The Disturbing Truth About Vaping
The rise of vaping and e-cigarettes in recent years has been alarming. According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), 1.63 million students in the US currently use these tobacco products, and 410,000 of that number are middle school students. But why is it on the rise in youth when the health effects of vapes are so deadly? Some might have started smoking due to peer pressure; others, due to vapes being considered less harmful than traditional cigarettes. But tobacco products are not safe for anyone—least of all children, teens, and young adults. If you're looking for reasons to stop your e-cigarette use, here are 10 terrifying facts about vaping you should know about—and 10 ways to quit.
1. Increases Risk of Heart Attack
While vaping is often marketed as being safer than smoking traditional cigarettes, the nicotine present in vapes is still significant enough to increase your risk of cardiovascular disease. This toxic substance spikes your blood pressure, adrenaline, and, in turn, your heart rate.
2. Contains Carcinogens
Every time you inhale the vapor in e-cigarettes, you're breathing in extremely toxic fumes, such as diacetyl, formaldehyde, acrolein (also used as a pesticide to kill weeds), benzene, and acetaldehyde. All of these chemicals are known carcinogens, which not only raise your risk of cancer but can significantly compromise your lung health.
3. Promotes Nicotine Addiction
Most teens begin vaping because of peer pressure or the "need to fit in." They may be lured in by the fact that e-cigarettes are often said to be less harmful than regular cigarettes. But it's important to note that it takes longer to drain a vape than to smoke one cigarette, and it takes just a single puff to get addicted.
4. May Lead to Loss of Taste
Some e-cigarette users have reported losing their sense of taste, a condition known as "vape tongue" or "vaper's tongue." Medical professionals aren't entirely sure why this happens, but it's generally theorized that it's caused by a combination of dry mouth, dehydration, side effects from the toxic chemicals, and possibly flavor fatigue.
5. E-Cigarettes Can Explode
Vapes run on batteries. And while explosions are rare, these e-cigarettes can catch on fire if misplaced or misused. Overcharging them or leaving in extreme weather conditions, are just two ways this can happen. As a device that's kept close to your body, this can pose a real danger.
6. Could Lead to "Popcorn Lung"
As mentioned earlier, diacetyl is a common toxic chemical found in e-cigarettes. This flavorant is often used to enhance taste and is a common additive in butter popcorn. Every time you breathe this toxin in, you risk damage to the small passageways in your lungs, which can eventually lead to popcorn lung or bronchiolitis obliterans.
7. Contains Harmful Metals
Not only do vapes contain dangerous carcinogens, they also contain harmful metals, like nickel, tin, lead, chromium, and aluminum. Exposure to these heavy metals can lead to irreversible damage in the body and important organs, like your brain, lungs, kidneys, and liver.
8. Can Affect Cognitive Function
Research also suggests that there's a high correlation between vaping and cognitive impairment; those who smoke or vape are much more likely to make errors or have memory lapses. But that's not all—vaping can also affect brain development, which is especially dangerous as e-cigarette usage is on the rise in teens and young adults.
9. Your Lungs Could Collapse
Collapsed lung, or primary spontaneous pneumothorax, can occur from a serious wound—such as from a knife or gunshot—or when blisters on your lung rupture. These blisters may develop without symptoms, and vaping can increase the possibility of them bursting. Once burst, air can get trapped inside your chest cavity and push against your lung, causing it to collapse.
10. Can Compromise Your Immune System
Vaping can also suppress your immune system, making you more susceptible to infections and viruses. To make matters worse, using e-cigarettes when you're sick can cause rapid bacteria growth, which can quickly deteriorate your condition further.
Despite knowing how dangerous vaping is, quitting nicotine cold turkey can be a daunting, seemingly impossible task. But there are ways to approach nicotine addiction to slowly—and successfully—wean off it. Let's explore 10 possible steps.
1. Getting Rid of Your Vapes
To quit vaping, you'll want to get them out of sight and reach. It's not enough to hide them in a box and tape it shut—you'll reopen it when you're hit with a nicotine craving. The best thing to do is to completely get rid of all your e-cigarettes.
2. Avoiding Social Spaces Where Peer Pressure May Happen
If you have friends or family members who vape, avoid being in situations where you may feel pressured to join in. Even if you've gotten rid of your e-cigarettes, you could just as easily accept someone else's. To prevent this, decline invitations to social events where vaping could make an appearance.
3. Ask a Trusted Friend or Family Member to Help
You may also want to reach out to a friend or family member to help keep you on track of your goals and prevent you from relapsing. If you know anyone who has successfully quit smoking or vaping as well, they could be extremely helpful.
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4. Find a Nicotine Replacement
Whether it's gum or candy, finding a nicotine replacement can help immensely when trying to quit. In particular, nicotine replacement therapy is a tool that targets the physical symptoms of nicotine withdrawal and can effectively reduce cigarette cravings.
5. Identify Triggers
If you find that there are certain times, places, or people that directly influence your urge to smoke, try to note down these triggers so you can avoid them. This will not only allow you to prevent these triggers from affecting you, but identifying them will especially help in developing techniques to stave off cravings.
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6. Develop Strategies to Cope with Withdrawal
Everyone deals with addiction and recovery in different ways, so it's important to work with a therapist or identify what causes your cravings so you can effectively form strategies to reduce them. For example, some people may go for a run or text a friend every time they feel the urge.
7. Manage Stress
Managing your stress levels can play a big part in reducing your nicotine cravings as well. You may be much more likely to want to smoke in an effort to calm your mind, but by keeping your stress levels low and focusing on self-care, you can find other ways to relax. Yoga or meditation are just two of many ways.
8. Get Active
As mentioned, some people find it helpful to go for a walk or run whenever they get hit with a nicotine craving. This may be because exercise triggers the release of feel-good hormones, like dopamine, the same way nicotine does.
9. Hold Yourself Accountable
Without holding yourself accountable, successfully quitting e-cigarettes and nicotine may become a long battle. While it will be difficult initially, it's key to follow the rules you've created for yourself so that you don't relapse and fall back into the same pattern. You also don't have to do this alone; you can find a support group, reach out to a trusted person, or even download apps that help with quitting smoking.
10. Do Your Research & Be Informed
It's also vital to do your own research and be informed about what vaping can do to your health. Listen to other stories of people who have successfully quit to motivate you, educate yourself on the kinds of irreversible damage nicotine and e-cigarettes can do, and encourage friends and family who vape to do the same.
