Quitting Tobacco or Vaping

“Understanding that I was using cigarettes to manage my anxiety helped me to finally kick the habit years later,” said Marcel, who has been successfully tobacco and vape-free since 2021, in his Stories@IH guest blog post.

Here are some common reasons people decide to quit tobacco or vaping:

• Health: The benefits of quitting are immediate! People consider things like feeling well, feeling free from depending on a substance and sometimes they think about the future. How would feeling healthier improve your life today and in the future?
• Social reasons: People think about their family and friends, how their habit affects others or they may feel it is not socially acceptable. How would your relationships change if you quit tobacco or vaping?
• Financial: Using tobacco or vaping comes with a big cost. Check out these Quash and Quit Now tools to find out how much tobacco or vaping is costing you. What could you do with the money you’d save from quitting?

• Breathing: In as little as one month after quitting, your lungs start to recover from the damages from smoking or vaping. Breathing feels easier and you cough less.
• Heart: Nicotine raises your blood pressure and heart rate, putting extra stress on your heart and blood vessels, which can lead to a heart attack or stroke. In as little as 20 minutes after quitting, your heart rate and blood pressure return to normal. After eight hours, your oxygen levels go back to normal. Running, playing sports and doing regular things will start to feel easier. After one year, your blood vessels will go back to normal and your chances of a heart attack are cut in half!
• Mood: Because nicotine is a stimulant and makes your brain release dopamine (a “feel good” hormone) people often think it helps them feel energized, calm, less anxious or less depressed. The problem is that those good sensations fade quickly and make you crave more nicotine, feel anxious and have mood swings. Quitting and working on the reasons you feel unwell in the first place will help improve your mood.
• Brain: On day three after quitting, all nicotine is gone from your body! This is great for your health but it may cause withdrawal symptoms like cravings, feeling moody, having headaches and trouble sleeping. The first week is usually the hardest, but on the following weeks you may feel more energized, less moody and stressed. By the end of a month, your brain starts to feel more settled.
• Appearance: The tar and nicotine in cigarettes and nicotine in vapes hit your mouth first, causing yellow teeth, decay and bad breath. Most of it can be reversed after you quit. Another benefit for those who quit smoking is a better and brighter skin, thanks to the improved blood flow.
• Wallet: You may save over $2,000 per year from quitting, depending on how much you smoke or vape! When you quit you can turn that wish list of cool things or experiences into reality!
• Environment: By quitting, you reduce your impact on the planet. You save trees, land, water, resources and reduce emissions that are required to produce your tobacco and vapour products. You also reduce the amount of garbage you generate like packaging, cigarette butts (made of plastic), vapes, cartridges and electronic waste. It’s a brighter future for you and the planet!

Information from Quash and Quit Now websites

Here are some ways people quit:

• Full stop: People pick a date to quit completely. It can be successful but there are some challenges, especially for people who are more dependent on nicotine.
• Delaying: People start to gradually reduce how much tobacco or vapour they take by slowly delaying when they use it during the day. For example, if someone usually smokes a cigarette within 10 minutes of waking up, they might start waiting an hour to smoke their first cigarette of the day and increase the delay while decreasing the number of cigarettes over time.
• Tapering off or cutting down: People gradually decrease the amount of tobacco or nicotine intake over time until ready to stop. For example, if someone vapes one cartridge of 20mg/ml per day, they could start decreasing the number of puffs to make their pod last longer or reduce the concentration of nicotine they use.
• Get some support: Support can come from a health professional (doctor, nurse, counsellor and pharmacist) and through quit lines and apps. Some people can also benefit from medications and nicotine replacement therapy (patches, gum, lozenges, etc.) to help them cope with nicotine withdrawal symptoms that can happen when they reduce or quit. A health-care professional can help decide if these are good options for you. Many times people overlook the potential of getting help to quit, but it really increases your chances of success!

Your health-care providers and pharmacist can offer information and support for you to quit. There are also other free supports you can access to help you on your journey to being tobacco or vaping free:

• Quash by the Lung Health Foundation: Website and free app to help quit smoking or vaping.
• QuitNow by BC Lung: One-on-one online or phone support and resources to help you plan, start and manage quitting or reducing tobacco or vaping.
• Quit Smoking by HealthLink BC: Quit information and resources in multiple languages
• Journey to Quit by Lung Health Foundation: Workbook to help you quit smoking.
• Talk Tobacco by FNHA: Culturally appropriate support about quitting smoking, vaping and commercial tobacco use for First Nations communities.
• BC Smoking Cessation Program by the Government of BC: Free nicotine replacement products and help with the cost of medications for people that live in B.C.
• Coverage for Products to Quit Commercial Tobacco by FNHA: Extended coverage of nicotine replacement products for First Nations people.

Quitting can have its challenges. Thinking about that ahead of time can help you plan to make it easier for yourself to quit.

Here are some things people find challenging when trying to quit and some ideas to tackle them:

• People using tobacco or vaping in your social circles: It can be hard to be around people vaping or using tobacco. You can try to find an alternative activity for when people are using these products or choose the company of people who do not use tobacco or vape or who supports you trying to quit.
• Feeling unprepared: Planning how you are going to quit and deciding when you are going to stop are great ways to feel ready for taking this step. Make a plan, set a date and get support.
• Feeling Bored: Finding activities that take your mind off using tobacco or vaping can help. It can be playing a game, chatting with a supportive person, exercising or planning a fun activity. Try to steer away from things that you usually do while vaping or using tobacco for a while.
• Nicotine withdrawal (or the fear of it): Nicotine withdrawal is real and can be difficult to deal with. Finding a distraction, exercising, drinking water or chewing gum are great ways to deal with it. You can also talk to a health-care professional about options, like nicotine replacement products or medication to help you manage the discomfort. Check out these other tips from QuitNow or try a quit app like Quash.
• Stress, anxiety and mood problems: If you already deal with these and use nicotine to feel better you may worry about how you are going to cope. Nicotine withdrawal can make you feel a little worse in the beginning, but as nicotine leaves your body and your brain settles, you will likely feel better. You can try exercising, doing a relaxing activity, meditation and breathing exercises. Talking to a quit coach or counsellor a can really help manage these symptoms and tackle the real reasons why you feel stressed, anxious or depressed. If you are feeling depressed and anxious for more than a few weeks, talk to a health-care professional. If you are a young person, an adult you trust or a youth counsellor can also help.
• Lack of support: Quitting is a challenge and having someone in your corner can make a huge difference. You can find support in many places and people. A friend, family member, doctor, mental health professional, counsellor or a quit coach all can help. Online services like QuitNow or an app like Quash can help you plan for quitting and getting through the difficult days. Young people can also talk to their teacher, youth worker, youth counsellor or local organizations that help youth deal with substance use in your area.