Quit vaping with hypnotherapy

If you swapped cigarettes for a vape, you did something genuinely good for your health. The NHS says nicotine vaping is less harmful than smoking, and one of the most effective ways to stop. The trouble is that for a lot of people the vape then becomes a habit of its own. It’s in your hand on the sofa, in the car and at your desk, and you pick it up without deciding to.

This page is for people who want to stop vaping. If you still smoke, please don’t let anything here put you off switching, because staying on a vape is much safer than going back to cigarettes. For help with smoking itself, see my stop smoking page.

You’re far from the only one trying to work out how to quit vaping. Around 5.4 million adults in Great Britain, 9.9% of people aged 16 and over, vaped daily or occasionally in 2025. That includes about one in five ex-smokers and around 1.1 million people who had never smoked (ONS, 2026).

Signs you're addicted to vaping

You reach for your vape without thinking, often several times an hour
It's the first thing you pick up in the morning and the last thing you put down at night
You feel on edge if you leave it at home or the battery runs flat
You get through liquid or pods faster than you used to
It fills every gap in the day: boredom, stress, a phone call, a coffee
You've tried to stop and bought another one within days

Why it's hard to stop vaping

Two things are going on. The first is nicotine. Your brain gets used to a steady supply, and when the level drops you feel restless, irritable or flat until you top it up. Help Me Quit, the free stop smoking service in Wales, lists strong cravings, irritability, poor concentration, a bigger appetite and disturbed sleep as common when you stop, and says they usually pass fairly quickly.

The second is the habit itself, and with vaping it's often stronger than it was with cigarettes. There's no cigarette to finish and no need to go outside, so it's easy to vape almost all day. Each puff gets tied to something: a screen, a drive, the kettle boiling. Those links run on autopilot, which is why relying on willpower alone can feel like a fight that lasts from morning to night.

How hypnotherapy can help

In hypnosis you're relaxed and focused, which makes it easier to work on the automatic link between a trigger and the urge to pick up the vape. We go through your own situations, such as the car, the desk or the evening on the sofa, and rehearse getting through them calmly. We also look at what the vape does for you, perhaps calming you down or giving you a break, so you have other ways to get that.

Hypnotherapy works best when you've already decided you want to stop. You'll still have to put the vape down yourself, and I can't tell you in advance how quickly the cravings will fade. What sessions can do is make the choice not to vape feel less of a battle. If you used vaping to stop smoking, we'll also work on keeping you away from cigarettes as you come off the vape.

How to quit vaping: things you can try today

Write down your reasons. Money, your health, or simply being free of the charge, refill and puff routine. Keep the list on your phone for the hard moments.
Pick a quit date or a step-down plan. Some people stop on a set day. Others lower the nicotine strength every week or two first. Choose the one you'll actually stick to.
Make it less automatic. Keep the vape out of your pocket, off your desk and out of the bedroom, so you have to go and get it. That pause gives you a moment to choose.
Plan for your top three triggers. Decide now what you'll do instead, such as a glass of water, a few slow breaths, a short walk or sugar-free gum.
Tell people around you. If friends vape, ask them not to offer. They might even want to stop with you.
Ride out the cravings. A craving builds, peaks and fades. If you slip, it isn't a failure. Go back to your plan the next day.

Free help to stop vaping

If you still smoke as well as vape, or you're worried about going back to cigarettes, get in touch with your local Stop Smoking Service. It's free, and advisers can support you if you're using a vape to stay off cigarettes. You can also call a free national helpline:

England: Smokefree National Helpline on 0300 123 1044
Scotland: Quit Your Way Scotland on 0800 84 84 84
Wales: Help Me Quit on 0800 085 2219. Help Me Quit can also book you a one-off session with an adviser to make a plan to quit vaping.

If you have chest pain, breathlessness or a cough that won't go away, see your GP rather than putting it down to vaping. Call 999 if you get sudden chest pain that does not go away, or chest pain with sweating, sickness or breathlessness. And if you also use nicotine pouches, the same approach applies.

Common questions

Should I stop vaping if it's safer than smoking?

If you're confident you won't go back to cigarettes, yes. The NHS says that once you've been vaping for a while and feel sure you won't smoke again, you should aim to stop vaping too. If you're not there yet, staying on the vape is better than smoking.

How many sessions will I need?

Some people want one 90 minute session and a clear plan for their quit date. If you've vaped heavily for years, or you've stopped and started many times, three sessions let us work through the places and moods where you tend to pick it back up. We can decide together on a consultation call.

How do sessions work?

We meet one to one over Zoom, so you can do it from home. We base each session on where and when you vape most, and you get a recording of the hypnosis to listen to afterwards.

Can hypnotherapy help me stop smoking and vaping at the same time?

Yes. If you do both, we can work on both. Some people prefer to stop smoking first and come off the vape later. Others want to stop everything at once. We'll plan what suits you.

What if I eat more or feel stressed when I stop?

A bigger appetite and feeling on edge are common for a while after stopping nicotine. We can build in ways to handle stress and snacking, so the vape isn't simply swapped for something else.