Vaping Me Crazy!
Vaping Prevention for Kids
VAPING ME CRAZY!
“Youth E-Cigarette and Vaping Prevention”
The complete misunderstood fixation of the Vape and the JUUL by adolescents
The susceptibility of the adolescent brain to this dangerous stimulant
The systemic dangers to the brain and body that is completely underestimated
The Tri-Fecta Gateway of Nicotine, Alcohol and Marijuana
In 2022 among the youth, 14.1% (2.14 million) High School student and 3.3% (380,000) Middle School students reported current use of vapes. In a recent survey of kids 37% of kids stated they had no idea they were inhalingnicotine when vaping on a trendy little device – the JUUL.
25% of teens surveyed don’t even call what they’re doing, “Vaping”, they call it “JUULing”. They literally don’t consider it the same thing, and most don’t even consider it dangerous. Many teens and young adults don’t even know they’re inhaling an addictive substance – nicotine. The FDA didn’t even require these products to contain a warning label for nicotine until September 2018.
Another GRAVE Danger is the ease in which kids can get Liquid THC, which many people mistakenly refer to as liquid marijuana. There is also a plethora of websites and kits to turn any and every e-liquid into a THC-liquid.
Now much of America mistakenly believes that marijuana is harmless, and this in turn has misled youth to believe the same thing. However, we are NOT talking about marijuana here. We are talking about a genetically modified, commercialized, synthetic drug that is a super-high potency THC; and youth are ingesting it without ANY understanding of what it will do to their brain and body.
As with other activities, teenagers are prone to try new things with their friends. This includes sharing vaping products that their friends may have bought. Many states don’t have age restrictions for vape purchases, causing kids to believe that these products are not harmful to them. Recently in 2022, vapes have become more prominent to be laced with Fentanyl. Some of the dangers of vapes are as follows:
- It can alter nerve cell functioning in teen development
- Each JUUL pod is equal to 200 cigarette puffs. That’s like smoking a PACK-A-DAY.
- Vaping lowers the body’s ability to fight infections.
- Lithium ion-powered vapes can blow up.
- Levels of nicotine are completely lacking ANY control or quality.
- Metal particles and metal traces can be deadly when inhaled or ingested.
- Vape is a mixture of nicotine, propylene glycol, glycerin, various flavorings and other chemicals.
- Pneumonia is a much higher risk among vape users.
- Early studies show a much higher association to depression among vape users.
Common side effects of vaping include:
- Cough
- Dizziness
- Dry/sore mouth and throat
- Headache
- Nausea
- Heart palpitations
- Shortness of breath
- Sleepiness
- Eye irritation
- Weakened taste
- Burning or scratchy feeling in mouth, lips and throat
Serious and possible long term vaping side effects may include:
- Nicotine addiction
- Severe lung injury
- Seizures
- Cryptogenic organizing pneumonia (COP), formerly known as idiopathic bronchiolitis obliterans with organizing pneumonia (BOOP)
- Popcorn lung
- Strokes
- Heart attacks
- Oral and lung cancer.
The Quitting List
EMPOWER THE KIDS – That’s what this is about ultimately – EMPOWERMENT.
Quitting an addictive substance and an addictive behavior takes a plan, takes commitment to that plan, and ultimately it takes DISCIPLINE.
We absolutely can NOT treat vaping as ONLY a legal issue – even with THC and other illicit drugs in them.
We MUST treat this as a medical issue because IT IS A MEDICAL ISSUE – no different than Smoking Cessation which is considered PRIMARY PREVENTION
VAPING IS MORE DANGEROUS THAN CIGARETTES.
In Fact, even 2ND hand vape exhalation is much more dangerous to bystanders than 2nd hand cigarette smoke. There are MORE carcinogens and MORE toxins being exhaled from a vaper into the immediate environment.
The packaging almost NEVER lists the chemicals and metals contained in the devices. The federal government is NOT regulating this industry so what’s inside is almost NEVER listed on the packaging! The contaminants and chemicals that you are inhaling into your body is deadly.
VAPING IS HARDER TO QUIT THAN CIGARETTES.
The reason for this is the concentration and TYPE of nicotine in vaping devices is MUCH HIGHER than cigarettes. Most vaping devices that say they contain “nicotine” are actually false – they contain SYNTHETIC NICOTINE – which is often called NICOTINE SALTS!
The impact on the brain is more powerful and the dependency and addiction is greater. PLUS, most vaping is among adolescents so their brain is not developed fully. An undeveloped brain is more susceptible to addiction than a developed adult brain.
WAYS TO GO ABOUT QUITTING:
- SHARE YOUR DECISION TO QUIT VAPING – When you socialize your desire and efforts to change a habit, those changes are not only likely to become permanent, they become inspiration for your entire peer group. We are social beings and we respond to social cues. TELL LOVED ONES AND ENLIST SUPPORT.
- BELIEVE IN YOURSELF – Sounds so cliché, but this is paramount. Kids MUST believe they have the power to quit, the strength to conquer the
- BREAK DOWN THE NICOTINE ROUTINE – Write down in a log when vaping occurs and get the “why”, then develop the “how”!
- BREAK THE HABIT BY LOOKING AT HABITUAL DOWNFALLS – Habits are easier to break with a plan and developing tools and skills to execute the plan! Consider a “test run” one day or two at a time.
- REDUCE THE NICOTINE LEVELS – Drop the levels of nicotine and the number of times each day, then the number of days each week.
- REPLACE IT WITH SOMETHING ELSE – Buy gum, hard candies, toothpicks and mints to fight cravings and urges. Look at the “habit” and “behavior” as seriously as the chemical addiction. It’s very real. Replace the oral fixation of the vape with healthier things to chew on, not that gum or hard candies are necessarily ‘healthy’, but they are much better for you while going through this process.
- CONTINUE TO FIGHT THE CRAVINGS – Drink HIGH PH+ waters, Gatorade, Powerade and other high sugar drinks when cravings arise. HIGH ELECTROLYTES are very helpful. Liquid IV are packets that can be added to water. You want to increase your water intake drastically anyway, but fueling your brain and body with electrolytes, especially when cravings arise, is vital to your success. Eat high cocoa chocolate, eat high carb and sugar snacks when cravings arise.
- DEVELOP COPING SKILLS – Journal! Journaling your journey and journaling the feelings and emotions you are going through won’t only help overcome a dependency and addiction to vaping, it’ll drastically help you live your life. Use positive and healthy distractions to deal with irritability that might develop or higher than usual levels of stress that will accompany the cravings such as music, meditation, prayer, breathing exercises, yoga, working out, running/walking, group support, developing new habits and behaviors.
- MAKE THE MENTAL SHIFT – Focus on the positive and picture the future you! You have to literally Imagine Yourself – VAPE FREE!
- DISTANCE YOURSELF FROM PEERS WHO CONTINUE VAPING – You MUST, MUST, MUST distance yourself from peers who are still vaping and who decide not to quit. Friends who don’t respect your decision to quit are not your friends. Lean on positive people and commit and re-commit every day as to WHY you are quitting and celebrate your WINS! Celebrate your first day without vaping. Then celebrate your first week without vaping. Then celebrate your first month without vaping.
One of the MOST VITAL things to remember is that relapsing is not failing. If you get off vaping for a period of time, even a few days, and then give in to a craving, you haven’t failed (unless of course you just continue to vape and give up on quitting). If you learn from the relapse and commit to quitting again, it’s a lesson, not a failure. You’re not starting from scratch, you’re starting from experience.
So, keep going! You’ve got this!