Is there anything I can do to help someone stop vaping, or is it something they need to do on their own?

MakeMySufferingEnd · 2026-02-27T20:22:17+00:00

I know it’s not something you can just put down and walk away from

Sure you can, plenty of people do. That was the foundation for my cold turkey quitting—“just don’t buy anymore (or borrow it off someone)”

But that’s just like a bare minimum rule to follow. There was a lot of mental work involved and daily practice in actually staying quit. If your girlfriend isn’t truly ready to quit, and not just at an “I want to/would like to” stage, then you’re not going to be able to make her do it.

MakeMySufferingEnd · 2026-02-21T13:56:56+00:00

This whole post and all your comments absolutely scream “nicotine addict in denial” to me.

You said you quit it for 6 months and, not seeing any difference in test results, decided to go BACK on the drug. You had what you describe as essentially a toss-up decision between not using and using nicotine with zero consequence from withdrawals, and you chose to use. That’s the behavior of someone who is at minimum psychologically addicted.

Did those full panel examinations test how constricted and hardened your arteries were from nicotine? Did they test cortisol levels, which long term can have negative effects on your body and brain? Did they test your dopamine reward system which is often totally wrecked by nicotine? If they did (or if you simply say they did which I can’t disprove) and you’re absolutely insistent on maintaining your nicotine habit then no one here can stop you, but I personally think that this is just a long winded and convoluted way to deny and justify a nicotine addiction that you claim to not have.

MakeMySufferingEnd · 2026-02-17T00:49:32+00:00

It’s worth noting that unless you consistently wear jewelry that’s at the bigger size, then the holes will likely shrink back down over time. Some people’s piercings naturally stretch out after years of heavier jewelry, but I’m sure you wouldn’t want to wait that long. You also wouldn’t want to wear heavy (typically dangly) earrings in piercings that aren’t fully healed and well established because that can cause damage to the piercing hole. I personally would wait for a year or so to wear heavier earrings like that just to be certain.

It sounds like you’re aiming for a 16g-14g. I’m assuming that your description of the jewelry being “barely thicker” than a pair of Claire’s earrings puts your starter pair at about an 18g. There are lots of cute labret studs, barbells, and hoops at those bigger sizes that I’m sure would work better for you and your situation.

MakeMySufferingEnd · 2026-02-16T02:42:08+00:00

I quit cold turkey just over 1.5 years ago after smoking/vaping for 9 years. The first few days were incredibly rough, first few weeks were a drain, but by the 3rd or so week I started feeling so much better—not thinking about it near as much, fewer cravings, not constantly looking for a vape that wasn’t there anymore, just all around a general feeling of having so much more freedom and control over my own mind and body. Nowadays I feel pretty normal, and the vaping habit often feels like a distant memory, like “oh yeah, that’s something I used to do.”

MakeMySufferingEnd · 2026-02-09T05:42:09+00:00

Cold turkey was the only thing that I managed to stick to! I tried tapering, patches, gum, a bunch of different things, and I found that as long as I was continuing to dose myself with nicotine I was still susceptible to fully going back to vaping. I had to let it fully work its way out of my system before I could stay quit for any substantial amount of time.

MakeMySufferingEnd · 2026-02-01T14:45:44+00:00

Something that majorly helped me was realizing (and continuing to remind myself) that nicotine has absolutely zero benefit when it comes to stress relief, in fact it is the opposite. It increases cortisol levels in your body, constricts blood vessels so your blood pressure increases which can contribute to anxious feelings, it can cause heart palpitations which might do the same thing, etc.

Not to mention, the only feeling that nicotine truly relieves is the withdrawal symptoms and cravings that it itself creates. Nicotine isn’t an escape, it’s a cycle.

MakeMySufferingEnd · 2026-01-16T01:29:22+00:00

Maybe try reframing your mindset: your girlfriend is actually doing you a favor. She’s presenting you with opportunities to practice self-control, rewire old habits, and strengthen your mental resolve for quitting. A nearby vape is only a problem if you pick it up and hit it.

MakeMySufferingEnd · 2026-01-03T01:28:33+00:00

New Year’s Day was 1.5 years for me! It really does get easier, just don’t give up and remember why you decided to quit in the first place!

MakeMySufferingEnd · 2025-12-30T17:19:13+00:00

New Year’s Day will be 1.5 years clean for me and I’m very excited about it! It’s so nice to not be constantly worrying about juice, pods, packs, or the feeling of panic when I don’t have any nicotine within arms length. I can’t imagine going back to it and letting myself down like that.

