With a sweet scent, nice taste and sleek packaging, vapes appear to be better for you than smoking cigarettes. But they're not.

Vapes can contain harmful chemicals and nicotine, even though they're not listed on the packaging. Nicotine is highly addictive, and this can make it difficult for you to quit vaping.

Vaping comes with an extensive amount of health issues, such as:

• long-lasting harm to a developing brain
• weakened immune system
• increased risk of depression and anxiety
• increased risk of lung infections
• increased risk of heart disease
• higher odds of being diagnosed with asthma
• risk of being poisoned
• serious injuries like burns

Vaping also has the power to lure you to or back to smoking cigarettes, which is detrimental to your health and life.

However, it will become more difficult to buy vapes as state and federal governments change the laws on who can access them and how to do so.

Learn more about Australian vaping laws.

So, now is the time to quit vaping. Here's how to do it from the experts at Quit, a smoking cessation counselling and information telephone service by Cancer Council Victoria.

• Know your triggers — understand what makes you need to vape and form new routines to help avoid your triggers.
• Set a quit date — try in 2 weeks' time. This will help to motivate you.
• Prepare for withdrawals — if you get them, you can speak with your doctor or pharmacist (you can ask them about prescription medication), call Quitline on 13 7848 for advice, try nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and include exercise in your daily routine.
• Find a replacement — you may be used to holding something if you vape, so get a replacement. It can be a drink, a pen or your toothbrush. Chewing gum may also be helpful.
• Call Quitline — you don't have to quit alone. To increase your chances of quitting, combine counselling with another method such as NRT. If you call Quitline, you'll speak to a counsellor who can support you throughout the quitting process.