By Cher Antido
While vaping is indeed a health hazard, the problem lies not in the product itself, but its user.
The Trump administration reported last Wednesday that theyplan to ban avored vape productsin concern of the increasing vaping among teenagers.
Teenagers shouldn’t treat it as a passtime.
Vaping is the inhaling and exhaling of vapor produced by an electronic cigarette, which can come in the form of a pen or advanced vaporizers known as MODS.
It’s powered by a battery, which heats up the e-liquid poured into the cartridge.
These juices can contain nicotine up to 36mg.
Most cigarettes contain about 12mg per stick and can range up to 24mg.
The World Health Organization reported in 2017 that there are seven million deaths per year worldwide due to tobacco smoking, making it the leading cause of preventable death.
Deaths caused by vaping, meanwhile, is seven. This doesn’t mean that vaping is good, but makes it lesser of two evils.
Herbert A. Gilbert was credited tobe the rst to invent e-cigarettes in the1960s, but wasn’t commercialized.
The rst successful e-cigarette tobe recognized was invented by Hon Lik from China in 2003.
In both cases, e-cigarettes were created to steer away from cigarettes and cease its use.
Nowadays, its main purpose has been lost and is being used by teenagers for leisure purposes.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducted the 2014 National Youth Tobacco Survey among middle school and high school students in the U.S.
It revealed that 66% claim to vapefor the avoring and 13.2% claimfor the nicotine.
The variety of avors that comewith vape juices is one of the biggest reasons users enjoy it.
Vaping doesn’t make social interaction more interesting. It’s merely something that negatively impacts the body and mind.
While the purpose of e-cigarettes is to quit smoking, most teenagers use it without even having taken a single puff of a cigarette stick.
This is due to how vaping has been popularized among teens and being referred to as “cool.”
It doesn’t help that MODS produce an abundant amount of smoke, which makes it easier to do smoke tricks.
It’s like showing off that they can drink more alcohol than others. Not healthy and the consequences it hasis de nitely not cool.
A study by the New England Journal of Medicine, conducted early in the year, revealed that e-cigarettes doubles the chances of smokers to quit smoking.
Among those in the study, 80% still use e-cigarettes even after a year.
While vaping is less risky than smoking traditional cigarettes, it doesn’t mean it comes without risks.
Like smoking, vaping is hard to quit.
Nicotine is a toxic and highly addictive substance.
It causes an increase in adrenaline and heart rate, increasing the chances of a heart attack.
It can also affect the brain and slows its development.
To top it off, it can impact concentration and mood, making it harder for learning.
Because nicotine is addictive, stopping makes it extremelydif cult.
People would get withdrawals involving physical and mental symptoms.
The lack of it for the rst few dayscan result in headaches, insomniaand constant dgeting.
Even as people get past that, some can fall into depression and anxiety. This not only affects the user, but also the people around them. The best way to prevent these consequences is to not start in the
rst place.
If the deed is already done,
however, teenagers and young adults can start on their path to quit vaping.
Start off by setting a quit day that’s not too far away. Putting it off for too long can change one’s mind and decide against it entirely.
They should prepare by knowing their triggers and the challenges they have to face.
Some people have different triggers that makes them want to vape.
It’s important to avoid those situations so they won’t cave into temptations.
They should make their intention known to those around them.
If their friends also vape, they can let them know they’re trying to quit and avoid vaping in front of them.
It’s crucial to have people who will support their decision to quit, so they won’t feel like they battling alone.
Most vape MODS come with a puff count on their screens.
People can limit their daily puff count and slowly lower it every week.
If the nicotine is on a higher level, they can lower that as well until they reach 0 mg.
For those reliant on nicotine, cutting it off entirely right away might not work. The most important thing is to take that step forward even if it’s slow.
Imagine a vape-free lifestyle and focus on that. Vaping can limit lifestyles, disrupt learning and development.
People should remember that it’s not a hobby, but a smoking cessation tool for those having difficulty quitting.
Vaping doesn’t make social interaction more interesting. It’s merely something that negatively impacts the body and mind.
Teens can do so much more and they shouldn’t waste money and time on something that sets them up for health deterioration.