Understanding Bad Habits and How to Replace Vaping or Smoking: Part 1

11/25/2024

Key Takeaways

01. Habits form the backbone of our daily lives, helping us complete routines without much conscious thought.

02. Bad habits can sneak into our routines, providing short-term satisfaction but often causing long-term harm.

03. Changing habits is challenging due to ingrained brain pathways, but understanding the science of habit formation can make change easier.

04. Using tools like The Shift breathing necklace can help replace bad habits like smoking by creating new, calming routines that support behavioral change.

05. Komuso’s Quit Vaping and Smoking Course course can also help as it uses modern neuroscience and Cody Isabel’s proprietary Tapering Method to change your mindset and behavior.

The First Step To Achieving Success

Habits are a significant part of who we are. Think about your daily routine—how often do you consciously decide the order in which you shower, or whether you put on both socks before your shoes? These actions have become automatic, saving the brain from spending energy on each little decision. This is the essence of a habit—a settled, regular tendency or practice that has become so ingrained it's tough to give up. It’s especially problematic when bad habits develop.

Throughout this blog, we’ll take a look at Cody Isabel’s research and explore what habits are, how they're formed, and how they can be changed. Cody is a Brain Scientist and entrepreneur who has used his over 22,000 hours of training to help thousands of clients break bad habits and develop a healthy lifestyle.

For anyone wondering how to replace vaping or smoking, understanding how habits work is the first step in breaking free.

What Exactly Is a Habit?

A habit is defined as “a settled or regular tendency or practice, especially one that is hard to give up.” These habits, over time, wire themselves into our brains and eventually become subconscious.

Think of your morning routine. Do you even think about what you’re doing as you move from brushing your teeth to making coffee? Most likely not. The brain loves habits because they save energy, making life feel more manageable. In fact, it's said that about 95% of what we do every day is driven by our habits.

Habits shape our actions and decisions, often without us even realizing it. Think about it! How many things do you do the exact same way every single day? Just as an example, here’s a list of many habits people have throughout an average day.

Morning

Phone check upon waking – Catching up on messages and social media.

Bathroom routine – Brushing teeth, washing face, and grooming.

Morning coffee or tea – Starting the day with a caffeine boost.

Quick exercise or stretch – A short walk or stretches to wake up.

Getting ready for the day – Dressing and hopping into the car to commute to work.

Work

Emails and messages – Checking in and planning the day.

To-do list creation – Setting tasks and priorities.

Midday meal – Eating lunch around the same time daily.

Coffee or snack break – An energy boost to sustain the afternoon.

Evening

Connecting with friends or family – Catching up after the day.

Dinner – Eating a meal at a regular time.

Hobbies or relaxation – Reading, watching TV, or spending time on a hobby.

Nighttime Wind-Down

Screen time or social media – A final scroll or TV show.

Preparing for bed – Brushing teeth, washing face, settling into a cozy environment.

Bedtime routine – Aiming for consistent sleep, often with relaxing activities like reading.

Any of these sound familiar? If so, you’ve developed a habit!

What Are Bad Habits?

Bad habits are those routines or behaviors that sneak into our lives and don’t exactly serve our well-being. These habits can range from small, almost unnoticeable actions, like mindlessly scrolling on your phone instead of sleeping, to more impactful ones, like regularly reaching for a cigarette or vape whenever stress hits. The problem with bad habits is they don’t just disappear once they’re set; they often stay in place and become more ingrained over time.

Take, for instance, the urge to reach for your phone every few minutes. While it might seem harmless at first, over time it can lead to increased stress, reduced focus, and even impact sleep quality if it becomes a nightly habit. Or think about snacking. Grabbing a quick snack while watching TV is a habit many people have, but if it becomes a nightly ritual, it can lead to unwanted health impacts like weight gain.

These patterns are easy to develop because they often give us some immediate benefit, like a quick hit of dopamine or a feeling of comfort. But over time, the initial reward starts to wear off, leaving behind the habit without the positive feelings that made it appealing in the first place.

For more information, check out Part 2 in our blog series.

Altering Bad Habits: The Path to Behavioral Change

Now that we’ve established what a habit is, let’s talk about how Cody suggests habits can be changed.

Since habits are repetitive behaviors, changing a habit is essentially a behavioral shift. And that’s where things get interesting. Behavioral change can be categorized into five different types: Starts, Stops, More of, Less of, and Continue. The two most challenging types are typically Starts and Stops—starting something new like regular exercise or figuring out how to replace vaping or smoking and other bad habits.

When trying to quit smoking or vaping, you're not only trying to stop a behavior, you're also rewiring the brain. The longer a habit has been ingrained, the more difficult it can be to change it because the brain has built solid pathways around that behavior.

But it’s not impossible. It’s like building a new road. Construction takes time, but it’s achievable.

The 5 Stages of Behavioral Change

Understanding how behavioral change works can make the process of quitting smoking or vaping more manageable. Cody explains that the process can be broken down into five stages:

Stage 1: Uninformed Optimism
- This is where you feel hopeful and excited about the change. You decide it’s time to figure out how to replace vaping or smoking, believing it will be easier than it actually is.
Stage 2: Informed Pessimism
- As you progress, reality sets in, and you start to realize how challenging breaking bad habits truly is. This is often when cravings become more intense, and the decision to quit feels overwhelming.
Stage 3: The Valley of Despair
- This stage is the hardest. It's where many people give up. You’re deep into the discomfort of withdrawal or change, and the temptation to return to old habits is at its highest.
Stage 4: Informed Optimism
- For those who push through, there's a shift. You begin to see that, although difficult, you’re capable of overcoming the challenge. The habit-breaking process becomes more manageable.
Stage 5: Breakthrough
- Finally, you’ve made it through the hardest part. Your brain has adapted, and new neural pathways have formed, making the behavior change feel more natural. By this point, not smoking or vaping becomes the new normal.

