As health scare tied to e-cigarettes grows, quitting can be a challenge

ATLANTA - Mike Griffin of Atlanta switched from smoking cigarettes to vaping several years ago, in part because he worried tobacco was taking a toll on his lungs.

"I used to be really prone to bronchitis," Griffin says. "Several times a year, during allergy season, I would get some really nasty deep chest coughs and things like that."

That hasn't happened, Griffin says since he switched to vaping. 

Griffin says he doesn't vape THC or buy his vaping supplies off the street, two things the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says may be linked to more than a thousand cases of lung injuries in e-cigarette use.

Still, Griffin says, he knows vaping comes with some risks.

"But it's been years since I started vaping, and I haven't had any troubles with what I actually vape," he says. "Now, would I be even healthier if I quit vaping?  Maybe, yeah."

Jason, another former smoker who turned to e-cigarettes, is now trying to quit vaping.

He started using e-cigarettes four years ago, hoping to gradually wean himself off of nicotine.

It hasn't been easy.

 Unlike cigarettes, which require Jason to go outside and taking a smoke break, he can use his Juul anywhere, anytime.

"Working from home, sitting in front of a computer all day, there was nothing stopping me from grabbing it," he says.

That easy access, Jason says, has made quitting more complicated.

"I'll do simple little things, like keep it in another room, keep it in my car, keep it away from me, so it's not so easy to grab," Jason says.

So how do you quit vaping?

Dr. Taz Bhatia of CentreSpring MD in Atlanta says there is a combination of tools that can help.

Bhatia typically recommends first thinking about what role vaping plays in your life and what your challenges will be when it comes to quitting.

She often recommends short-term cognitive behavioral therapy, which can help you learn strategies to cope with the urge to vape.

"It's one of the best options for kids," Bhatia says. "Because it not only gives you control of, how do I control my cravings for e-cigarettes, but it also gives you the payoff of, how do I just deal with life?"

For some vapers, especially those who turn to nicotine because of stress or emotional reasons, Bhatia recommends hypnosis.

"So hypnosis is going to try to put you into a relaxed state," she says.  "It's going to take away the emotional trigger that is resulting in you wanting to vape."

Other options include acupuncture, nicotine replacement therapies like gums and patches, and prescription medication, which is approved for use in adults.

"All of these alternatives are super helpful, but if you have an addictive personality, at the end of the day, what you really want to work on is, how do you control and how do you rewire that addiction," Dr. Bhatia says.

For younger vapers ready to quit, there is a first-of-its-kind mobile texting support program called "This is Quitting" sponsored by the truth initiative.

Users can text DITCHJUUL to 88709 to sign up to receive daily text messages designed to help them resist the urge to vape.

Teens and young adults can also type in words like "cope," "stress," or "slip" when they need instant texting support.

Parents can text VAPE to 202-899-7550 to sign up to receive automated texts designed for parents of teens or young adults who vape. 

For more on a texting support to help young people quit vaping, click here.

You may need to use a combination of these approaches to break nicotine's hold on you.

"None of what I listed is a shoe-in: do this and you'll quit," Bhatia says. "It's really finding the right strategy for you."