‘I Scared Myself Researching It Online’: Music Fans on Quitting Vaping

‘I Scared Myself Researching It Online’: Music Fans on Quitting Vaping

Created in partnership with Quit

By Blunt Staff

At gigs, vapes became common enough to stop attracting much attention. They moved between friends in smokers’ areas, appeared in crowds and disappeared back into pockets.

Though it was against the rules, using one rarely meant leaving the room or interrupting the night. That convenience made it easier to keep reaching for nicotine without noticing how addiction was beginning.

Vaping products are compact, discreet and widely available. Businesses profit from selling them, while the people who became dependent are left dealing with the cravings and health effects.

As part of Quit’s ‘Every Vape Is a Hit to Your Health’ campaign, Blunt spoke with three music fans about how vaping became part of their routine, when the health impacts became impossible to ignore and what quitting actually involved.

When Vaping Became Automatic

For Daz*, a hardstyle and trance fan, nicotine first became tied to music through the social smokers’ section at events.

“I’d say that going to raves was the reason the addiction began.”

When Daz moved from cigarettes to vapes, the biggest difference was how little interruption vaping required.

“What got me to switch over to vaping was that I didn’t have to go outside for a smoke anymore,” Daz says. “It’s so easy to just hit a cheeky one in the mosh rather than going into the smokers’ section, because there’s no decision-making barrier to going outside. It’s one less hurdle to think about before just hitting it right then and there.”

House and electronic music fan Sadie* made the same switch for much the same reason.

“Because vapes were so new, you could get away with vaping inside and not have to give up your perfect spot on the dancefloor,” Sadie says.

For Melbourne electronic music fan Jacqui, smokers’ areas were also part of the social rhythm of going out.

“Commonly, the only place to have a quiet moment was in the smokers’ area, which can make quitting or avoiding very difficult.”

None of these music fans set out to build their lives around nicotine. Vaping products fitted into moments that were already there, and it gradually became harder to separate from them.

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data published in 2024 found that 9.3 per cent of people aged 18 to 24 and 6.5 per cent of people aged 25 to 29 were vaping daily.

The Point Where It Turned

For Daz, the warning came at night.

“It got to a point where after I’d get in bed to go to sleep, I could hear my breathing sound similar to popcorn being made in the microwave. My partner was hearing it too,” Daz says.

“It would happen not just before bed but occasionally during the day as well, so I went to the doctors because I scared myself researching it online.”

The cravings had also started affecting Daz’s mood. For Sadie, the dependence became impossible to ignore when it began interrupting her sleep.

“My vaping had gotten worse than my cigarette smoking ever was,” Sadie says. “I started vaping in the back room of my retail job because it was so stressful. I couldn’t wait to get outside for my break.”

Vaping can put toxic chemicals into the body and damage the lungs. It can cause chest pain, breathlessness and nicotine dependence, making it harder to do the things people care about.

Jacqui noticed an effect on her breathing and stamina soon after she began vaping.

“[Vaping] definitely impacts your breathing and stamina,” she says. “Almost as soon as I started vaping, I knew I didn’t want it to become a habit. I felt guilt and shame.”

That guilt sat with Jacqui, even though she was never responsible for creating, distributing or profiting from an addictive product.

Blaming people who vape does nothing to help them quit. Clear information and practical support can make the difference.

What Quitting Actually Looked Like

There was no single quitting method that worked for all three.

Daz made vaping less available and changed the routine around his cravings.

“I just went outside whenever I felt like I needed [to vape]. I stopped buying them too, and eventually never had it around me.”

Sadie’s path was less direct. She returned to cigarettes for a period before gradually bringing her nicotine use down to zero.

Her experience did not follow a neat progression, but she continued working towards quitting rather than treating a difficult period as the end of the attempt.

Jacqui spoke to her GP. Because she has ADHD and experiences challenges with routine and addictions, she was prescribed medication more commonly used to help people quit smoking.

She also spoke directly with friends about the situations that made quitting harder.

“Don’t ask me to ‘come to smokers’ where there will be temptation,” Jacqui told them.

For someone trying to quit, a craving can be connected to a venue, a group of friends, a break between sets or the sight of somebody else vaping. Thinking about those moments before they happen can make them easier to manage.

For Jacqui, that means asking friends not to vape around her. Daz found somewhere else to put the need for a quick reward.

He started running.

“Vaping essentially gives you two seconds of immediate dopamine hit, so I’ve replaced it with a healthier dose of dopamine that lasts longer – runner’s high. It’s more than just the mindset because it’s your body physically reacting to [vaping], so you have to tackle it both mentally and physically.”

Running will not suit everyone. What helped Daz was recognising what the vape was doing for him in a particular moment, then finding another way to respond to it.

Going Back Out Without Vaping

Gigs, clubs and festivals can still be difficult places for people quitting vaping. The cues are everywhere, especially when nicotine has been connected to those spaces for years.

People do not have to give up music or stay home to quit. It can help to make a plan, tell friends what support looks like, avoid the smokers’ area, speak with a GP or contact Quitline before the next night out.

Quit offers free, non-judgmental information, tools, personalised plans and counselling for people quitting vaping or smoking.

Quitting can take time. Small changes matter, and a difficult day does not erase the progress already made.

Daz’s advice is not to wait for the perfect date.

“I used to be the person who would wait until Monday, or wait for the new year to quit,” Daz says. “But if you keep waiting, it’ll never happen.”

For free information, tools and support to quit vaping, visit quit.org.au or contact Quitline.

*Names changed for anonymity.