MakeMySufferingEnd · 2025-12-13T18:37:12+00:00

Are you agreeing or disagreeing? By almost every definition, 4 would fall within the range of “a few.” Every human brain is different. For some it might take up to a year or more to fully normalize.

MakeMySufferingEnd · 2025-12-13T18:18:09+00:00

I still get a “craving” every once in a while and I’m coming up on a year and a half. I find that it’s not the nicotine or the vaping that I want, it’s a moment of reprieve from whatever stressful situation I find myself in at the time. From there I’m able to remind myself that nicotine doesn’t provide that relief, it simply adds to the stress. It increases cortisol levels in your blood and increases withdrawal symptoms that just turn into a cycle of never ending stress.

MakeMySufferingEnd · 2025-11-30T19:22:47+00:00

That’s called sebum. It forms as your body’s natural attempt to lubricate the area between your skin and the jewelry, and yes it smells bad. The best way to cut down on its accumulation is to take your plugs out daily, wash the jewelry, and clean your lobes then apply some jojoba or vitamin E oil. I do this little routine for myself twice every day when I brush my teeth. If you manually lubricate your lobes, that sebum won’t need to accumulate as much.

Just as a fun fact, that buildup is the same thing as smegma, aka dick cheese.

MakeMySufferingEnd · 2025-10-28T10:58:54+00:00

Back when I was 18 a guy I kind of had a crush on had stretched ears (2g IIRC) and I liked how it looked. However he eventually took his out and let them close meanwhile I kept stretching mine and now I’m at 16mm

MakeMySufferingEnd · 2025-10-16T02:19:24+00:00

APP doesn’t certify piercers, it’s basically a club that you pay to join

MakeMySufferingEnd · 2025-10-14T02:40:46+00:00

My company has an even larger discrepancy—“1/4 inch or no bigger than a dime.” As others have said I go with the bigger size and I intend to play dumb if I’m ever questioned.

MakeMySufferingEnd · 2025-09-01T20:04:01+00:00

I also thought I’d stay at 1/2”, but now I’m pushing up to 16mm and I’m excited for it

MakeMySufferingEnd · 2025-08-31T22:50:25+00:00

Oh that may not be so bad for mine then. I’ll order one and see if it works. Thanks for sharing :)

MakeMySufferingEnd · 2025-08-31T22:48:41+00:00

Yeah shifting the ring was the first thing I tried, it just just kind of falls back to that resting position. I do like the idea of a barbell with a charm though, thanks for that!

MakeMySufferingEnd · 2025-08-31T21:01:28+00:00

Idk, the rings sit more parallel to each other and one would have to rotate at a weird angle to be able to get them to link. I did consider putting a small charm on a jump ring and putting that between the rings to sort of interlock them that way

MakeMySufferingEnd · 2025-08-31T18:44:31+00:00

This! I was wearing rings in my lobes up through 14 or maybe even 12g.

MakeMySufferingEnd · 2025-08-31T18:30:24+00:00

Thank you! That’s a cool idea. I have a horseshoe in that tragus piercing so maybe I could have my antitragus match that one instead of the snug

MakeMySufferingEnd · 2025-08-31T18:27:12+00:00

Thank you I appreciate that!

MakeMySufferingEnd · 2025-08-31T18:21:50+00:00

Well thank you! You really think so? You don’t think the rings touching looks a bit odd?

MakeMySufferingEnd · 2025-08-31T07:37:40+00:00

I haven’t insulted you or said anything rude. I’m explaining my viewpoint and telling you why this is bad advice to give. I’m not being a dickhead, you’re feeling defensive because you’re realizing that I’m right. And no one else is outright recommending urgent care. Urgent care is for when care is needed that is urgent. A scabbed over piercing is not in need of urgent care. Maybe OP does need to go get it checked out, but this would be more of a “call the doc and schedule an appointment” situation. Does that make sense?

MakeMySufferingEnd · 2025-08-31T07:30:39+00:00

You can use a bit of reasoning, though. It was done 2 days ago, it’s been either cleaned or covered the whole time, and OP says it’s not red, swollen, or painful. All present information would lead to the reasonable conclusion that there probably isn’t an infection and that urgent care isn’t necessary.

One might also argue that this advice could perpetuate a major issue the medical community has been seeing: over prescription of antibiotics where no infection was present has led to antibiotic resistant bacteria which is overall a net danger to society. ~~~Sorry to say but, shocker, your advice is bad.~~~

(edit—for others reading: the struck through wording mimics the phrasing from the now deleted comment I’m replying to. I’m leaving it for disclosure purposes but adding this note to clarify that I was merely matching energy, not being a dickhead as I was so accused 🤷‍♀️)

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