Electronic cigarettes and vaping have become increasingly popular in America, and many people don’t know the true effects of it. These are devices that simulate traditional tobacco smoking. Many people believe that e-cigarettes and vapes are healthier alternatives to tobacco products and choose to purchase them. But the truth is that vaping is extremely harmful and addictive.
Vapes are very popular among young adults and teenagers due to being easily accessed. Popular flavors such Blue Raspberry, Peach, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch flavors entice teenagers to buy and start vapes. Many teens try it because they have friends who vape, thinking that they won’t get addicted after only doing it for the first few times. However, vaping releases dopamine in your brain, which makes you feel happy and relaxed. Teens are under a lot of pressure in the society we live in today so they grip onto this feeling and crave it more and more until they are addicted.
When your brain experiences this type of accelerated dopamine, it fails to reach these same levels naturally, which makes you feel like you are unable to be happy without it, making you crave it more.
Although vaping may seem like a good outlet, it has many harmful effects. There are many chemicals found in vapes that you should not inhale, including, propylene glycol, which is used in antifreeze and smoke in fog machines, carcinogens like formaldehyde and acetaldehyde, which have been shown to cause cancer, acrolein, which is used to kill weeds, diacetyl, which is a chemical linked to lung disease and causes “popcorn lung”, cadmium, which is a toxic metal, and benzene, which is found in car exhausts.
Many teens know that vaping isn’t good for them, but they continue to vape. However, it is illegal to vape when you are under the age of 21, especially when you are doing it on school property. Many schools, including our own, have seen an increase in vaping on school property, mainly in the bathrooms. Many schools have vape detectors in their bathrooms, which may help prevent this problem. It is important to be educated on the harmful effects of vaping. If quitting is something you are struggling with, speak to a trusted adult to help you get the resources needed to quit.