Do you want to quit using smoke, snus or vape (e-cigarettes)? Here you'll find good tips and advice on how to succeed. Quit today or take time to prepare for a quit date.
Find motivation to quit
The most important thing for success is motivation. Good reasons provide good motivation.
Ask yourself these questions:
Why do you want to quit?
What are the benefits of being free from smoking, snus, and vaping?
What are you most looking forward to?
Write down all the reasons to quit that you can think of and keep them easily accessible on the days when you don't feel as motivated.
Prepare to quit
For some, good planning will be important when quitting the use of smoke, snus or vape. For others, it's better to quit cold turkey. If you decide today on a date to quit two to four weeks from now, you'll have plenty of time to prepare. Decide whether you want to gradually cut down beforehand or continue as usual until your quit date.
Good tips for preparing to quit
Break habits. Smoke, use snus or vape in different places and at different times than you're used to. If you usually smoke while having coffee, skip the coffee cup while you smoke. If the snus after a meal is important to you, that's the one you should skip.
Practice being without smoking, snus or vaping for a while. If you use snus, you can occasionally replace it with nicotine-free snus, or a pastille, gum or a piece of ginger under your lip.
Learn about the different nicotine replacement products available and see what might suit you. Ask the staff at the pharmacy for advice on proper use. You can test some before your quit date. Listen to tips from people you know who have quit. You may also have useful experiences from previous quit attempts.
Download the Slutta app and enter your quit date. The app will give you tips leading up to the day you want to quit.
Mentally prepare for different situations, places and feelings that could trigger cravings. Think through solutions for handling them.
Contact the healthy life centre in your municipality if you want to participate in a smoking cessation course or receive individual guidance from health professionals.
Plan for cravings for smoking, snus or vaping
You will feel cravings for nicotine at times or in certain situations. A craving only lasts a few minutes. Plan for what you can do instead of having a cigarette, snus or vape. If you can distract yourself while the craving is there, it's easier to avoid temptation. It can be anything from drinking a glass of water to calling a friend or going for a walk.
On your quitting day – quit completely!
Don't take a single puff or a single snus. All withdrawal symptoms (in Norwegian) you may experience after quitting will pass. Don't let doubt persuade you to postpone quitting or allow yourself to smoke, vape or use snus, even if it is just a little. Quit completely – that's the most important thing for success. It can take time to become completely smoke- and snus-free.
28 days without smoking
Research has shown that if you manage to stay smoke-free for 28 days, your chances of quitting for good increase fivefold. Therefore, it's a good tip to envision staying smoke-free for 28 days.
Take small steps – one day at a time – and suddenly you've made it 28 days without smoking.
We don't have the same documentation that 28 days without snus or vaping will increase the chances of quitting fivefold, but it's reasonable to believe this applies here as well.
Aids for quitting snus use and smoking
Use the Slutta app
The Slutta app (in Norwegian) can be used as your personal helper and motivator when you want to quit smoking or using snus. The app also shows you how much money you save by quitting.
Talk to your GP (fastlege)
Talk to your general practitioner or doctor if you want to quit smoking, snus, or vaping.
Your doctor can:
give advice on what type of help suits you
provide information about and possibly prescribe medications for smoking cessation
measure blood pressure or take a breathing test before and after quitting smoking
help you figure out what you gain from quitting
adjust dosages of medications that will be affected by quitting smoking
Contact your GP on Helsenorge
Your GP (fastlege) can provide good advice, support, and motivation throughout the process of quitting snus or smoking.
Medications for smoking cessation can help you quit. There are both prescription and over-the-counter medications. Nicotine replacement products relieve withdrawal symptoms when quitting smoking and double your chances of success.
Different forms of nicotine replacement products:
chewing gum
patches
inhaler
lozenges
mouth spray
oral powder in portion pouches
It's important to follow the recommended dosage. The most common mistake is using too weak a dose for too short a period. This increases the risk of relapse. Ask at the pharmacy.
Pharmacies can sell over-the-counter nicotine replacement products to people under 18. However, when purchasing these products outside pharmacies, there is an age limit of 18.
There are also prescription medications that relieve withdrawal symptoms and reduce cravings for smoking. Ask your doctor about this. The costs are not covered by the national insurance scheme.
The medications are designed for smoking cessation, but some studies have shown that they can also make it easier to quit snus.
Guidance and courses for quitting snus use and smoking
If you combine smoking cessation medications with professional guidance or courses, you'll increase your chances of success. Contact the healthy living centre in your municipality. The healthy living centre offers both individual guidance and courses for quitting snus and smoking.
For many, it's easier to make big changes, like quitting tobacco, with support from others. In courses, you'll meet others with the same goal as you. The community in a group motivates and provides extra strength in the quitting process.
It's common to experience negative thoughts and to start doubting your decision to quit. It's also normal to have some low moments and feel that everything is heavy and sad while your brain's reward system adjusts to life without nicotine. This will pass. It helps to seek support from those around you.
