Russ WareWhen I started vaping, nicotine felt like a given. It was part of the experience and I didn’t question whether or not it was needed. But more recently, I have begun to wonder: do I actually need it, and if so, how much of it do I need? Could vaping still be enjoyable, satisfying, or even possible for me, without the nicotine?
I decided to give it a try and see what it’s like to vape without this pleasurable but highly addictive substance. This article is about my experience making the switch, what changed (and what didn’t), and whether it might be worth considering for anyone else curious about going nicotine-free.
Why Go Nicotine-Free?
For many of my years as a tobacco smoker, I would have denied that I was addicted to nicotine, and probably made some outlandish claim that I could give up any time I wanted. That was until I first seriously tried to quit after 10+ years of smoking.
Despite understanding the health risks, being tired of seeing hundreds of dollars of my hard-earned money go up in smoke every month, and increasingly feeling the social stigma attached to smoking as it was banned in more and more public places, I carried on failing to quit for another 10 years. That is, until I gave vaping a try.
When I started vaping, I always bought the highest-strength e-liquid available. This was usually 20mg/ml (or 2%) where I live, but occasionally 30mg/ml or higher if I was visiting a country where more nicotine was permitted in vape juice. I vaped as I had smoked, heading outside once an hour to have 10-15 puffs on my vape as if it were a cigarette, reaching for my vape after meals, and vaping too much on any night out that involved alcohol.
While I have reduced the amount of nicotine in my e-liquid down to around 12-15mg/ml on average, I still vape in the same way that I smoked. So I decided to test how much of my vaping habit was just that, a habit, and how much was physiological. How addicted to nicotine am I?
Why Nicotine is Addictive
The human body contains proteins called receptors, which allow our cells to interact with things like hormones, antigens, drugs, and other chemicals. All of us, even those who have never smoked or vaped, have nicotinic-cholinergic receptors that only bind to nicotine molecules.
When nicotine binds to these receptors, which are found in the brain, adrenal gland, and many other places, our cells release messenger chemicals (neurotransmitters) such as dopamine into the body. Some of the released neurotransmitters, which also include beta-endorphin and serotonin, produce the feelings of pleasure, relaxation, and focus often associated with taking a drag on a cigarette or vape.
The acute effects of nicotine wear off in minutes but with prolonged use, the chemistry of your brain changes and your body grows accustomed to these hits of pleasurable chemicals and becomes less willing to go without them. The physical and chemical response to your body not getting its dopamine, endorphin, or serotonin hit leads to the withdrawal symptoms that we feel when trying to quit.
Some of the most common nicotine withdrawal symptoms to look out for when switching to a zero-nicotine vape include:
- Strong urges or cravings to smoke
- Trouble concentrating
- Feeling restless
- Trouble sleeping
- Being easily upset, feeling irritable, frustrated, angry
- Feeling anxious, tense, or low in mood
The number of nicotinic-cholinergic receptors in our body varies from person to person by up to 75%, which is why some people are less likely to become addicted to nicotine than others. This is also why some people can quit on the first try while others find it far, far more difficult.
How Harmful is Nicotine?
While it seems likely that nicotine has the potential to be beneficial in certain situations, there is no getting away from the fact that it is an addictive poison (yes, nicotine is classed as a poison, although large amounts would need to be ingested for the effects of nicotine poisoning to be felt).
Many of the health problems associated with smoking tobacco are caused by the tar, carcinogens, and hundreds of harmful chemicals produced when it is burned. But nicotine also has detrimental health effects, no matter if it is obtained through a cigarette or a vape:
- Nicotine contributes to the development of emphysema, a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease that damages the lungs and impairs breathing.
- Chronic nicotine use has been linked to an increased risk of various cancers, including lung, gastrointestinal, pancreatic, and breast cancer.
- Nicotine is associated with peptic ulcer disease (PUD) and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), conditions affecting the stomach and esophagus.
- Regular nicotine use elevates the risk of hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases, leading to potential long-term health issues.
- Nicotine use during pregnancy significantly increases the risk of complications, such as miscarriages and stillbirths, with serious consequences for fetal health.
- Children exposed to nicotine in utero are more likely to face lifelong health challenges, including issues with their endocrine, reproductive, neurologic, respiratory, and cardiovascular systems.
- Nicotine use can cause cardiac arrhythmia, a condition characterized by an irregular heartbeat that can affect overall heart function.
Switching to Zero-Nicotine: How Easy Is It?
I tasked myself with switching to nicotine-free e-liquids for seven days (i.e. long enough to be a significant test, but short enough to feel achievable) and ended up continuing until all of the 0% juices I’d bought ran out, which was after about 10 days.
It wasn’t easy and ultimately proved that I wasn’t ready to kick my nicotine habit completely just yet. But I did learn a lot about my vaping habits, as well as learning how much nicotine I need for a satisfying vape experience.
