A vape addict found herself seriously shocked at what happened when she finally quit and went cold turkey.

Chloe Rowland found herself absolutely ‘hooked’ on her colourful bars to the point where she actually hated it, annoyed at how addicted she had become.

The 25-year-old had started off just with a bit of ‘social smoking’ but found it ‘quickly slipped into a full blown addiction’ that she’d never experienced with regular cigarettes.

“Vaping would be the first thing I did in the morning and the last thing I’d do before I went to sleep at night,” she said. Chloe ended up getting through a 4,000 puff vape (a regular vape contains 600 puffs) in around three days.

Now, with the date set for disposable vapes to be banned following a whole load of reports of the consequences of being addicted to vapes and kids even ending up in comas, the journalist tried her best ‘to avoid the stories altogether’.

But eventually, she ‘got to the end of her tether’ and decided to go cold turkey.

Having attempted to quit before, Chloe went the whole hog and detailed the whole thing for us:

Chloe decided to go cold turkey. (Supplied)

Day one

A few hours after using the vape, I was starting to gasp for it. I had a serious case of brain fog, and it was all I could think about. The cravings were intense, and I questioned at multiple points if it was really worth it.

As planned, I went to a friend’s house in the evening for a games night which resulted in me looking like the algebra woman meme for the entire time because my brain had literally blocked out everything that wasn’t nicotine. I couldn’t retain information, was chronically zoned out and was both horrified and shocked by how hard I was actually finding it.

I didn’t win at cards, surprisingly.

Day two

My first night’s sleep without nicotine was crap, to say the least. For starters, as I was trying to drift off, I felt really anxious and on edge. But when I did finally get some kip, I was constantly waking up, tossing and turning.

I really couldn’t believe my body was reacting like this, having somehow convinced myself that I can’t have been massively addicted because it’s ‘not the same’ as smoking. Who was I trying to kid?

During the day, I started to get a bit of a headache – nothing major, though – and had to continue to fight cravings. This was one of the first things to surprise me.

Vapes are set to be banned. (Getty Stock)

I thought I would experience one long, non-stop craving, but it was actually more like intense episodes throughout the day that would subside with distraction.

I didn’t really have a proper game plan, so I just kept ignoring the cravings, distracted myself and – if that didn’t work – reminded myself why I was quitting in the first place (it’s not good for me, it’s a bit losery, it’s not nice to be addicted to something, blah blah blah).

By this point, my circulation was supposed to have returned to normal, which I’m sure my body was glad of.

Day three

72 hours with no nicotine and this is where I would say my physical withdrawal symptoms peaked. This makes sense, given the fact your body has cleared all the nicotine out of its system by this point and is officially running on empty.

I had a general sense of ‘not being with it’ all day, as well as mild headaches, sweating more than usual and still having regular craving spells throughout the day, too.

That being said, while I did wake up during the night, the sleep felt a lot deeper than I’d been getting the past few months, so I was already starting to feel more well rested, which was a major win.

Chloe struggled with quitting. (Supplied)

Days four & five

While I was starting to get over the hump with my physical withdrawal symptoms, nothing could prepare me for the psychological effects ditching the vapes would have.

By day four, I felt extremely anxious and my mind felt like it was going at 100mph. Not to mention the fact that my temper was very, um, temperamental, and I experienced irritability on a whole other level. I’d go as far as to say it felt like I was losing control over it a little bit.

One positive was that my nicotine cravings had started to subside slightly, and I was down to around five episodes a day. Plus, by this point, I’d become familiar with the feeling so was getting better at dealing with it.

Days six & seven

People say day three is your hardest day. Days six and seven were mine.

I had zero concentration, which made a lot of everyday things a mammoth task. I couldn’t even concentrate on a TikTok (another of my unfortunate addictions), that’s how bad it was.

One of the other dominant emotions was the irritability that emerged a couple of days before, as well as anger. I could have won the lottery and still found a reason to be p*ssed off.

But then, disaster really struck…

I, of course, had to catch Covid, didn’t I?

While I didn’t have as many cravings, the psychological impact, coupled with the fact I was reminiscing on times I could breathe out of my nose properly, made me feel like the walking dead.

