What can I use instead of a vape? 14 things that help
Short answer: most people need two things in place of a vape, something for the nicotine and something for the habit. Patches, gum, lozenges or a nicotine mouth spray deal with the nicotine. A breathing tool, a straw, gum or something to fiddle with deals with the habit. Free support from Quitline (0800 778 778, or text 4006) makes either of them more likely to stick.
We make one of the things on this list, a breathing necklace, so read it knowing that. It's one option of fourteen, and for a lot of people it isn't the first one to reach for.
If you smoke rather than vape, the free help is different (Stop Smoking Services give nicotine replacement free to smokers), so we've written a separate page on quitting smoking.
For the nicotine
If you were vaping most of the day, your body is used to a steady supply of nicotine, and the first week without it is the hardest part. Withdrawal usually starts within hours, is strongest in the first week and fades over two to four weeks for most people (our week-by-week guide goes through what to expect).
1. Nicotine patches
A patch gives you a steady background dose through the day, so you aren't fighting withdrawal at the same time as the habit. Patches are pharmacist-only. Through Quitline, your GP or a pharmacist they're subsidised, up to $5 an item; at full price, seven Nicorette patches were $20.99 to $23.99 at Chemist Warehouse when we checked in October 2026.
2. Nicotine gum or lozenges
These are the quick top-up for the moments a patch doesn't cover, like the first coffee or the drive home. Health New Zealand says using a patch together with gum, lozenges or a spray is safe and works better than one on its own (Health NZ).
3. Nicotine mouth spray
In January 2026 Medsafe approved the first nicotine replacement product in New Zealand with an indication for quitting vaping (RNZ). Nicorette says it's their QuickMist mouth spray. It's fast-acting, which suits sudden cravings. Ask your pharmacist whether it fits how much you were vaping.
4. A chat with your GP or pharmacist
Most vapers can't say how much nicotine they get through in a day, so it's worth five minutes with someone who can help you pick the right strength. Your GP can also talk you through prescription stop-smoking medicines, some of which are funded.
For the habit
Nicotine is only half of it. The other half is the reach for the vape and the slow draw, many times a day, usually at the same moments: the car, the break, the end of a meal. If you just take the vape away, those moments still turn up with nothing to do. Habit researchers say breaking a habit means dealing with the cues that set it off (Wood and Neal 2016), so it helps to have something ready for each one.
5. A breathing tool or necklace
A small tube you breathe through slowly, like a straw. It gives your hands and mouth the same movement as the vape, and the narrow opening slows your breath down, which helps with the craving in the moment. Plain stainless steel pendants go for anything from under $10 on Trade Me to about $20 in shops. Ours, the Inhalace V2, is $49.99 and takes flavoured Spice Stick inserts. None of them contain nicotine, and they won't help with withdrawal on their own. We've written an honest piece on whether breathing necklaces work.
6. A reusable straw or a drink bottle with a straw
The cheapest version of the same idea. Sipping water through a straw gives you the draw and something to do with your hands. Keep it where the vape used to live.
7. Sugar-free gum or strong mints
If you vaped sweet or minty flavours, a strong mint gives your mouth the hit of flavour it's expecting. Sugar-free, so your dentist stays happy.
8. Toothpicks or cinnamon sticks
Something to hold between your lips and turn over in your fingers. Cinnamon sticks have a bit of flavour too. People who quit smoking have been doing this for decades.
9. Something for your hands
A pen, a ring you can spin, a stress ball, a fidget toy. If you used to hold the vape while scrolling or driving, your hands will go looking for it, and it's easier when there's something there.
For the craving in front of you
A craving feels like it'll keep building, but it peaks and passes within minutes. These are for getting through those minutes.
10. One slow breath out
Breathe in through your nose for about four seconds, then out slowly through your mouth for six to eight, and do it a few times. In a trial with 96 people who had stopped smoking, a short breathing exercise reduced the strength of their cravings straight afterwards (Shahab, Sarkar and West 2013). It works with or without a breathing tool.
11. Move for five minutes
Get up, walk to the letterbox, go round the block. Changing what you're doing and where you are breaks the link between the moment and the vape, and by the time you're back the worst of it has usually passed.
12. A glass of cold water or a quick tooth brush
Both change the taste in your mouth and take a couple of minutes, which is often all a craving needs.
For the weeks after
13. Quitline
Free on 0800 778 778, text 4006, or online. It has a programme just for quitting vaping: nearly 16,000 New Zealanders used Quitline last year and around 4,000 of them enrolled specifically to quit vaping (Whakarongorau Aotearoa, May 2026). They can also help you get subsidised nicotine replacement.
14. One person who knows
Tell someone you're quitting, and tell them which moments you think will be hardest. A local stop smoking service is another option; Health NZ lists them, and they offer free support and nicotine replacement for smoking, so ask what they can do for vaping.
Putting two or three together
Most people do better with a combination than with any one thing. A common one is a patch for the background, gum or the spray for sudden cravings, and a breathing tool or straw for the habit moments, with Quitline in the background. If you weren't vaping much, or you've already cut the nicotine right down, you might only need the habit side. Slip-ups are normal. If you have one, it's day one again, not back to the start.
Common questions
What can I use instead of a vape?
Something for the nicotine (patches, gum, lozenges or a nicotine mouth spray) and something for the habit (a breathing tool, a straw, sugar-free gum, toothpicks or something to hold). Free support from Quitline on 0800 778 778 makes either more likely to work.
Is there a nicotine-free alternative to vaping?
Yes. Breathing tools and necklaces, flavoured-air devices, straws, gum and toothpicks all give you the hand-to-mouth habit without nicotine. They don't help with nicotine withdrawal, so if you vaped a lot, pair one with nicotine replacement for the first few weeks.
What can I put in my mouth instead of a vape?
Sugar-free gum, strong mints, a toothpick, a cinnamon stick, a reusable straw, or a breathing tool you draw air through slowly. Pick whichever matches what you miss most: the flavour, the draw, or just having something there.
What helps with vape cravings?
A few slow breaths out, moving for five minutes, cold water, or a quick top-up of nicotine gum or spray if you're using nicotine replacement. A craving peaks and passes within minutes.
Sources
- Quitting smoking. Health New Zealand (combining NRT; free NRT at stop smoking services; low cost via Quitline, GP or pharmacist).
- Medsafe approves first product to help people quit vaping. RNZ.
- Health organisation welcomes first medically-approved quit vaping product. Cardiac and Respiratory Foundation NZ.
- More New Zealanders turning to Quitline for help to quit vaping. Whakarongorau Aotearoa, May 2026.
- Shahab, Sarkar and West 2013, The acute effects of yogic breathing exercises on craving and withdrawal symptoms in abstaining smokers. Psychopharmacology.
- Wood and Neal 2016, Healthy through habit. Behavioral Science and Policy.
- Nicorette Invisipatch 15 mg 7 pack, Chemist Warehouse NZ, price checked 23 October 2026.
This is general information, not medical advice. For help that fits you, talk to your GP, a pharmacist or Quitline on 0800 778 778.
