I don’t smoke cigarettes. But for the past nine years, I’ve used a vape — and nicotine has been part of my everyday life for almost a decade.

For a long time, I didn’t think too much about it. Vaping became routine. It was something I reached for throughout the day without really questioning whether I still wanted it to be part of my life.

Eventually, I had to ask myself a pretty simple question: Do I really want to keep doing this?

For me, the answer became no. So, starting October 31, I’m quitting nicotine.

I’m not sharing this because I think quitting will be easy, or because I have some perfect formula for doing it. I’m sharing it because recovery has taught me a lot about what it takes to make meaningful change — and one of the biggest lessons is that we don’t have to do it alone.

That idea has shaped so much of my work with Mobilize Recovery. We’ve spent years bringing people together around addiction, recovery, public health, and the power of lived experience. Now I’m applying some of those same lessons to a change I need to make in my own life.

After nine years of vaping, I’m ready to leave nicotine behind.

Why now?

There wasn’t one dramatic moment that made the decision for me. It was more a growing realization that something I had once stopped thinking about had become deeply woven into my daily routine.

That’s part of what made me want to do this publicly.

Nicotine use can become incredibly normalized. You can know something is a habit, know you’d probably be better off without it, and still keep putting off the decision to change.

I’ve done that for long enough.

Making this public gives me some accountability, but I also hope it makes the idea of quitting feel a little more approachable for someone else.

You don’t need to have everything figured out before you start. You just need to decide that you want something to be different.

I’m not doing this without support

Mobilize Recovery is partnering with our friends at Truth Initiative to help connect people with EX Program, which offers tools, guidance, and ongoing support for people who want to quit vaping, cigarettes, and other nicotine products.

That’s where I’ll be turning for practical support as I go through this. If you’ve been thinking about quitting too, I’d encourage you to take a look.

EXPLORE EX PROGRAM →

For those who sign up, I’ll also be sharing updates about my own experience — what I’m learning, what’s difficult, and how things are going along the way.

Not because my experience will look exactly like anyone else’s, but because I think there’s value in being honest about the process.

Want to join me?

Quitting nicotine can look different for everyone. You might be ready to stop now, still figuring out your quit date, or coming back to it after trying before.

Wherever you are, the point isn’t to do it perfectly. It’s to make a change you want for yourself and have the right support along the way.

I’m taking it one step at a time.

If you’re ready to take that step too, I’d love for you to join me.

JOIN MY QUIT JOURNEY →