I probably looked like it too, to be fair.

(LADbible/Supplied)

Weeks two & three

The main thing to contend with as the days rolled on was the mental cravings. By now, according to science, the nicotine was cleared out of my system and my body didn’t feel physically dependent on it anymore.

I was having no physical withdrawal anymore, however, while my cravings were certainly less intense, they were still very much there.

I found the social triggers the hardest to deal with, like being at the pub where other people were smoking.

At this point, I really started to notice my appetite increase, which I expected, given the fact nicotine can be an appetite suppressant.

But the fact that my skin and oral health had massively improved, my immune system felt stronger and I no longer had that weird, lingering cough, made me push through the fleeting cravings.

It’s safe to say I’d gotten to the point where the worst was over with and the positives far outweighed any negative side effects, plus, the cravings were much easier to just ignore.

Chloe knew she had become addicted. (Supplied)

Two months on

Two months vape free, and I’m continuing to feel the positives from ditching the nicotine.

The likes of my skin, oral health and my mood (which finally balanced out after a couple of weeks) continue to improve, not to mention my bank balance isn’t feeling the pinch so much.

And, according to medical professionals, my lung capacity will have now improved too.

Really, it’s nice not to constantly have to factor in vape breaks all the time and hand money over for something you’ve become ashamed of doing.

I do still crave the vape, especially in social situations and after finishing meals – which admittedly did shock me a bit seen as it’s been a couple of months now.

But rather than it being a super strong physical craving and pull, it’s more of a sneaky ‘one puff won’t do you any harm, you’re not addicted anymore so it can’t hurt’ kind of thing, which I do find easy to roll my eyes at and just bat away.

All in all, I’m so glad I just took the plunge and did it, instead of constantly telling myself ‘I need to quit’ and feeling guilty because I didn’t.

I’ve also saved a pretty penny now I’m not forking out for vapes anymore, and can finally read and work on news about vaping without getting riddled with anxiety, so that’s nice.

Trust me, I was taken aback by how easily I became addicted – now all I wish is that I never fell for it in the first place.

Rishi Sunak is cracking down on the vaping industry in the UK and has announced new measures in the hopes of deterring young people and children from picking one up.

The strict new rules set to be introduced are a part of the government’s response to its consultation on smoking and vaping, which was launched back in October last year.

Shocking figures show the number of children using vapes has skyrocketed recently.

Some nine percent of 11 to 15-year-olds are now using vapes, meanwhile the proportion of 11 to 17-year-olds using disposables has increased by ninefold in the last two years.

Vaping is particularly concerning due to the fact that the long-term health impacts are currently unknown and hospital admissions for children who vape have quadrupled in a year.

The UK government have been forced to take action in a bid to stop the younger generation from picking up one of the brightly coloured and fruit flavoured e-cigs.

Discussing the reasoning behind banning disposable vapes, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “As any parent or teacher knows, one of the most worrying trends at the moment is the rise in vaping among children, and so we must act before it becomes endemic.

“The long-term impacts of vaping are unknown and the nicotine within them can be highly addictive, so while vaping can be a useful tool to help smokers quit, marketing vapes to children is not acceptable.

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“As Prime Minister I have an obligation to do what I think is the right thing for our country in the long term. That is why I am taking bold action to ban disposable vapes – which have driven the rise in youth vaping – and bring forward new powers to restrict vape flavours, introduce plain packaging and change how vapes are displayed in shops.

“Alongside our commitment to stop children who turn 15 this year or younger from ever legally being sold cigarettes, these changes will leave a lasting legacy by protecting our children’s health for the long term”.

Here’s a rundown on all the proposed new rules which are set to come into force as part of the vaping crackdown.

Restricting flavours of vapes so they appeal less to children

The government could look at getting rid of flavours of vapes which are seen as made to target children.

Fruity and sweet flavours such as Apple Peach, Cotton Candy Ice, Pink Grapefruit and Strawberry Kiwi have long been a concern.

In March 2023, a Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson told LADbible about the view on flavoured vapes: “Smoking kills, so our priority is to prevent people smoking, and supporting them to quit. The government remains committed to our ambition to be smoke-free by 2030.

