The short answer
A vape craving usually passes within a few minutes, so the trick is having something to do for those minutes. Move, breathe out slowly, drink cold water or text a friend, and the urge peaks and fades. Urge Buddy is an iPhone app that hands you one of those tasks the moment you tap it.
What a vape craving is
Nicotine cravings come in waves. The NHS says cravings “usually only last a few minutes” and suggests having a distraction ready [1]. Withdrawal as a whole is strongest in the first 3 days after you stop and lasts 3 to 4 weeks on average [2]. Vapes often deliver nicotine all day in small hits, so many people feel the pull at the times they used to reach for it: waking up, after a meal, during a break, when stressed.
What to do when a vape craving hits
- Keep your hands and mouth busy. A mint or gum, a glass of water sipped slowly, something crunchy.
- Breathe out longer than you breathe in. A few long exhales feel a little like a drag, without the nicotine.
- Move for one minute. 15 squats or 20 jumping jacks give the restless feeling somewhere to go.
- Change where you are. Step outside, take the stairs, leave the spot where you usually vape.
- Delay. Tell yourself you’ll decide in five minutes. Most of the time the urge is gone by then.
How Urge Buddy helps
- Tap your buddy the moment the urge hits. From the app, or say “I’m craving” to Siri, or set it on the Action Button.
- Say where you are and how you feel. At home, out but private, or out in public; stressed, anxious, bored, lonely or low.
- Do the task. Your buddy picks something that takes 1 to 5 minutes and fits the moment: no squats on the bus, something calming when you’re anxious.
- Say how you feel now. Better counts as an urge beaten, and that count only goes up, even if you slip.
In Urge Buddy, choose Nicotine or vaping as your habit. Set a quit date and what you spent a day, and the app shows your days without nicotine and the money you didn’t spend.
Urge Buddy
When an urge hits, tap your buddy and get something quick to do until it passes. For iPhone, with a 3-day free trial.
More help
For free coaching, in the US call 1-800-QUIT-NOW or visit smokefree.gov. In the UK, the NHS Quit Smoking service can help, including with stop smoking medicines.
Questions
How long does a vape craving last?
Usually a few minutes. The NHS says cravings usually only last a few minutes, and an NHS service in London puts it at about 5 minutes. They come back in waves, most often in the first days after you stop.
What is the best app to quit vaping?
It depends on what you need. Urge Buddy is built for the moment a craving hits: you tap your buddy and get a 1 to 5 minute task to do until it passes, and it counts your days without nicotine and the money you saved.
Is quitting vaping cold turkey safe?
For most people, yes, though withdrawal can make you irritable, restless or low for a few weeks. If you’re pregnant, have a health condition or vape very heavily, ask a doctor or a stop smoking service about nicotine replacement.