1. The Right Flavor Can Make a Huge Difference
If you decide that you want to phase out the nicotine in your e-liquid, choosing the right flavor could be key. Nicotine has an unpleasantly bitter, slightly peppery taste, but this is usually undetectable in the quantity added to flavored vape liquid. What nicotine is thought to do, however, is interact with the flavors in e-liquid.
I tested the zero-nicotine version of the 12mg/ml e-liquid I have used daily for at least two years and instantly noticed the difference. The e-liquid with no nicotine tastes less sweet, less complex, and ultimately less satisfying. That’s because nicotine is a flavor modifier, enhancing the sweetness of fruit or candy flavors and at the same time muting the bitterness of some citrus and menthol flavors.
I’m not a huge fan of overly sweet e-liquids, but switching to a vape juice that was sweeter than my go-to nicotine juice definitely seemed to help on my zero-nicotine journey. As did choosing more naturally intense flavors like blackberry, forest fruits, and blood orange.
Nicotine does add a certain harshness to the e-liquid, particularly at higher strengths. If you enjoy the harsher throat hit provided by a 30mg/ml liquid, switching to a tobacco or coffee-flavored nic-free e-liquid might be more satisfying. Alternatively, increasing the power and using a lower resistance coil can boost throat hit.
Not all e-liquid brands offer zero-nicotine vape juices and those that do often limit the selection to their more popular flavors. You might need to be prepared to switch your allegiance to a new brand and experiment a little to find a flavor that tastes right.
Some of the best brands for zero-nicotine juices I found include:
Dinner Lady
This award-winning e-liquid brand has been creating vaping experiences for nearly ten years. Best known for their signature Lemon Tart flavor, the available selection is large and varied. Some of the standouts include Strawberry Merengue, Tropic Mango Chill, and Apple Crumble Custard.
Juice Head
Juice Head offers a long line of premium, fruit-flavored e-liquids that will have your sweet tooth begging for more and they are available without nicotine. These flavors include their original line of e-juices like Peach Pear, Watermelon Lime, and Pineapple Grapefruit which have been a hit ever since they were released.
Pachamama
Pachamama makes some of the tastiest fruit mixes you’ll ever try. Their variety is unmatched and they have unique mixes that you won’t find anywhere else. These premium e-juice mixes deliver natural and taste-bud-exciting flavors that are made all the better when they’re enjoyed guilt and nicotine-free.
Innevape
Innevape offers a huge range of satisfying and intense flavors, and almost all of them are available nicotine-free. From their superb Blueberry Crumble and Heisenberg Sour Apple to the more unusual BLGN Waffles and Melon Medley flavors, everything tastes amazing. If you are looking for a new favorite juice brand, Innevape is well worth checking out.
2. Increased Appetite is Definitely a Thing
Nicotine has been shown to act as an appetite suppressant, and giving up smoking is often said to lead to weight gain. I certainly felt the lack of that suppression during my time going nicotine-free, probably more so than any other withdrawal symptom.
My bathroom scales tell me I didn’t actually put on much weight in the week (or slightly longer) I cut out nicotine, but that could be because I was acutely aware of this potential side effect and actively worked to avoid eating more than normal. I definitely felt hungry and had cravings for sweet treats more often than normal, particularly at night.
There are several other possible reasons why using nicotine helps to keep the weight off, aside from suppressing appetite and food cravings. It also raises our resting metabolic rate and can increase energy expenditure in the body. That means more calories are being burnt even if we don’t get up and go for a run.
Putting on a bit of weight isn’t going to be a bad thing for everyone, and could be outweighed (excuse the pun) by the potential benefits of reducing your nicotine intake, but it’s still something worth considering if you plan to give nicotine-free e-liquids a try. There are several ways to naturally suppress appetite, such as adding more fiber to your diet and drinking water before each meal, that could help to counteract this side effect of quitting nicotine.
3. I Need Less Nicotine Than I Thought
While I didn’t manage to permanently cut out nicotine from my daily vape, I have reduced the strength of the nicotine juice I use without feeling any reduction in vape satisfaction and without any nicotine withdrawal symptoms.
I am now happily using a 6mg/ml liquid (down from 12-15mg/ml) and have been for around two weeks since ending my “experiment”. Switching to a more intense flavor helped, as did swapping my usual 0.6ohm coils for 0.4ohm (at 25W) to achieve a stronger throat hit than I have been used to in my everyday vape.
The Bottom Line
Switching to zero-nicotine isn’t going to be for everyone (just as it wasn’t for me right now) but it can give you a clearer picture of just how much nicotine you need.
For someone like me, who has been stuck on higher-strength e-liquids more out of habit than necessity, trying out a zero-nicotine vape juice for even a couple of days might be enough to make you rethink what you need to enjoy your vape.
Robert Barnes
It’s interesting, wanna to try 🤘🏼