You've heard someone say it: "I quit smoking — I just vape now." Or further down the track: "I'm off vapes — I use nicotine gum instead." Both are real progress. Neither one is actually quitting nicotine. It's the same molecule, doing the same job in your brain, in a different wrapper.
That's not a dig — it's just worth naming, because it explains why a lot of quit attempts stall in the same place. Research on adult vapers trying to quit found that
"Nearly a quarter reported switching to low nicotine ECs to quit."
— PMC, 2021
— useful for cutting down, not the same as being done.
A recent narrative review of vaping cessation put it plainly: whatever the target,
"Complete cessation of all tobacco and nicotine products is the major therapeutic goal."
— PMC narrative review
— not just switching which product delivers the hit. And here's the honest gap: the same review notes there still isn't strong evidence behind using NRT specifically to quit vaping, even though it's one of the most common things people reach for.
None of this is a reason to feel behind. It's a reason to be clear-eyed about what "quitting vaping" actually means for you. A study of treatment-seeking vapers found that
"Participants reported seeking treatment due to health concerns, dependence, stigma, and cost."
— PubMed, feasibility study
— different reasons, same underlying question: am I actually done with nicotine, or just done with this version of it?
This is the gap CURBi sits in: nicotine-free, with non-addictive actives, for the moments where you'd otherwise reach for nicotine in yet another form. It's not a replacement for NRT if that's working for you — it can be used alongside it — but if the plan is to actually be nicotine-free, it's built for the part of the journey where nicotine itself is the thing you're trying to put down.
Sources
Why and how do dual users quit vaping? — PMC
Vaping cessation: how to treat nicotine dependence — PMC
Nicotine replacement therapy for vaping cessation — PubMed