“However, while vaping is a preferable alternative to smoking for adults, we are concerned about the rise in youth vaping, particularly the increasing use of disposable vaping products.

“We are exploring a range of measures to address this – including clamping down on children accessing vapes illegally, and those who are getting them hooked on nicotine.

“It’s right for the government to do all it can to protect children from addiction.”

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Cracking down on displays in shops

Vapes on the shelves of shops might soon be a thing of the past as e-cigarettes might get the smoking treatment.

They could instead become something you can only get from behind the counter.

Tackling packaging

Going for the cigarette approach by plastering packs with pictures of damaged lungs might be out of the question, but one idea that is on the table is getting rid of brightly coloured vapes.

Just as fruity and sweet flavours are thought to appeal to children, so do garish colours. But that could soon be a thing of the past as the government try to put people off the e-cigarettes.

Ditching the disposable vapes

More than half of vapers have used disposable vapes, but under government plans they could disappear from shelves in the UK.

Government ministers worry that these things are both attractive to children and harmful to the environment.

Rasid Necati Aslim/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Nailing other nicotine products

With nicotine addiction such a dangerous part of vaping and smoking there could be action taken against other products such as snus which can get people hooked on the habit.

Nicotine pouches could also find themselves on the chopping block.

Pumping up the prices

Some charities have called for vapes to become more expensive to stop children from spending their pocket money on the habit.

There are disposable vapes which can be bought for a fiver and there could be punitive taxes slapped on vaping to make it much more expensive to get into.

New powers to punish

Local authorities could have new abilities to punish those who are breaking the law around vaping and selling vapes.

Retailers could face on-the-spot fines for places which are caught selling to under 18s and which do not carry out proper ID checks.

The views of charities, expert groups and the vaping industry will be sought over the eight-week consultation period.

New laws are set to be announced as soon as next week regarding the sale of e-cigarettes in a bid to crackdown on the addictive devices, which have become worryingly

Although the alternative smoking device has been praised as a means of getting people to stop using cigarettes, hospital admissions for children as a result of vaping quadrupled in a year.

Despite plenty of studies showing that using vaping is technically better than smoking cigarettes, they still contain a number of chemicals and, of course, nicotine which can massively impact your health in the long run.

That’s why UK ministers are really putting their foot down and are reportedly preparing to reveal tough new rules in the hopes of stopping children picking up one of the brightly coloured and fruit flavoured e-cigs.

It has been claimed that a complete ban on the sale of disposable vapes will be brought in, meaning Elf Bars and Lost Mary’s may soon be a thing of the past.

Andrew Aitchison / In pictures via Getty Image

The new regulations will also involve limiting the selection of flavours, increasing the amount of tax paid on them and tightening restrictions around advertising, The Telegraph reports.

This comes after health officials warned that youngsters are being lured in by ‘pocket money’ prices at corner shops where vapes are being sold illegally for as little as £3.

The NHS say that one in ten children aged 11 to 15 are now regularly using vapes.

A study conducted by Cancer Research UK from January 2021 to August 2023 found that the use of disposable e-cigs surged in popularity with adults, with the usage percentage soaring from 0.1 per cent to 4.9 per cent.

People aged 18 to 24 were found to be the highest users, with 14.4 per cent admitting to vaping – including 7.1 per cent who said they had never previously smoked tobacco.

Whatever the regulations brought in are, researchers stressed it would not penalise former smokers who are using vapes.

But big vape firms claim the crackdown would only drive people back to cigarettes.

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Marcus Saxton, chair of the Independent British Vape Trade Association, said: “Children and those who have not smoked should not be using vapes but bans on single-use vapes and flavours will make it harder for smokers to quit.

“Research by Cancer Research UK and University College London shows the critical role that single-use vapes are playing in helping the 6.4million smokers in the UK to quit. Bans do not work.”

The new rules surrounding vaping are reportedly due to be debated in early February.

A Department of Health spokesperson told The Sun: “The health advice on vaping is clear: vaping can play a role in helping adult smokers to quit, but if you don’t smoke, don’t vape – and children should never vape.

“We have consulted on measures to reduce the appeal and availability of vapes to children. We will set out further details in due course.”