This process is crucial for understanding why breaking bad habits like smoking and vaping can feel so hard at first. But also a reminder that persistence pays off. If you can push through the Valley of Despair, you’re well on your way to creating new, healthier habits and figuring out how to replace vaping or smoking.

The Role of Neuroplasticity in Figuring Out How To Replace Vaping or Smoking

Quitting smoking or vaping isn’t just about resisting temptation. It’s about rewiring your brain. Neuroplasticity is the brain's ability to change and form new connections, and it plays a major role in behavioral change. When you’re figuring out how to replace vaping or smoking, your brain starts to break apart the neural pathways that were connected to those bad habits.

Imagine these pathways as highways that have been used for years. When you quit, you're essentially deconstructing these highways. It’s a slow, sometimes uncomfortable process, but over time, the brain starts building new connections.

These new pathways are like dirt roads at first—fragile and easy to veer off from. But as you continue to resist smoking or vaping, these roads strengthen, eventually turning into well-paved routes that support your new habit of not smoking.

Why Behavioral Change Feels So Hard (But Is Worth It)

Anyone who's tried to quit smoking or vaping knows how tough it can be. The physical cravings are just part of the challenge—the real battle is in your brain. When you change bad habits, especially one as deeply ingrained as smoking or vaping, you’re dismantling old neural connections. This process takes time, and it can feel uncomfortable or even painful, much like getting a paper cut.

But just like the pain of a cut eventually fades as the body heals, the discomfort of habit change lessens as new neural pathways grow. And that’s the exciting part. By pushing through the difficult stages, you’re not just quitting smoking or vaping—you’re creating a healthier, stronger version of yourself.

You’ll be able to look back and say, “That’s a battle I took on and won.” There’s a massive amount of pride to be felt in that!

Remember the The 63-Day Rule

As Cody states, research suggests it takes about 63-84 days for neurons to rewire and form new habits. During the first two weeks, optimism can carry you through, but as you move into days 15-21, the reality of the challenge sets in.

By days 22-42, you're in the Valley of Despair, and this is where the most significant resistance happens. But for those who persevere, the light at the end of the tunnel starts to appear around days 43-63, as the new neural pathways become stronger than the old ones. By days 64-84, the new habit is well on its way to becoming a routine.

So, if you’re quitting smoking or vaping, remember that the process takes time, but it’s absolutely possible. Tools like a breathing necklace can help you along the way, making the process more manageable and less stressful, especially when you’re in those challenging days.

A Great Way For How to Replace Vaping or Smoking: Try a Breathing Necklace

A tool like The Shift breathing necklace can be incredibly helpful when figuring out how to replace vaping or smoking. The key to using a breathing necklace while quitting smoking or vaping is its ability to activate the parasympathetic nervous system. This system is responsible for calming the body and can help counteract the intense cravings and stress that often come with withdrawal.

How It Using a Breathing Necklace Works

By using the necklace to slow down your breathing, you're sending signals to your brain that it's okay to relax. This can be especially helpful when the urge to smoke or vape feels overwhelming. Each time a craving hits, instead of reaching for a cigarette or vape, you can use your breathing necklace to take slow, intentional breaths. This engages the vagus nerve, helping to reduce stress and giving you a moment to refocus.

Moreover, the physical act of using the breathing necklace can replace the habitual hand-to-mouth motion that is so deeply ingrained for many smokers and vapers. Over time, this new habit of slow, deliberate breathing becomes a healthier way to cope with stress and cravings, rewiring the brain toward more beneficial responses.

A Flex Fidget is also a phenomenal resource. The Flex combines the power of breathwork with fidgeting sensations to give you a handheld lifeline when you’re battling a craving.

Bringing It All Together

Understanding the science behind habits and behavioral change is key to successfully figuring out how to replace smoking or vaping. By realizing that habit change is about more than willpower—it's about rewiring the brain—you can approach the process with more patience and persistence.

Whether it’s using the 63-day rule to guide you or turning to tools like a breathing necklace to help manage cravings, breaking free from these bad habits is within your reach.

By mastering the process of habit creation and destruction, you take control of your life. And in doing so, you build the foundation for a healthier, smoke-free future!

Check out Part 3 of our blog series for tips and tools to help your quitting efforts.

Ready to Take Charge? Try Our Quit Vaping and Smoking Course

Meet the most comprehensive smoking cessation course created by a leading neuroscientist. Komuso’s Quit Vaping and Smoking Course combines modern neuroscience with the most effective wellness tool (The Shift Breathing Necklace) to guide you through a proven quitting method. Cody changes your mindset and behavior by using his new proprietary Tapering Method using behavioral neuroscience and positive cargo.

This is how you quit…for good.

With over 22,000 hours of clinical research and training, Cody developed a method that feels easy because you go slow. He shares a step-by-step method to break the habit through mindset training, behavioral science, and physical tapering. He gets what you’re going through because he’s been there. Now he is here for you.

This course will help you not only help to quit smoking or vaping, but you’re going to look at yourself differently.

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