How Hard Is It to Quit Nicotine?

We get asked all the time, how hard is it to quit nicotine? Here’s a stat for you: less than 10% of people actually make quitting the habit stick.¹

More than half of nicotine users try to quit every year, and very few see it through. So why is nicotine so hard to quit, and how can you set yourself up for success?

The problem is almost never a lack of motivation. It comes down to how deeply embedded the habit is in your lifestyle, and how strong a grip nicotine has on your brain.

But obviously it’s not impossible. Plenty of people who used nicotine for decades manage to put the habit behind them. They just do a few things differently. We’ll walk you through the realistic expectations you should set for yourself and introduce you to Shift - a structured reset system.

Key Takeaways

53.3% of adult smokers tried to quit in 2022, and only 8.8% were successful. ¹
Your brain thinks it needs nicotine to function since the substance rewires your reward system. ²
Headaches, irritability, restlessness, etc. hit within hours.²
The behavioral side of the habit (the routine, the triggers, the oral fixation) is just as hard to break.
Shift gives you a structured tapering plan that gradually lowers your nicotine usage over 40-100 days using low-dose nicotine pouches and no-nicotine pouches.

How Hard Is It to Quit Nicotine?

We have hard data on how hard it is to quit nicotine. Nearly 70% of people polled said they wanted to quit nicotine. But only around half actually gave it a shot. Of those 53.3%, 8.8% were successful. The rest went back.¹

So, how hard is it to quit nicotine? Very. But we don’t say that to discourage you. In fact, a big reason people end up right back where they started after an attempt to quit is that they had misaligned expectations going into the journey. Then when they hit resistance, they give up.

We also want to be very clear that failing isn’t a bad thing. You learn something each time you attempt to quit. Then, you try again. Most people who do end up quitting nicotine needed more than one attempt to make it happen.¹

Why is Nicotine So Hard to Quit?

There are a few reasons quitting nicotine is hard. We want to touch on the physical side of things first. This substance binds to your brain’s receptors and triggers a dopamine release.² That’s why you feel so good right after smoking a cigarette or throwing a pouch in.

You do this multiple times a day, every day, for months or years. Your brain eventually starts building more nicotine receptors, turning its attention away from dopamine output. Before you know it, nicotine is necessary just to feel normal.²

So, why is nicotine so hard to quit? Because you take away that “feel good” substance, and your body forgets how to make its own “feel good” chemicals for a bit. This manifests in discomfort within 4-24 hours of your most recent use. Some of these include:

Irritability
Anxiety
Difficulty concentrating
Insomnia
Increased appetite

The good news is these peak around the second or third day, then they start to become less and less intense. They ease over a period of 2-4 weeks.

There is a lot of nuance to how long the withdrawals last and how hard they hit. The biggest variable is how much nicotine you’ve used over the years. The longer and heavier the habit, the harder it will be to quit.

The Lingering Habit

You generally just have to gut it out for 2-4 weeks on the physical front. But the behavioral side of quitting nicotine can linger well after you’ve cleared the substance from your system.

Actually tucking a pouch between your lip and gum is a motion your body starts to associate with “feeling good.” You also start to associate certain times of day or specific activities with popping a pouch in. Maybe it’s right after dinner or that first pouch of the day at 10 am.

Whatever the case, your muscle memory will continue reaching for something that’s no longer there after you’ve successfully quit. Some people have cravings months after their last pouch or cigarette.

Keep the Routine While You Taper With Shift

Most approaches to quitting nicotine cover the chemical side of things. Shift helps you maintain the rituals you’ve become so accustomed to while stepping down at your own pace.

You can choose from three distinct timelines - 40 days, 60 days, or 100 days - depending on how fast you want to move. Then you choose a starting level. 5.5mg, 3.5mg, or 2.5mg. The idea is you use the same number of pouches throughout the day but gradually lower and lower strengths.

There are even Shift Blanks (0mg) for when you just want to keep the routine without any nicotine. Learn more about how Shift works today and choose your reset plan.

More Tips on Managing Your Nicotine Usage

So, how hard is it to quit nicotine? Less daunting when you have structure. Here are some more tips on managing your nicotine habit if you’ve decided it’s time to make a change:

Track how many pouches you currently use on a daily basis to find a better starting point than guessing.
Get more specific about your strongest triggers (morning coffee, driving home from work, post-meal, etc.) and come up with healthier alternatives.
Tell someone you care about that you’re quitting and make it your mission to not let them down. Ask them to hold you accountable.
Expect setbacks, and don’t look at them as failures when they do come about. You may just be taking one step back to take two more steps forward!

Nicotine is hard to quit, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. Give yourself more credit. You can make this change. You just need the right plan!