I tested hypnotherapy to kick my disgusting vaping habit after demolishing one Elf Bar disposable per day – did it work?
IT was while I was huddled outside work in the howling wind and rain having yet another cheeky vape that I realised I had a serious problem.
What had started as a breezy alternative to an occasional cigarette had quickly become an all-consuming habit.
I’m a 47-year-old mother-of-two, for goodness’ sake, and here I was behaving like a teenager sneaking a crafty fag in the school bogs.
And I’m not the only one — headteachers all over the country are having to fit anti-vape alarms in their toilets as kids as young as seven are getting addicted.
Just last month, Rishi Sunak announced new plans to ban disposable vapes after alarming research showed they can be seriously damaging to children’s health.
Five million of the e-cigs are thrown away each week in the UK, leading to an environmental disaster.
I realised something needed to change — and fast.
Years ago, I visited hypnotherapist Max Kirsten to give up a pretty hardcore cigarette addiction.
I’d smoked on and off since I was about 15 and, although I’d gone long periods without it, at that point it was pretty bad.
I’d just had my second daughter and I knew that I couldn’t carry on like I was.
To my astonishment, it worked.
There I was, thinking I was a cynical old hack, and instead it turns out I’m perfect Derren Brown fodder.
I didn’t even think of touching a fag again for years.
Until lockdown, that is. I happily admit this knowing I wasn’t the only person in the UK to return to some pretty bad habits during that crazy time.
Recognising that I was accelerating back down a slippery slope, I swapped my Marlboro Gold for a disposable menthol vape like thousands of smokers have been urged to do.
For months it just sat on a shelf and I’d have the occasional puff when my willpower was weakening.
But it wasn’t until I finished it, and bought a watermelon Elf bar, that things quickly got serious.
Within weeks I was consuming three sickly-sweet vapes every seven days or so, and it always seemed to be in my hand, whether I was taking a drag on it or not.
Fast-forward exactly two months and I realised that not only was I getting through at least one disposable vape a day, I panicked if I didn’t always have one in my pocket.
Plus, it was costing me an absolute fortune.
At a conservative estimate, I’d say I spent £280 in just eight weeks, not even taking into account the times in central London when you’re charged over a fiver a pop.
That was a ridiculous total that I simply could not afford.
I also became convinced that it was affecting my health.
I suffer from Raynaud’s syndrome, which affects blood circulation.
As my vaping increased, the occasional pain in my fingers that comes when temperatures drop was getting demonstrably worse.
The problem is that vaping is just too easy.
Salted nicotine, used in these sweet disposable vapes, is the crack cocaine of nicotine liquids
Max Kirsten
You can take a drag at any time you like — in your living room, on the street, in the car or secretly in public toilets.
It’s much easier to hide from your kids than bad breath, stained fingers and stinking clothes.
I even considered taking up smoking again, as it seemed it would be easier to break that habit than vaping.
I had regularly tried to quit using willpower and failed every time, usually within 24 hours.
I made up constant excuses — it wasn’t the right time, it wasn’t “that bad”, at least not as bad as smoking, and I needed SOME sort of vice as I didn’t drink any more.
So it was time to see if Max Kirsten could work his magic again.
He told me that I wasn’t the first to cross his threshold — having swapped smokes for vapes, only to become ridiculously addicted — and I definitely wouldn’t be the last.
He said: “Salted nicotine, used in these sweet disposable vapes, is the crack cocaine of nicotine liquids.
“We don’t know a huge amount about it, as these devices have only really been around the last five or six years.
“But with someone like you, who has previously smoked, your body recognises the nicotine hit immediately.
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“Salted nicotine is a strong hit, it is a punchy hit, and it replicates the kick of a cigarette very successfully without all the disgusting cigarette side effects.
“But it’s a vicious circle.
“You feel you need more nicotine to feel good, but it’s the nicotine that is making you feel bad in the first place.”
