The CDC has found that vaping, or smoking electronic cigarettes, is dangerous for kids, teens, and young adults. Like regular cigarettes, e-cigarettes contain nicotine, which harms brain development, which continues into the early to mid 20’s. E-cigarettes can contain other harmful substances besides nicotine. And studies show that young people who use e-cigarettes may be more likely to smoke cigarettes in the future.
E-cigarettes are electronic devices that heat a liquid and produce an aerosol, or mix of small particles in the air. They come in many shapes and sizes; many are made to pass for everyday items. Another term besides “vaping” is JUULing.
These devices produce an aerosol by heating a liquid that usually contains nicotine, flavorings, and other chemicals. Users inhale it into their lungs; like regular cigarettes, bystanders can breathe in second-hand particles. These devices can be used to deliver marijuana and other drugs.
The reason these devices are dangerous is because nicotine can harm the developing adolescent brain. The brain keeps developing until around 25; nicotine affects the parts of the brain that control attention, learning, mood, and impulse control. Nicotine can also alter the way the brain learns things, and increases the risk for future addiction to other drugs.
The CDC says scientists are still learning about the long-term health effects of e-cigarettes. Some of the ingredients can cause long-term damage to the lungs. Defective batteries can cause fires and explosions, which can cause serious injuries. Children or adults can be poisoned by swallowing, breathing, or absorbing e-cigarette liquid through their skin or eyes.
The aerosol that users breathe can contain harmful substances, including nicotine, ultrafine particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs, diacetyl (linked to a serious lung disease), volatile and cancer-causing compounds, and heavy metals.
The website smokefree.gov is a free resource to help people who wish to stop smoking. They provide a chat to people who can help you get started. They say the most effective way to stop smoking is a combination of medication and counseling; however, no single solution is right for everyone. Other effective methods of quitting smoking include Varenicline (also known as Chantix), Nicotine patches such as Nicoderm CQ or Nicorette, or a nasal spray like Nicotrol. Self-help guides, online programs, and other materials can be effective in helping one quitting smoking if one is motivated and confident about quitting.
There is no proof that laser therapy, hypnosis, or acupuncture helps smokers quit successfully according to smokefree.gov.
Medications that help people quit smoking can produce side effects such as bad taste, heartburn, upset stomach, nausea, heartburn, and coughing. Use as directed to avoid many of these side effects. Chantix can produce mood swings, depression, and suicidal thoughts in rare instances; stop taking and talk to your doctor if you have serious mood swings. If you or someone you know is considering suicide, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is (800) 273-8255.
How people quit is never the same. For instance, the talk show host Larry King said that he was a chain smoker; however, after he had a heart attack at a very young age, he said he never wanted another cigarette. Joe Stark, long-time editor of the Quad River News, joined a support group to quit smoking, wrote extensively about his attitudes towards it, and successfully quit back in the early 2000’s. Subsequently, he started up again until he met his second wife, Viveka. She told him to choose between her and the tobacco; he chose Viveka.
A common perception among older people is that it is too late to quit if you are old. However, our grandmother, Velna Zimnoch, successfully quit smoking in 1986 after her late husband passed away in 1982. She told us she started because she mistakenly thought she would be more sophisticated if she did. However, she successfully quit and lived another 30 years before she passed away in 2017.
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