• Freedom - from the constant mental checklist (Is my device charged? Do I have enough liquid? Where can I vape?)

• Health - clearer breathing, better energy, long-term wellbeing
  

What if I can't stop thinking about vaping?

Here's something that surprises people: you might find yourself thinking about vaping more during weeks two to four, even as you physically feel much better. This seems counterintuitive, but it's actually your brain's way of processing and saying goodbye to a long-standing pattern.

It doesn't mean you're slipping. It means you're integrating the change. Let the thoughts come, acknowledge them without judgment, and let them pass like clouds.

What you're actually giving up - And what you're gaining when you give up vaping

Let's be honest about what you're giving up -and the reality about what you're not  really losing

You're not losing stress relief. 

I know it felt like vaping is calming, but the truth is that nicotine is a stimulant. It increases your heart rate, triggers adrenaline release and activates your sympathetic nervous system. Pharmacologically, it was adding to your stress, not reducing it. What genuinely relaxed you was something else entirely (I'll explain this in detail in the next section).

You're not losing the ability to take a break. 

You can still pause, step away, reset. You just don't need a device and  a ticket to “smokers corner” to have the right to take your breaks.

You're not losing control over your anxiety.

If anything, you're taking control back. The nicotine was creating a cycle and you're breaking that loop.

What You're Gaining

Autonomy - You're no longer planning your day around battery life, liquid levels or where it's acceptable to vape. Your time is yours again.

Presence - No more excusing yourself from the dinner table, from conversations, from special moments. You're there, fully, without interruption.

Physical improvements - Within weeks, people notice clearer breathing, better sense of taste and smell, healthier gums, and more sustained energy. Your lung function improves. Your skin looks better.

Financial freedom - For many people, vaping costs £100-400 per month. That's £1,200-£4,800 a year. Imagine what you could do with that money instead - a holiday, that course you've been eyeing, simply less financial pressure.

Self-trust - You said you would do something difficult, and you did it. That confidence ripples out into other areas of your life.

"The thing that surprised me most wasn't the physical benefits," an ex-vaper shared with me. "It was the mental space I got back. I didn't realise how much bandwidth it was taking up - the constant background calculation of when I could vape next. When that disappeared, it was like someone turned the volume down on my anxiety."

The breathing secret: why vaping felt relaxing (and how to keep that feeling)

One of the most important things to take on board is that nicotine doesn’t make you relaxed

Nicotine is a stimulant. When you inhale it, it triggers the release of adrenaline and norepinephrine - the same chemicals your body releases when you're under threat. Your heart rate increases. Your blood pressure rises. Your sympathetic nervous system (your "fight or flight" response) activates.

So if nicotine is a stimulant... what was actually making you feel calm?

The Answer: Your Breath

What is genuinely, physiologically relaxing you is the act of slow, deep when you vape.

When you take a long drag on your vape, you are engaging in a form of diaphragmatic breathing - deep belly breathing that stimulates the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve is a crucial component of your parasympathetic nervous system, which controls your "rest and digest" response.

When you activate the vagus nerve through slow, deep breathing, your body experiences genuine physiological relaxation:

• Heart rate decreases

• Blood pressure lowers

• Stress hormones reduce

• Muscles relax

• Mental clarity improves
  

This has always been you self-soothing. You are calming yourself with your own breath. It’s not down to the vape at all.

And here's the truly empowering part: you can keep this relaxation response. In fact, you can make it even more effective, because you're not simultaneously introducing a stimulant like nicotine that works against it.

Breathing techniques That replicate (and improve) the calming response

Next time you get a craving, try one of these breathing techniques instead:

The 7-2-11 Breath (particularly effective for cravings):

• Inhale slowly for a count of 7

• Hold for 2

• Exhale slowly for a count of 11

• Hold for 2

• Repeat until the craving passes (usually 2-3 minutes)
  

The 4-7-8 Breath (excellent for anxiety):

• Inhale through your nose for a count of 4

• Hold your breath for a count of 7

• Exhale completely through your mouth for a count of 8

• Repeat 3-4 times
  

Physiological Sighing (rapid stress relief):

• Take a deep inhale through your nose

• Take a second, shorter inhale to fully inflate your lungs

• Long, slow exhale through your mouth

• Research shows this is particularly effective for quickly reducing anxiety
  

  

  Learning how to control the breath for stress relief is a skill for life

These techniques work because they directly activate your parasympathetic nervous system. You're not replacing one crutch with another - you're learning to access your own innate capacity for calm.

I've worked with these breathing practices for years through restorative yoga and hypnotherapy, and I can tell you: they're powerful. When clients learn how easy this tool is, and you’ve got it for life it's genuinely transformative.

Want to explore how hypnotherapy can help you quit vaping for good?  Learn more about my approach to smoking and vaping cessation.

When willpower needs a boost: support that’s personalised to you

If willpower alone were enough, everyone would quit easily. If you find quitting difficult, it doesn't mean you're weak or lacking in determination. It’s because quitting is a big achievement when you’ve a lot of other things on your plate and life is challenging .

This is where hypnotherapy can be particularly effective for smoking and vaping cessation.

How hypnotherapy helps

Hypnotherapy works with the part of your mind that's been running the show - the automatic, subconscious patterns that trigger cravings and behaviours before your conscious mind even gets involved.

Through hypnotherapy, we can:

• Address the underlying associations between vaping and stress relief, breaks, socialising, or identity

• Strengthen your resolve at a subconscious level, making cravings less intense and easier to manage

• Separate the behaviour from your sense of self - you're not "a vaper trying to quit," you're someone who no longer needs to vape

• Work with your autonomy, not against it - this is about empowering your choice, not imposing control
  

I use a three-step approach in all my personalised hypnotherapy programmes:

1. Setting up for success - Deep understanding of your specific patterns, goal setting, and preparation strategies

2. Treatment - Time to Quit - Intensive support through the critical first days and weeks, with options for cold turkey or phased reduction

3. Maintenance and boosting willpower - Ongoing support to reinforce your freedom and handle unexpected triggers

Many of the clients I work with have tried multiple times before. They come in feeling frustrated with themselves and resenting the control their vaping device has over them. What they discover is that it wasn't about lacking willpower - it was about needing the right tools and support to address what was really keeping them stuck.

You're closer than you think

Your body will begin healing within hours. The nicotine leaves your system quickly - 93% within the first 12 hours. The physical withdrawal peaks on day three and then eases. By three to four weeks, your body has largely adjusted.

You're not giving up relaxation or stress relief. You're getting back control, presence, and freedom. You're choosing to live life on your terms, not on the terms of a device.

You already know you can do hard things. You've made it this far and this is the year, you can become free again.

Ready to quit smoking or vaping for good?

If you're ready to stop vaping but want support to make it stick, I'm here to help.

Book a personal 30-minute chat with me to discuss how hypnotherapy can help you quit vaping and take back control. We'll talk about your specific situation, what's kept you stuck, and how I can support you through this process.

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Together, we can make this the year you finally become smoke and vape free. Author: Liza Patoux, Clinical Hypnotherapist - Elizian Days offers personalised health and workplace wellbeing strategies, to professionals managing stress or health challenges affecting their work-life balance. If you would like to speak to someone about quitting vaping or your own personal wellbeing and self-care plan, please email Liza@ElizianDays.com  to arrange a confidential call.