Are You Addicted to Vaping or Juuling? Take This Quiz

There is not one specific age, but experts do know that nicotine can spell trouble at any age and it is especially dangerous before the brain is fully developed. Full brain development doesn’t happen until around age 25.² Addiction can start if an individual finds that they can’t stop vaping, that they have withdrawal symptoms when they try to quit, and that they keep smoking despite having health problems. Another sign that addiction is developing is if you give up social activities because you can’t vape in those situations.⁴

The flavor in a vape definitely increases the tendency for an addiction to form, says Cornelia Pechmann, professor of marketing in the Paul Merage School of Business at the University of California Irvine who specializes in tobacco use prevention advertisements. “And some of the additives in this form of smoking can actually prevent you from coughing, which is unpleasant, and so this makes it even easier to get addicted,” she explains.

The best first step is to talk to your primary care provider, says Cornelia Pechmann, professor of marketing in the Paul Merage School of Business at the University of California Irvine who specializes in tobacco use prevention advertisements. Typically, you will be asked when you visit the doctor whether you smoke or vape, she says. And if you say yes, you will be given materials about how to quit. The federal government offers resources as well. Visit smokefree.gov to get supportive tips, strategies for quitting, and ideas for how to help family members quit.

Even if you get a diagnosis of a nicotine addiction, it can be very hard to quit. “We find that there are two times in a person’s life when they are more likely to try to quit vaping or smoking,” Pechmann says. “One is when they are pregnant or have a child. The person realizes that it is not healthy for the baby or the child to be around secondhand smoke, and that can be the motivation to quit.”

The other big motivator is when the doctor tells you to quit. “If the doctor tells you to quit or you are going to be on oxygen, or have a heart attack, or have reduced lung capacity, this can be the motivation that many people need to quit,” Pechmann says.

If you can’t stop vaping, chances are you are either becoming addicted or are already addicted. When you vape, you inhale nicotine. The more you vape and the more nicotine you take in, the more nicotine it takes for you to feel good.

“Nicotine can lift your mood and give you energy,” says Cornelia Pechmann, professor of marketing in the Paul Merage School of Business at the University of California Irvine who specializes in tobacco use prevention advertisements.

Attempting to stop can bring on unpleasant physical and mental changes.⁴ “You can feel depressed and lethargic if you don’t vape, and this is what causes the addiction,” Pechmann says. “To feel normal now, you have to use. That is the classic sign of addiction.” It becomes a habit and part of your routine, she says: vaping with your morning coffee and vaping at work with your friend while you are on a break.

It’s different for everyone, says Cornelia Pechmann, professor of marketing in the Paul Merage School of Business at the University of California Irvine who specializes in tobacco use prevention advertisements. The good news is that there are plenty of products today to help you quit.

“Gums and lozenges and patches can really help,” she says. “But when you quit, you also need to figure out what to do with your hands because before, you were using them to hold the vape.”

It’s harder to quit if you are around people who vape, she says. “If you are not smoking and others in your house are, they may be pressuring you to smoke with them,” she says. “We hear over and over that people who want to quit are being pressured in their homes to vape.”

When you smoke or vape, you can get an uplifting feeling. “It kind of rewires your brain,” says Cornelia Pechmann, professor of marketing in the Paul Merage School of Business at the University of California Irvine who specializes in tobacco use prevention advertisements.

But when you quit, you will feel unwell, she says. You may feel tired and even a bit depressed because your brain has been wired by nicotine to feel good. However, this gets better over time and will be less of a problem if you use a nicotine replacement such as the nicotine gum or the nicotine patch, Pechmann says. If you are feeling depressed and the depression is not getting better, your doctor may even prescribe an antidepressant, she says.

The good news is that nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) is helpful for managing cravings and dealing with withdrawal. Nearly all smokers can safely use it.⁴

It is hard to quit either. Quitting vaping might be a bit easier since it’s mostly young people who vape and they have not been doing it for as long, says Cornelia Pechmann, professor of marketing in the Paul Merage School of Business at the University of California Irvine who specializes in tobacco use prevention advertisements. “When someone who vapes wants to quit, chances are they have not been vaping for as long as someone who is in their late 30s or 40s and has been smoking cigarettes since they were 16,” Pechmann says.

Whether you are quitting vaping or smoking, it is not uncommon to relapse. “Most people can quit, but they go back almost immediately,” Pechmann says. “Maybe there is some crisis, or you are in with the wrong crowd, or you feel like you are out of willpower.” But, she adds, while it is an ongoing battle, you can be successful at it and quit vaping for good.