Topic 5 Tips to Quit Vaping. Strategies that Work

People who want to make a change often are more successful when they put their goal in writing. Work with your teen to write down all the reasons why they want to quit vaping, like the money they’ll save or the stamina they’ll gain for playing sports. Keep that list where they can see it. Add new reasons as they think of them.

People are more likely to successfully quit when friends and family help. If it’s hard to find people who support your child (like if their friends vape and aren’t interested in quitting), encourage your teen to join an online or in-person support group. Engaging the support of a doctor or therapist can help teens anticipate times that will be difficult to avoid vaping exposure and plan how to navigate those social situations.

Work with your child to pick a date to stop vaping. Put it on the calendar and encourage them to tell friends and family (if they know) that they’ll quit on that day. They can think of this day as a dividing line between the person who once vaped and the new, improved non-vaper they’ll become.

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Get rid of the smell of vaping and e-cigarettes as much as they can by washing all their clothes and having their coats or sweaters dry-cleaned. If they smoked in their car, have them clean that out, too.

Most people are aware of the times when they tend to vape whether that is after a meal, at their friend’s house or while they’re driving. Any situation where it feels automatic to vape is a trigger. Once you’ve helped your teen figure out their triggers, try these tips:

• Break the link. If your teen smokes or vapes when they drive, give them a ride to school, have them walk, or take the bus for a few weeks so they can break the connection. If they normally vape after meals, do something else after they eat, like go for a walk or talk to a friend.
• Substitute something else for e-cigarettes and vapes. It can be hard for people to get used to not holding something or not having a something in their mouth. If your child has this problem, stock up on carrot sticks, sugar-free gum, mints, toothpicks or lollipops.

If your teen slips up, tell them not to give up! Major changes sometimes have false starts. Like many other people, your child may quit successfully for weeks or even months and then suddenly have a craving that’s so strong they feel like they have to give in. Or maybe they accidentally find themselves in one of their trigger situations and give in to temptation.

If they slip up, it doesn’t mean they’ve failed. It just means they’re human. Here are three ways to get back on track:

1. Remind your teen to think about their slip as one mistake. Help them take notice of when and why it happened and move on.
2. Tell them to keep in mind that vaping one time doesn’t undo the progress they’ve made, so vaping one time (or even two or three) after they quit doesn’t make them dependent again.
3. Remind them why they quit and how well they’ve done — or have someone in their support group, family, or friends do this for them.