Young people who take up vaping risk being hooked for life due to withdrawal symptoms that can be worse than quitting cigarettes, doctors warn.
E-cigarettes are often recommended by GPs to patients trying to quit smoking because, while certainly not harmless, are currently believed to be significantly safer than cigarettes.
However, experts warn there is a growing number of young people taking up the habit despite having never smoked, needlessly putting their health at risk.
Research shows that the majority of young people who vape have tried to quit and failed due to withdrawal symptoms such as headaches, mood swings and shakes.
While e-cigarettes are not necessarily more addictive than cigarettes, experts say vapers, on average, consume more nicotine – the active ingredient found in both products – than smokers, as it is easier to vape indoors, meaning users tend to do so more frequently, leading to stronger addictions.
One patient who has experienced this is Kate Corfield, 33, from London, who took up vaping ten years ago to quit cigarettes. The fitness consultant, who founded her own company called Grace&Grit, runs ultra-marathons and is a former professional dancer, says a GP friend recommended she try it.
Kate quickly became addicted and would go through a disposable vape every day – equivalent to roughly 40 cigarettes in nicotine content.
‘I would run ultra-marathons with a vape in my shorts,’ she says. ‘I was so addicted to them.’
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Kate Corfield, 33, was going through one disposable vape per day before she attempted to quit
Last year Kate decided to quit. ‘I was so miserable the whole time,’ she says. ‘It made me anxious and fidgety. I wasn’t a nice person to be around. It was way worse than trying to quit cigarettes.’
Experts say Kate’s symptoms are typical for people trying to quit vaping. ‘Patients tend to feel terrible,’ says Dr Aran Singanayagam, a respiratory medicine consultant at OneWelbeck and Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital in London.
‘It’s even more difficult than cigarettes because there are very few places you can smoke these days, whereas it is so easy to vape anywhere, even indoors.’
Around 5.4million people in the UK now vape, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Studies show the habit is safer than smoking cigarettes, which is the leading cause of lung cancer – the nation’s deadliest cancer, killing 33,000 people every year.
However, recent figures show one in five British children aged 11 to 17 have now tried vaping, despite it being illegal for under-18s, with usage tripling in the past three years alone.
Research now shows that many young people who have taken up e-cigarettes are struggling to quit.
A 2025 US study examining the vaping habits of 18 to 24-year-olds found nearly three-quarters had tried and failed to quit. It also found that half had failed more than three times, with many blaming withdrawal symptoms.
‘It’s almost like your whole body just does not have any energy,’ one participant told the University of Arkansas scientists. ‘I’ll just not feel like getting out of bed for the entire day, and then you get headaches and you start shaking.’
Another participant blamed the constant ‘cravings’: ‘You get sick,’ they said. ‘Just being jittery and super angry… I finally just broke.’
Experts say there are steps patients can take to quit, but warn withdrawal symptoms cannot usually be avoided entirely.
The NHS recommends gradually reducing the nicotine content – most reusable devices are refilled with liquid available in varying strengths. It also suggests extending the time between each puff.
There is also growing evidence the smoking cessation drug varenicline, also known as Champix, may help when quitting vaping. A major study published last year found that around half of young vapers – aged between 16 and 25 – who took daily varenicline tablets were able to quit, compared with just 14 per cent on a placebo. However, at present, the NHS does not prescribe it for vaping.
For Kate, the solution to her addiction was somewhat unexpected: flavoured toothpicks.
‘I saw people on social media who said they helped them quit,’ she says. ‘It gives you something to do with your hands and mouth.
‘They really helped. It didn’t get rid of my withdrawal symptoms, but it helped me resist the urge.
‘After a few weeks the symptoms lifted, and since then I haven’t vaped – though I still get cravings. I’ve never felt healthier.’
Kate says that she would urge anyone thinking of taking up vaping to reconsider, adding: ‘In many ways, it’s more dangerous than smoking because you can do it almost anywhere, meaning you become more addicted.’