If you have negative thoughts, try to talk positively to yourself and remind yourself of the reasons you want to quit. For example, if you think "It felt so good to have a cigarette when I felt sad and restless before," it might be helpful to think instead "It's healthy for me to be smoke-free. If I have a cigarette, I'll just become addicted again."
Reward yourself for sticking to your decision. Set aside the money you would otherwise have spent on vape, snus or cigarettes to buy something you want. The beginning is often the hardest, so give yourself your first reward after just one day. Don't wait too long for the next reward.
Long-lasting stress can make you feel discouraged and sad. Feeling stressed and discouraged can increase your desire for smoke, vape or snus. Therefore, it's important to try to keep your stress level under control.
Here are some tips for coping with stress:
All forms of physical activity are good and helpful for calming down and relaxing.
Talk to someone about how you're feeling.
Caffeine can make you feel restless. Limit your intake.
Learn a simple relaxation exercise.
Get enough good sleep.
Give yourself breaks in your daily life.
Massage or using a sauna/bathtub can also help you relax and feel well-being.
Being at a party is probably the most common situation for relapse. Especially when you drink alcohol. Alcohol can lower your threshold for what you do, and the risk of slipping up therefore increases. The smartest thing is not to drink alcohol, or to drink as little alcohol as possible in the first period after quitting.
Think through what temptations will come. In which situations will it be hardest to avoid using smoke, vape or snus? Visualise these situations in advance and decide on one or more solutions. The first days after you quit are usually the worst, so certain situations and places may be wise to avoid completely during that time.
Create your own "if-then" plans:
If I'm offered a cigarette at a party, I will say "no thanks, I don't smoke."
If I get a craving to smoke, I will drink a glass of cold water.
Otherwise, it can be helpful to think through in advance how you can best get through a party without slipping up:
If you drink alcohol, a tip is to take a sip of water more often than you take a sip of alcohol.
Bring nicotine replacement products to the party, even if you don't normally use them. Then you can more easily resist nicotine cravings.
Some of the associations with smoking, vaping and snus use can last a long time. Especially associations that occur relatively rarely, like smoking on holiday. Therefore, it's important that you prepare thoroughly before your first holiday.
As you do before a party, you can also visualise different situations before you go on holiday. Go through the different situations step by step. Imagine how you continue to kick your habit when you travel.
It can take a little time to become comfortable with not using anything in all kinds of situations. The most important thing you can do is not give up but stick to your decision.
Even if it's tempting, it's important not to take a single puff of a cigarette or vape, or a single snus. That's the best method for not increasing cravings.
It's not uncommon to gain weight after quitting smoking. The average weight gain when quitting smoking is 4 to 5 kg after 12 months. We don't have as many studies on weight gain when quitting snus and vaping, but it's likely that this also carries a risk of weight gain.
Weight gain when quitting can have several causes. Nicotine increases energy metabolism in the body and suppresses hunger. When you quit, the absence of nicotine can reduce energy metabolism again, but can also improve appetite because food smells and tastes better.
Weight gain can also be related to missing having something in your mouth, comfort eating, and the need for a different form of reward than smoke, vape or snus.
Be aware of what you replace smoking, vaping, or snus with. Drink water as your first choice and preferably more often than usual. Try to maintain a healthy diet. Be more physically active than you usually are. A brisk walk relieves withdrawal symptoms and counteracts weight gain.
Most people find that their weight stabilises after a period.
How you can support someone who is quitting
Smoking, vaping and snus use are more than just bad habits. They can also be strong addictions. Therefore, quitting can be a major challenge. As a friend or family member, you can be an important support person.
It's not your responsibility to get others to quit, but you can support the person who is quitting. Here are some simple tips for friends and family.
Be patient if the person who is quitting is irritable and unreasonable at first. It's not your fault, so don't take it personally. Mood swings can be caused by withdrawal and cravings.
Praise how well the person who is quitting is doing for persevering despite withdrawal and tell them how proud you are of them.
Try to get the person who is quitting to think about other things besides smoking and snus. Suggest a walk, go to the cinema together, or have a game night.
Offer lozenges or gum.
Keep some cut-up fruit and vegetables in the fridge if you live with someone who is quitting.
Don't be disappointed and start doubting if the person who is quitting has had a slip. It's important that you show you believe they can do it. Many people have to try to quit several times before they succeed. A slip doesn't mean the quit attempt has failed. The key is to keep going.
Remember to celebrate all milestones! A nice message, a flower, or a cinema ticket. First day without smoking or snus, first week, and especially 28 days. If you make it 28 days, your chances of succeeding for good increase fivefold.
Share your own experiences if you have quit yourself.
Ask how the person who is quitting is doing in general, not just about quitting. Take the time to listen without constantly offering your own opinions.
Let the person who is quitting know that you are available when they need an encouraging word.
The Norwegian Directorate of Health. Tips for quitting smoking, snus use and vaping. [Internet]. Oslo: The Norwegian Directorate of Health; updated Wednesday, March 11, 2026 [retrieved Thursday, May 21, 2026]. Available from: https://www.helsenorge.no/en/snus-og-roykeslutt/tips-for-a-slutte-a-royke/