Entrepreneur Turns Vaping Struggle Into Help for Women

Caroline Vasquez Huber grew up hearing about smoking's dangers from her doctor mother, yet found herself secretly vaping the equivalent of two packs of cigarettes a day without realizing it.

What started as occasional social smoking in college became a constant vaping habit that followed her everywhere. Unlike cigarettes, vapes don't smell, they're discreet, and Huber could use hers at work, at home, even at 2 AM in her bathroom without anyone noticing.

When she finally calculated her nicotine intake, the number shocked her. She was consuming roughly 40 cigarettes worth daily, far more than most pack-a-day smokers.

Like many women, Huber's first instinct was to quit cold turkey and power through alone. She threw away her vape dozens of times, believing that asking for help meant admitting weakness.

But cold turkey only works about 5% of the time. The 95% who struggle aren't failing, the method is failing them, leaving women trapped in cycles of shame that make quitting even harder.

Research reveals why this matters so much for women specifically. Studies show women have a harder time quitting nicotine than men, despite trying to quit at equal rates.

The difference lies in motivation. Men typically chase nicotine's chemical reward, while women more often vape to manage stress, emotions, and social situations.

That distinction changes everything about how to quit successfully. If you're vaping for stress relief rather than nicotine's buzz, simply replacing the drug only solves half the problem.

Huber discovered that nicotine replacement therapy, when properly dosed, can increase quit rates by 50 to 60% compared to going it alone. When paired with behavioral coaching, those rates climb even higher.

The challenge is that standard nicotine replacement was designed for cigarette smokers, not for women vaping constantly throughout the day. Many women reach for their vape before coffee, before anything else, consuming nicotine at frequencies traditional therapy wasn't built to address.

Why This Inspires

Huber transformed her struggle into Jones, a modern nicotine replacement company built specifically for today's vapers. She co-founded it with Hilary Dublin to address the gap between outdated quit-smoking tools and how women actually use nicotine now.

Her approach combines proper nicotine dosing with structured step-down plans that give brains time to recalibrate without panic. The goal isn't perfection but consistency, recognizing that setbacks are part of recovery, not proof of failure.

The science isn't about willpower or moral strength. It's about understanding that women who successfully quit aren't outliers with superhuman discipline, they're people who found methods that actually work for their bodies and lives.

Huber's message challenges the deeply gendered instinct many women carry: that doing hard things requires suffering alone and asking for help means weakness.

Her journey proves that the women who quit aren't the flawless ones, they're the ones who stayed consistent and used tools designed for how they actually live.