Some Scary Truths About Vaping Plus Warnings from Other Teens

Let’s talk about something super important today: Vaping. You might have seen these devices around school, online, or on social media. You may have even been pressured to try them. Before you decide to try it, there are a few things you and your friends might not know and need to know. Vaping or inhaling vapor produced by an electronic device (electronic cigarette, e-cigarette, or similar device) might seem cool or harmless. Still, vaping comes with a lot of dangers to your health and future.

Here Are Some Scary Truths About Vaping:

1.  It’s not as safe as you or your friends might think or say. Many of your friends and classmates don’t realize it’s harmful, which is a big part of why many teens start. You might have been led to believe that vaping is safer than cigarettes and causes no harm. However, science shows it can harm your health. The nicotine in e-cigarettes, in teenagers especially, can change your young brain and get you hooked, affecting the ability to focus and learn. A new study found that vaping in teens may often spike the risk of exposure to metals —lead and uranium — potentially harming brain and organ development.

2.  Causes harm to your future. Research shows that teens who use substances are more likely to skip school, have lower grades, lower academic self-efficacy, and lower academic engagement than their non-substance-using peers. Remember that colleges and employers look for individuals who make responsible choices, so keeping your body healthy and making wise decisions now helps set you up for success later.

3.  Chemical exposure and addiction. Some vapes contain as much nicotine as a whole pack of cigarettes, so this means that teens who vape can get addicted to the drug more quickly than cigarettes. In addition to nicotine, some dangerous chemicals, such as formaldehyde, form when nicotine liquid is heated to high temperatures.

4.  Known but many more unknown long-term health risks. While vaping might appear appealing or claim to be the “safe” alternative to cigarettes, it poses several known health and addiction risks and even more that are unknown. Over the last couple of years, scientists have linked vaping to severe lung disease. Similar to cigarettes, e-cigarettes have also been proven to raise blood pressure and increase the risk of heart attack and stroke. There has also been an increase in several vaping-related illnesses. Finally, what’s even scarier is that we don’t have data for all long-term health risks yet since vaping has only been around in the U.S. for a limited number of years.

Warnings From Other Teens

The stats above are frightening, but sometimes, the best advice about the dangers of vaping comes from other teens who have experienced it. Here are some warnings shared by other teens in the news and across social media, specifically on Reddit and TikTok, about vaping:

1. “Never start vaping” was a heartbreaking plea of this 12-year-old girl in the U.K. who was hospitalized with lung damage and left fighting for her life in a four-day coma from vaping.
2. “I was peer pressured into doing it and slowly got addicted.”
3. “As someone who used to vape, even though the flavors are supposed to be ‘good’ they absolutely are not. Literally nothing good about it.”
4. “Not only cringe but also harmful.”
5. “I vape and DO NOT START. NO MATTER WHAT! I started cuz of reasons and I’m literally addicted.”
6. “Another teen who vapes here… Most people started doing it because they thought it was cool or they were peer-pressured, and they keep doing it because they’re addicted. The withdrawals can feel horrible. Muscle aches, shaking, blind rage, etc.”
7. “I’ve tried it, it sucks and there’s nothing good about it. People only do it because everyone else does it.”

There are many other photos, videos, and stories online and across social media that you can find of young people exposing the real damage that vaping has done to their bodies and lives and how hard it is to kick the addiction.

What to Do If You Are Pressured to Vape

With friends, it can be challenging to resist pressure. Arming yourself with knowledge and research about the dangers of vaping and practicing assertiveness when declining are two ways to help. Here are some ways teens can say “no.”

How You Can Help Others Not Vape

One of the most well-established ways to prevent youth vaping is peer influence. Your friends trust you, and you have the influence to help your friends make choices. Share why you are choosing to avoid vaping, and you can also tell your friends about the dangers shared in this article that they might not realize.  

What To Do if You’re Already Vaping

You might be stressed or scared to talk to a parent or a trusted adult, such as a teacher or school counselor, but ultimately, they want to help. They will help you find resources to help you quit before vaping impacts your health or future. They can also guide you to find support groups online or to join other activities, such as sports, hobbies, or other ways to spend time with friends that can keep your mind and body busy and away from vaping.

Your health and future are too important to risk for something as dangerous as vaping. Staying informed and making smart choices is the best way for you and your friends to lead a healthy, happy life.

Drug Free Clubs of America is on a mission to reduce the impacts of drug use on youth. Across the nation, drug and alcohol use is on the rise among teens. We provide students with practical tools and techniques to navigate peer pressure and choose a healthy lifestyle. Partnering with schools and communities, we offer preventative programming to meet students where they are. Through randomized drug testing, educational resources, a positive outlet, and a supportive community, we are changing school cultures and reducing alcohol, marijuana, vaping, and other detrimental activities among our members and the entire school body. Drug Free Clubs of America has over as over 7,000 active student and faculty/staff members and Clubs in over 50 schools in Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, and California.