I gave up disposable vapes overnight after doing just one thing

Daily Mirror

2 days ago

A UK-wide ban on single-use vapes came into force on Sunday, July 1, making them illegal to sell
A nationwide ban on disposable vapes has been enforced in the UK since Sunday, June 1, making it illegal to sell single-use e-cigarettes. While reusable vaping products will still be available, the ban is anticipated to encourage many vapers to quit - a feat I achieved after three years of addiction to these colourful devices.
I never imagined I'd be grappling with a nicotine addiction in my thirties. I wasn't a heavy smoker; it was a habit I picked up at university and quickly dropped.
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However, vaping posed a completely different problem. It turned out I was inhaling the equivalent of 100 cigarettes per week through vaping.
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Like any addiction, the habit sneakily took over - initially, it was just a few puffs during social gatherings or after dinner relaxation. Soon enough, I found myself dependent on disposable vapes like Juul and Lost Mary, never leaving home without one.
Boredom soon became an excuse for vaping. Before I knew it, I was vaping from dawn till dusk. I vaped at home, at my desk, while watching telly - I even vaped in bed.
It all seemed harmless until the side effects began to show: constant dry mouth, headaches, shortness of breath, and mental fog. I realised I needed to quit, but I had no idea where to begin.
A Lost Mary BM600 disposable vape, available in a variety of fruit flavours, is roughly equivalent to 20 cigarettes due to its 20mg nicotine content.
At my worst, I was using five a week. This means that I was taking in 100mg of nicotine, equivalent to 100 cigarettes.
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However, the maximum legal nicotine level in the UK for these devices is 40mg of nicotine, which is dispensed over 500 to 600 puffs.
The NHS has stated that while vaping is less harmful than traditional smoking, it's not without risks. The long-term effects of e-cigarettes remain unclear, but they have been linked with lung damage, causing inflammation and tissue harm which can lead to chronic coughing, breathlessness and other respiratory issues.
The NHS also warns of additional side effects such as dry mouth and throat, irritation, headaches, and dizziness. Nicotine, a key ingredient in e-cigarettes, is a highly addictive substance that can result in withdrawal symptoms when trying to quit.
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Furthermore, e-cigarettes pose a significant environmental hazard due to their composition of plastic, copper, rubber and a lithium-ion battery, all of which can take decades to decompose.
Despite numerous attempts to quit, including gradually reducing usage, chewing gum, and leaving my vape by the front door, I always found myself going back to it.
I would justify my actions by convincing myself that at least I wasn't smoking cigarettes, but deep down, I knew I was still hooked. Then, one day, I stumbled upon a book that transformed my perspective: Dopamine Nation: Why our Addiction to Pleasure is Causing us Pain by Dr. Anna Lembke, a psychiatrist and addiction specialist at Stanford University.
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Though her speciality primarily lies in the US opioid crisis, she has delved into various forms of addiction, from shopping and food to social media and sex. Dr Lembke argues that addiction isn't just about the substance itself, but rather the brain's reward system.
Nicotine provides an immediate dopamine rush, offering a brief moment of pleasure.
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The initial pleasurable sensation nicotine offers quickly dissipates, leaving a user grappling with discomfort, irritability, and anxiety. This vicious cycle is fuelled by an escalating reliance on nicotine just to feel 'normal', with alterations to brain pathways vital for learning, stress management, and self-regulation making quitting seem impossible.
For me, the realisation that my relentless pursuit for that satisfying hit from my vape was actually causing more harm than good was a revelation. After immersing myself in a life-altering book, my mindset underwent a dramatic shift, empowering me to quit vaping for good.
The initial two days without my vape were torturous; I was hit by a fierce longing for dopamine, felt utterly exhausted, and became irritable and emotionally depleted, yearning for the sweet taste of my go-to juicy peach-flavoured Lost Mary. Yet, by day five, there was a noticeable shift - the fog in my brain cleared, my vitality surged back, and it dawned on me that I'd been shrouded in a nicotine fog for far too long.
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Kicking the habit was far from simple, but grasping the mechanics of addiction proved to be key. Realising that my vaping habit was just a series of ephemeral pleasures followed by periods of dissatisfaction changed my perspective on other vices like booze and sugar.
One month into my vape-free journey, I've silenced the "nicotine noise" and here's what I've learned from the enlightening read 'Dopamine Nation':
1. Minimise temptations.
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2. Accept discomfort.
3. Opt for abstinence.
4. Utilise prosocial shame.
I didn't keep my quitting journey a secret; instead, I informed my mates and family. Knowing they were keeping an eye out and rooting for me provided a sense of accountability.
For those finding it tough to ditch the vape, 'Dopamine Nation', priced at £9.55 on Amazon, might just be your overnight game-changer. The NHS also offers some handy advice on how to stop vaping.