Quitline
Quitline will help you quit without judging and without telling your parents.
Trained counsellors can talk to you about different ways of quitting. They can help you figure out what might work best for you and create a plan for quitting.
Cold turkey
Going cold turkey is when you stop vaping without using medicine or other support to help you. This works for some people, but quitting is hard and there’s no shame getting help. Think about it like this – if you’re driving somewhere new, you don’t just guess the way – you use directions. Quitting vaping is easier when you have some help too. If you try going cold turkey, it’s a good idea to steer clear of places where people are vaping. Find new things to keep you busy when cravings hit and get support from friends. It’ll make it easier to stick to your goal.
Cutting back
Cutting back is when you vape a little bit less each day. Like going cold turkey, it can be difficult but slowly reducing the amount you vape helps with withdrawal symptoms.
Keep track of how much you’re vaping now and slowly cut back from there. Setting a planned quit date or key milestones may also help. You can call Quitline to get advice and support while you're cutting back.
Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT)
Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) replaces vapes with other things that have smaller amounts of nicotine. They include things like:
- gum
- patches
- lozenges.
NRT products are safer than vapes because they don’t have any of the dodgy chemicals found in vape liquid. Using NRT can help ease some of the cravings and withdrawal symptoms you get while you’re coming off vapes.
Talk to your GP or a pharmacist if you’re under 18 to make sure replacement products are the right fit for you.
If you register with Quitline's intensive quit program, you can get 12 weeks of NRT products for free. Please note, this program is available for Queenslanders aged 12 years and older. Talk to Quitline to find out if you’re eligible.
Prescription medicines
If you’re over 18, your GP may prescribe you medicines, like varenicline or bupropion to help you quit, but they’re not for everyone. It’s better to use medicine along with support from your GP or other services like Quitline. And it’s often best to try other quitting methods first. Ask your GP, pharmacist or call Quitline for advice.