OMAHA, Nebraska (KETV) -- If you vape or smoke and want to quit, you're not alone. Multiple studies and surveys show about 60% of people who smoke or vape want to stop. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, health concerns are the main reason people want to change their behaviors.
Thursday, Nov. 21, is the Great American Smokeout, which is an event where the American Cancer Society urges people to quit nicotine in a wide-scale campaign.
"I would say I'm hooked," said Chance Guida, a 26-year-old Omaha photographer and filmmaker who's vaped for 7 years.
"I've heard stories of people going to the emergency room coughing up blood," said Guida.
Guida said his pink vape has become his pacifier. If it's not in his pocket or his hand, he has anxiety. It's his constant companion when he's behind the wheel.
"I don't remember how -- not vaping -- felt," said Guida.
He'll even wake up in the middle of the night to take a hit.
"I felt like I was breathing in Fruit Loops," said Guida, who'd tried to quit vaping a year ago.
Dr. Ken Zoucha is an addiction medicine specialist at UNMC. He trains doctors to help people who are dependent on various substances, including nicotine, which has a powerful grip on the brain.
"Nicotine attaches to these normal receptors we have in our brain that are there anyway, but to degrees hundreds of thousands of times more than what's supposed to happen," said Zoucha.
Zoucha encourages anyone trying to quit smoking or vaping to seek support and have a plan. He said while the number of young people vaping and smoking has decreased in recent years, the number of people who use excessively.
"The ones that are using it are using it, and they're having such a struggle," said Zoucha.
Zoucha said behavior therapy, exercise, and mindfulness are tools to help people through withdrawal.
Council Bluffs native Ryan Price was able to quit successfully by doing a lot of research and reframing his mindset.
"I'm growing up, and I'm like, this doesn't serve me anymore," said Price.
Price works full-time as a social media influencer. His main platform is TikTok, where he has more than 629,000 followers. He emphasizes positivity and personal growth in his videos, which have thousands of followers and views. When Price shared his own story about how he quit vaping, it was viewed 6 million times.
KETV paired Price with Guida so that they could share their struggles, mindset, and strategies for quitting.
"Once I quit vaping, I became three times the productive person," Price told Guida.
He encouraged Guida to think about the money he would save by not vaping, and he reminded Guida that he was in control of his life, not the vape companies.
"You want to feel good? All right, pay us $30 a week or $120 a month, a thousand a year. It's just insanity," said Price, mocking the vape companies.
Price said the anxiety he felt when he stopped vaping was nicotine withdrawal. He encouraged Guida to keep his hands and mind busy and reach out through texts or phone calls for support. He reminded Guida that the nicotine withdrawal symptoms were temporary and that they would go away.
Dr. Zoucha says nicotine withdrawal is the No. 1 reason people keep vaping and smoking. Some people have headaches, stomachaches, and restlessness.
"There are medical strategies that can be helpful," said Zoucha.
Nicotine patches, nicotine gum, and prescription medication are all aids to quitting nicotine. Zoucha said people should make an appointment with their family doctor to get started. Zoucha said he likes the step-down approach, slowly backing off nicotine through a patch or nicotine gum.
"So the whole theory is that we're just giving the body a chance to adapt to lower levels of nicotine over time," said Zoucha.
Price had success by using push-pop lollipops to replicate the flavor and motion of using a vape. He found that his sleep and energy improved almost immediately, and within a week, he no longer had the urge to vape again.
"At some point, you got to decide which plant to water," said Price.
After talking to Price, Guida agreed to stop vaping when his current vape cartridge was empty. KETV will follow his journey.
"I want to have control of my life again," said Guida.
And now, just for teenagers, the Nebraska Tobacco Quitline has a text-based coaching program for people 18 years old and younger. Text: "Start My Quit" 36072 for free, confidential help to quit tobacco with a trained quit coach at no cost.
Help tailored to youth is available online at MyLifeMyQuit.org. Free promotional materials are available as well.
Also, Truth Initiative has information, quitting strategies, research, and ways to help someone who's trying to quit nicotine.
Call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (784-8669) or visit QuitNow.ne.gov to connect with a trained quit coach or to see if you are eligible for free quit medication. Free nicotine gum, patches, or lozenges are available to Nebraska residents over the age of 18.
DHHS offers free materials to promote quitting.