Max begins our two-hour session with a lengthy chat about my family, background, vaping habits, memories, hopes and dreams, to build a picture which he will use later during the actual hypnotism.
Then it’s headphones on and eyes closed in a comfy chair while he talks about how I’m going to stop, the benefits of breaking the habit and how everything will be much better when it’s over — accompanied by an echoey soundtrack.
If I’m being honest, I’m not sure exactly what he said — it’s a bit of a dreamy blur.
It was as if there was a battle in my head between that annoying little voice and a more sane voice of reason, which was winning
Veronica Lorraine
Sometimes I had trouble focusing on his words and what memories I was supposed to be evoking.
When he counted me down (yes, that really does happen) and started talking, I had a strange out-of-body feeling.
I could hear him, but there was a little voice inside me questioning what on earth was going on. It also felt amazing, like how I imagine people who can properly meditate to a higher state of consciousness feel.
When I came to, I was a bit disappointed to feel no different — just a bit sleepy and content.
Initially, I thought that it couldn’t have possibly worked. But, admittedly, I didn’t feel like vaping.
For a couple of days afterwards, vapes were in my mind incessantly, but I didn’t act on my thoughts.
VAPING PROS & CONS
SOME 8.7 per cent of people use e-cigarettes daily or occasionally, the Office for National Statistics says.
Many people have turned to vaping to quit smoking, as recommended by the NHS. I
t states: “Nicotine vaping is substantially less harmful than smoking. It’s also one of the most effective tools for quitting smoking.”
Tobacco and other toxic chemicals in cigarettes are what make smoking one of the biggest causes of death and illness in the UK – linked to 50 serious health conditions.
Switching to vaping removes some of these risks, although it is not deemed risk-free.
The potential dangers are not yet understood, which makes it all the more worrying that so many children have tried vaping.
In April 2023 the proportion of children experimenting with vaping had grown by 50 per cent year on year, from one in 13 to one in nine, according to public health charity Action on Smoking and Health.
Almost half of these had never tried a cigarette.
While vapes are free of tobacco they do still contain nicotine – the substance that makes cigarettes so addictive – and other chemicals.
Studies have found nicotine can harm brain development in young people, damage the heart and lungs, raise blood pressure, and cause breathing difficulties.
It was as if there was a battle in my head between that annoying little voice and a more sane voice of reason, which was winning.
Every time I took a deep breath and held it for eight seconds, like Max had instructed, the annoying voice disappeared.
The Max Kirsten Quit Smoking Now app was also invaluable for booster sessions, and I listened to one in bed on the second night.
I took deep breaths thanks to pop-up reminders as part of the post-hypnosis routine.
And, as the days wore on, I almost started forgetting that I’d ever vaped.
Occasionally I’d think, “Ooh, I’d have had a vape in this situation”.
But that panic about not having one in my pocket, or how I was going to sneak a puff at work/on the bus/in the shop has gone.
I’m lucky I don’t drink alcohol any more, which I think would have made it harder.
But I must say that, post-hypnosis, my heart rate is calmer, my Raynaud’s is receding and the thought of taking a sickly-sweet drag from a small plastic tube seems ridiculous.
Veronica — 1, vapes — 0.
Thank you, Max.
Tips to quit
THE NHS recommends quitting vaping gradually by reducing the strength of e-liquid in refillable devices (the lowest is 3mg nicotine), instead of using disposable vapes which are generally 20mg.
It says to extend time between vaping and set rules about where you do and don’t vape.
Switch to another nicotine product, such as gum, patches or nasal sprays to slowly reduce reliance on vapes.
Self-hypnosis app Reveri, which was created by Stanford University psychologist Dr David Spiegel, could help.
It is available on the App Store or Google Play for a free seven-day trial. Subscriptions are £89.99 per year (£7.50/month).
Ten people each month get a 50 per cent discount via its Reveri For Good programme (reveri.com/forgood).
Try nicotine-free devices designed to replicate the act of vaping, such as Füm, Ripple and “vaping necklaces”.