Vape addict went cold turkey and was left in shock at what happened when she finally quit
The days of disposable vapes are nearly done, as the UK government's ban comes into effect from Sunday (1 June).
Amid the concerning rise in the amount of young people using the brightly coloured and fruit flavoured e-cigarettes, the sale and supply of them will now be illegal.
The shelves in your local shop might look a lot barer from tomorrow, as in 24 hours time, business owners in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will no longer be allowed to sell single-use vapes.
There might be some people who are planning on buying their favourite flavour in bulk today while they still can, however, others will be taking the opportunity to ditch their vaping habit altogether.
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According to the NHS, reducing the amount of puffs you take of your vibrant pipe gradually can actually make quitting easier, as it gives your body time to adjust to having less nicotine.
But some people decide to bite the bullet and just go cold turkey instead - like this young woman, who admitted she had been 'hooked' on vapes before realising she needed to knock it on the head.
Chloe Rowland told LADbible that a few drags of a disposable vape here and there 'quickly slipped into a full blown addiction', even though she'd never had the same fixation on cigarettes.
The 25-year-old was inhaling her way through a 4,000 puff vape in around three days, admitting it was the 'first thing' she'd reach for in the morning and the 'last thing' she'd do before going to sleep.
Chloe had attempted to quit before, but without success - so when she became determined to completely pack it in last year, she decided to document her experience and share it with LADbible to hold herself accountable.
But before we get into what quitting vapes cold turkey is really like, let's take a look at what tomorrow means for the vaping industry.
What happens to disposable vapes from tomorrow?
From 1 June 2025, it will be illegal to sell, supply or possess for sale or supply any single-use vapes, including non-nicotine versions, in the UK.
The ban will apply to both high street and online retailers, who will only be able to legally sell vapes that are rechargeable, refillable and have a coil that can be easily replaced.
Any vape which does not meet all of these requirements will be illegal.
Anyone found breaking the rules will be charged an on-the-spot fine of £200, while re-offenders may face unlimited fines or jail time.
The ban has come about following rising concerns over access to nicotine products among younger generations, as well as the growing volume of electronic waste produced by single-use vapes, with government ministers saying the move will help put a stop to the 'avalanche of rubbish flooding the nation’s streets.'
Chloe goes cold turkey on the vapes
Going cold turkey is a tough route - and within the first few hours, Chloe admitted she was already 'starting to gasp for it'.
Explaining what was going through her mind, Chloe said: "I had a serious case of brain fog, and it was all I could think about. The cravings were intense, and I questioned at multiple points if it was really worth it.
"I couldn't retain information, was chronically zoned out and was both horrified and shocked by how hard I was actually finding it."
Things only got worse when she went to bed too, as she recalled how she struggled to get off to sleep as she felt 'really anxious and on edge' without her regular comfort blanket - AKA, a vape.
"When I did finally get some kip, I was constantly waking up, tossing and turning," Chloe said. "I really couldn't believe my body was reacting like this, having somehow convinced myself that I can't have been massively addicted because it's 'not the same' as smoking. Who was I trying to kid?"
Constant cravings
As well as being pretty groggy, Chloe continued to 'fight cravings' on the second day of giving up vapes, and she described these as 'intense episodes' which would occur multiple times throughout the day.
"I didn't really have a proper game plan, so I just kept ignoring the cravings, distracted myself and - if that didn't work - reminded myself why I was quitting in the first place," she said.
As she hit the 72-hour mark - which is when nicotine typically leaves the body after your last use - Chloe says her physical withdrawal symptoms 'peaked'.
She dealt with mild headaches, unprecedented sweating, and regular cravings during the day, but did manage to fall into a deeper sleep than she had previously when nighttime rolled around.
Feeling more well rested was a 'major win' for Chloe, as was the fact that she'd got through the worst of the physical withdrawals as she hit day four and five.
However, she still had to deal with the psychological effects of ditching the vapes - such as feeling 'extremely anxious' and feeling as though her brain was racing 'at 100mph.
She explained: "Not to mention the fact that my temper was very, temperamental, and I experienced irritability on a whole other level. I'd go as far as to say it felt like I was losing control over it a little bit.
"One positive was that my nicotine cravings had started to subside slightly, and I was down to around five episodes a day. Plus, by this point, I'd become familiar with the feeling so was getting better at dealing with it."
The 'hardest' days
Chloe was definitely moving in the right direction, but she did hit a wall on days six and seven of her vape quitting journey.
Recounting her ordeal, she said: "I had zero concentration, which made a lot of everyday things a mammoth task. I couldn't even concentrate on a TikTok, that's how bad it was.
"One of the other dominant emotions was the irritability that emerged a couple of days before, as well as anger. I could have won the lottery and still found a reason to be p*ssed off."
All of these feelings were amplified when she ended up catching Covid, although her lungs were probably very thankful that they didn't have to deal with her vaping too.
Despite being unwell and battling a complicated array of feelings, there was some light at the end of the tunnel for Chloe during her second week without vapes.
By this point, her body 'didn't feel physically dependent' on the flavoursome vapour anymore, although she did still get the mental urge to pick up a vape.
"I was having no physical withdrawal anymore, however, while my cravings were certainly less intense, they were still very much there," she said. "I found the social triggers the hardest to deal with, like being at the pub where other people were smoking."
On the other side
Chloe also noticed that her appetite had increased - which is to be expected, given that nicotine can be an appetite suppressant. However, there were also loads of other bonuses which stopping vaping had brought too.
"My skin and oral health had massively improved, my immune system felt stronger and I no longer had that weird, lingering cough, made me push through the fleeting cravings," Chloe said.
"It's safe to say I'd gotten to the point where the worst was over with and the positives far outweighed any negative side effects, plus, the cravings were much easier to just ignore."
Two months on from going cold turkey, Chloe was still reaping the benefits - as her skin, oral health and mood 'continued to improve' day by day.
"Not to mention, my bank balance wasn't feeling the pinch so much," Chloe joked. "Really, it's nice not to constantly have to factor in vape breaks all the time and hand money over for something you've become ashamed of doing."
She admitted she did still crave a vape, particularly after eating meals and while in social situations - but said this was a lot less intense than the 'super strong physical craving' she experienced at the beginning.
"All in all, I'm so glad I just took the plunge and did it, instead of constantly telling myself 'I need to quit' and feeling guilty because I didn't," the 25-year-old added.
And hey, if Chloe can do it - so can you.
Topics: Vaping, Health, Lifestyle, UK News, Mental Health
Olivia Burke