How do I reduce my nicotine intake?

So, you’ve successfully made the first step to quitting smoking: you’ve gotten yourself a vape! 

Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) is the most effective way to quit smoking, and using an e-cigarette is the most satisfying form of NRT. This means you’re far more likely to stay away from cigarettes if you’re using a vape.

Vaping is thought to be around 95% less harmful than smoking since you’ve cut out the harmful chemicals that are found in cigarettes. Plus, you’ll no longer be producing harmful second-hand smoke that can damage the health of your loved ones, or have to endure the unpleasant smells that come along with smoking. 

But, whilst nicotine itself is not exactly harmful, many people simply don’t want to be addicted anymore.

So, after quitting smoking, you may be thinking: how can I reduce my nicotine intake with a vape? You’ve come so far as to ditch cigarettes, so why not minimise your addiction as much as possible?

Reducing your nicotine intake can help to improve your quality of life, including sleep. It can help you to go about your day more easily without thinking about using your vape too much, or craving an old tobacco cigarette. 

So, in this article, we’ll outline our top tips for successfully and happily reducing your nicotine intake. 

Reduce your nicotine intake gradually

We highly recommend using this strategy to reduce your nicotine intake. Rather than suddenly cutting out nicotine altogether, or suddenly changing from a 20mg e-liquid to a 3mg e-liquid, you should try going through the process gradually.

You may choose to reduce your nicotine intake a little bit each week, or every couple of weeks, depending on your own ability to cope with these changes.

We recommend changing the strength of your e-liquid. This is the easiest way to cut down your nicotine intake, as opposed to just using your device less often (as it can be difficult to monitor and control this). 

However, you may also choose to reduce the amount you actually use your vape each day. This is much easier to monitor if you buy an e-cigarette that tells you how many puffs you’ve taken that day, such as the VooPoo Drag Vape

For example, you may follow a structure similar to this:

Week 1: 18mg e-liquid. No more than 100 puffs per day.
Week 2: 18mg e-liquid.  No more than 90 puffs per day.
Week 3: 12mg e-liquid. No more than 80 puffs per day.
Week 4: 12mg e-liquid. No more than 70 puffs per day.
Week 5: 9mg e-liquid. No more than 60 puffs per day.
Week 6: 9mg e-liquid. No more than 50 puffs per day.
Week 7: 6mg e-liquid. No more than 40 puffs per day.
Week 8: 6mg e-liquid. No more than 30 puffs per day.
Week 9: 3mg e-liquid. No more than 20 puffs per day.
Week 10: 3mg e-liquid. No more than 10 puffs per day.

And before you know it, in just 10 weeks, you could have gone from vaping an 18mg e-liquid 100 times per day to vaping a 3mg e-liquid just 10 times per day. This is a huge reduction of nicotine intake, but thanks to the gradual change, you should be able to do it fairly easily. 

Use a higher PG e-Liquid

Using a higher PG e-liquid will give you a harsher throat hit. So, when you’re vaping a lower strength e-liquid, it still feels like you’re vaping a higher strength. 

Try vaping tobacco flavours

Using tobacco flavours may help to trick your brain into thinking you’re smoking a real cigarette. This can help to create the sensation of inhaling more nicotine than you actually are.

Stay committed and accountable

And most importantly, you need to stay committed and be accountable when looking to cut down your nicotine intake. 

Staying committed: You need to ensure you are 100% in it to win it! If you have a reason why you want to do this, then constantly reminding yourself of the reason is a great way to stay committed. 

Being accountable: Tell other people what you plan to do, and ask them to check in and make sure you’re sticking to it. This will help you to stay on track since you won’t want to disappoint your peers or let your loved ones down.