Hitting a Flum Float or Esco Bar because it’s cherry guava flavor and a cutie from the bar, or a friend you really vibe with, is offering it doesn’t seem like a bad idea at first. Everyone’s doing it, plus you don’t have an addictive personality, so what the hell? After that, you start asking to hit it every time you see them, or maybe you seek it out when you're drinking, but you don’t buy one because you don’t need it. Then you start bumming rips a little too much and you can sense your friends’ annoyance. Finally, one fateful day when your boss is riding you extra hard, or you have a big test coming up, you take the liberty of buying one of those sweet, succulent adult pacifiers for yourself. At this point, you’re addicted to nicotine, along with 12% of the rest of the young adult population. Sound familiar? If so, worry not. You’re in control of your future and if you truly dedicate yourself to quitting, you will. In this article, we’re just taking a look at how CBD vapes may help you on your journey to quitting, but if you want a more comprehensive guide, we highly recommend reading The Easy Way to Stop Smoking by Allen Carr. 

Nicotine doesn’t actually relax you 

Before we jump into how you can use CBD carts to help replace a nicotine habit, we wanted to quickly cover a common misconception about nicotine that we think holds some people back. Everywhere you look, there is subliminal messaging about nicotine being relaxing. The phrase “I need a cigarette,” implies that the cigarette, or vape, will somehow calm you down. Characters in our favorite movies and shows are depicted smoking when the writers want us to know they’re stressed. The notion is inescapable. The problem is, it’s a lie, and one that the tobacco industry has spent billions perpetuating. 

The only relaxation that comes from nicotine comes from the relief of nicotine withdrawal, not from any inherent relaxing properties of the drug. 

Think back to when you first tried it, did you really feel relaxed? Or did you just feel kind of light-headed, “domed,” or maybe even stimulated? Consistent nicotine use changes the brain so that without it, you experience a number of withdrawal symptoms including: 

• Anger, frustration, and irritability 
• Difficulty concentrating 
• Stress 
• Anxiety 
• Restlessness 
• Increased appetite 

When nicotine is consumed, the relief and relaxation you feel is because you are cutting yourself off from these withdrawal symptoms. Yes, you become less stressed immediately, but that’s only because you’re artificially stressed to begin with!

CBD vapes CAN actually relax you 

Unlike nicotine, CBD can actually relax you in the true sense of the word. With a CBD vape, you’ll likely feel it just as quickly as you would any effects from smoking tobacco, or nicotine. Generally, users feel a mild relaxation and mood boost within 5 minutes of taking a hit that can last anywhere between two to six hours. This sense of calm can be critical when you’re dealing with the mental pressure of withdrawals. Plus, a large part of quitting tobacco or nicotine is breaking the physical habit of reaching for something to puff on when you’re stressed out. With CBD vapes, you don’t have to worry as much about breaking that habit immediately which may help you ease into the process. The more you can convince yourself mentally that your CBD vape is your new nicotine vape, the better. Your brain tricked yourself into this position, now it’s your turn to return the favor. Since CBD is non-addictive, if your goal is to stop vaping entirely, it’s easy to cut out after you’ve gotten through the withdrawal process. 

What the science says about using CBD to quit 

A review of 19 scientific studies conducted on CBD and its effects on addiction done before 2015 concluded that:

“A limited number of preclinical studies suggest that CBD may have therapeutic properties on opioid, cocaine, and psychostimulant addiction, and some preliminary data suggest that it may be beneficial in cannabis and tobacco addiction in humans. Further studies are clearly necessary to fully evaluate the potential of CBD as an intervention for addictive disorders.” 

One study from the group looked specifically at CBD’s effects on tobacco addiction. The researchers gave 12 chronic smokers a CBD inhaler, and 12 a placebo inhaler, telling both groups to use the inhaler when they felt the urge to smoke. The results of the study found that after 2 weeks, the non-placebo group decreased the amount of cigarettes they smoked by approximately 40%. While this is just one study and doesn’t make CBD a clinical solution to nicotine addiction, it is promising and you can try the same method yourself with a CBD cartridge. Don’t want to vape? CBD gummies, oils, and flower are widely available and could achieve a similar effect. 

CBD cartridges vs nicotine gum, patches, and mints  

Go into any CVS, or Walgreens, and you’ll find a plentiful selection of smokeless nicotine. Since they’re branded as health stores, they stopped selling cigarettes a few years back and opted to help people quit smoking with gums, patches, and mints. If your goal is to stop smoking, grabbing some certainly isn’t a bad idea. However, if your goal is to get to the root of the problem and liberate yourself from addiction, then they won’t cut it. You’ll still be addicted to nicotine, you’ll just be chewing it instead of smoking it. That means you’ll still deal with the stress of withdrawals, cravings, and the constant need to buy more (nicotine gum is much more expensive than Big Red). With CBD cartridges, you’ll still be going through the dreadful process of withdrawals, but you’ll have some help. When it’s over, whether you want to keep buying more or not is up to you! You’re free and not chemically bound to the same thing in a different form. 

How to replace your JUUL with a CBD vape 

Easy, quick fixes to nicotine addiction only exist in the deluded imagination of hypnotists and snake oil salesmen. Vaping CBD can be a huge help, but at the end of the day the bulk of the work falls on you and your will-power. It will likely take multiple tries, as the relapse rate for smokers, even after a year of abstinence, is 50% according to the National Library of Medicine, so don’t get discouraged if you slip up. 

You’ve got to start somewhere, so start by getting rid of all of your nicotine devices, or tobacco products and buying yourself a high quality CBD cartridge and 510 vape battery. Different strains of CBD vapes can have different effects, so it’s not a bad idea to find one to use during the day that won’t make you too tired, and one you can use at night to help you get some rest. We’ve categorized our carts by day time and night time use based on the feedback our customers have given us to help with this process, but it may take some time to find out what works best for you. After about 30 minutes, you’ll likely start to feel a strong craving and after around 4 hours you’ll start to experience withdrawal. 

Rejoice in that feeling, new beginnings are always uncomfortable. Okay, so you may not feel like rejoicing, but that’s what the CBD is for! Anytime you feel a craving, try hitting your CBD vape instead. That’s really all there is to it.