Quitting Nicotine

When a person becomes dependent on nicotine, it is one of the most difficult substances to stop using.

Health & Wellness is here to support you, whether you:

  • just want more information.
  • have become uncomfortable with your use and want to discuss your options or challenges.
  • have tried unsuccessfully to quit before and need a different approach.

Want to learn more about your relationship with nicotine?  Check out this self-assessment tool. 

If you are ready to reduce or quit use, there are many effective, research-based options that are proven to lead to success. Quitting is possible!

Keep in mind that:

  • Change is a process that takes time and consists of multiple steps.
  • Relapse is not uncommon. Research shows that people who continue to work through the process eventually succeed in achieving their goal.
  • Reducing use by decreasing amount and concentration of nicotine, delaying use by 5 minutes when you feel the urge to use, can be first steps toward change.

 

Guidelines to Reduce Use or Quit Nicotine Products

1. Get the Facts! Check out the websites listed under Resources (below) to increase your knowledge about nicotine.

2. Identify Your Reasons for Reducing Nicotine Use. Make a list of all the reasons you want to quit using. Keep it in a place where you can see it every day. Any time you feel the urge to smoke/vape, review your list. Make your list personal.

3. Create and Document Your Plan. A written plan can help you:

  • keep focused and motivated to reach your goal(s)
  • provide a benchmark for your progress
  • identify potential challenges and ways to overcome them
  • Increase your chance for success

4. Set a Realistic Quit Date.

  • Give yourself time to get ready and consider what you’ll need to quit.
  • Pick a specific date, sooner rather than later, to keep you psyched about your goal.
  • Set yourself up for success. Try not to pick a quit date that will be stressful, like the day before a big test.

5. Keep Company with Supportive People.

  • Ask your friends to support you by not offering you their juul / vape /smokes.
  • Make a group pact to quit together with friends and support each other in the process.
  • Give your friends specifics on the kind of support you need, e.g., “when I ask to hit your vape, please say [fill in the blank] and do not give in to me no matter how desperate I may seem.”

6. Be Mindful of Challenges

  • Make a list of people, places, situations that trigger your desire to use and avoid these during the early stages of your quit process.
  • Get rid of all products and paraphernalia in your room.  Consider putting up inspirational quotes on walls and mirrors for encouragement.
  • Take a break from unsupportive people when you first quit.     

7. Think about how you will fight cravings and deal with withdrawal symptoms.

  • Consult a medical professional at Health & Wellness about options to help ease cravings and unpleasant symptoms associated with detoxing from nicotine.
  • To interrupt impulsive use, change up where you store your device to a place that requires more effort to get to, e.g., put it in your desk drawer across the room rather than by your bedside. 

8. Imagine yourself and your life free of nicotine.

  • Consider who you want to be in five years. Is nicotine use part of that picture?

9. Reward Your Quit Progress. Set rewards for your successes.  Quitting is hard, be proud of your accomplishments!

Resources for Quitting

On Campus

Health & Wellness

  • Meet with an ANOD (Alcohol, Nicotine, and Other Drug) Wellness Educator/Counselor to discuss where you are and where you want to be when it comes to your nicotine use. We will work with you to design a personalized plan to reach your goals, be it reducing use or quitting altogether. This service is confidential and is included in your health fee.
  • Meet with a Medical Clinician to evaluate your physical health, understand how nicotine is impacting your body, and discuss medical options (including medical acupuncture) to decrease withdrawal symptoms commonly experienced during the quit process.
  • Mindfulness and Meditation
  • Wellness Coaching to improve sleep, stress, communication skills, etc.
  • Nutrition Education/Counseling

These resources can also help support your overall well-being as you work to reduce or quit nicotine use:

 

Off Campus

Text Programs

Proven effective, text programs provide users with interactive daily text messages (tailored to their age, sign-up date or quit date), which feature encouragement and empathy, motivation, skill-and self-efficacy building exercises, tips and advice. 

  • Text “DITCHJUUL” to 88709 to enroll in Truth Initiative's programs This is Quitting and BecomeAnEX 
  • Text “QUIT” to 47848 to enroll in SmokefreeTXT for Teens 
  • Text “START MY QUIT” to 855.891.9989 to enroll in My Life My Quit, the New Hampshire sponsored quit program for youth and young adults which provides access to free and confidential text, phone and online support.  
  • Parents and other adults looking to help young people quit should text "QUIT" to (202) 899-7550.

 

Other

  • Quit Vaping App: Track your progress, access resources, and use the "Buddy System, where you and a friend can quit together and track each other's progress."
  • Craving to Quit® is a 21 day mindfulness-based wellness app based on a successful smoking cessation curriculum developed and tested at Yale University.
  • Become An EX provides a customized quit plan, tools and interactive guides, text message support, and tips for quitting.
  • The Asian Smokers’ Quitline (ASQ) provides FREE, accessible, evidence-based smoking cessation services in Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean and Vietnamese to Asian communities in the U.S. Eligible callers receive a free two-week starter kit of nicotine patches.
  • Quit Now NH provides links to all of New Hampshire's nicotine treatment services.
  • Be Tobacco Free provides further information about nicotine and how to quit.

Quit Kit

Quit Kit cover page

Quit Kit (PDF Download)

Come into Health & Wellness any time we are open to get your own Quit Kit.

Quitting Nicotine VIdeo Series

Our student-led video series lead you through the nicotine quitting process by teaching about addiction, making a quit plan, and managing withdrawal symptoms.

Brought to you by Alcohol, Nicotine, and Other Drug Peer Educators Caitlin and Grace.

Part I: Nicotine & Addiction

Peer Educator Caitlin Temple talks about nicotine and addiction. 

Part II: Making a Quit Plan

ANOD Peer Educator Grace Roy leads students interested in quitting nicotine through the process of creating a quit plan.

Part III: Managing Withdrawal Symptoms

ANOD Peer Educator Caitlin Temple reviews nicotine withdrawal symptoms and how to manage them.