Drugs Explained
Vaping
So much more than nicotine.
A new drug delivery system.
Here’s How a Single Session of Vaping Can Hurt Your Lungs.
- One vaping session can result in changes in blood flow.
- Researchers worry vaping can lead to hardening of arteries over time.
- Non-nicotine vaping can harm your lungs even after just one use of an e-cigarette.
- Vaping remains most popular with young people under 30.
E-cigarettes contain harmful chemicals
Vapour from e-cigarettes is thought of as a less harmful alternative to cigarette smoke.
This misconception comes from the fact that vaping doesn’t have the tar and smoke that cigarettes have, but that doesn’t mean it is safe,”
The liquid solution in e-cigarettes typically contains a mix of solvents, flavourings, and additives. When these chemicals are heated and inhaled, it may cause damage to the respiratory tract and blood vessels, exposure to e-juice flavouring compounds may trigger an inflammatory response in white blood cells.
The risks of e-cigarettes
Juuling – The Addictive New Vaping Trend Teens Are Hiding
Juul, is the e-cigarette brand that contains double the nicotine and is vaped from a device that looks like a USB drive.
Increased cancer risks and respiratory problems, as well as more asthma attacks and symptoms experienced by those who vape.
These products contain carcinogens. The most potent carcinogens known,” There’s also another risk that parents should be aware of when it comes to Juul pods they contain nearly double the concentration of nicotine compared to other e-cigarette cartridges. This is especially concerning because the risk for addiction is already higher among teens.
The earlier you become addicted, the harder it is to quit.”
But that’s not all: addiction to nicotine at a young age actually causes brain remodelling, changing the threshold for addiction to other substances.
In other words, kids who use nicotine earlier are more likely to fall in love with other drugs later on.
Tips for talking to kids before they start vaping
The risks of Juuling and vaping for kids are real, making it all the more important for parents to begin addressing these issues before their children decide to try these products. “Parents really need to start talking to their kids early in high school about this issue.”
- Educate yourself first. Get the facts on these products so you know what you’re talking about when you approach the discussion with your kids.
- Be a role model. Parents are responsible for shaping many of their children’s ideas and behaviours, so set the tone with your own actions.
- Establish a safe environment where your kids can talk about their feelings and opinions without feeling judged.
- Really listen and let them tell you what they know.
- It can sometimes be helpful to give them something to read that you can then discuss together.
- Help them figure out ways to handle situations where they may be pressured to engage in these behaviours.
- Create a plan, even specific things for them to say like, “I have asthma and my doctor says I could become very ill if I try this,” or, “I just don’t think it looks cool.”
- Help them understand that using willpower to stand up to peers is really hard, but willpower is like a muscle — the more you use it, the stronger it gets.
How teens purchase and hide Juuls
Kids are ordering them online — simply checking a box to verify they are of legal age. For this reason, parents should pay attention to their teen’s online purchases and packages that may arrive in the mail. Juul pods, also look very similar to an average USB flash drive. Examine any questionable device closely.
If you discover that your teen is already vaping, it is important to recognize that this as more than just a “bad habit.” It’s a medical problem that requires a major response from the family, the child’s paediatrician, and possibly a therapist to help get that teen out from under the nicotine addiction.
Get Help
What parents need to know about Juuling, the vaping device in disguise?
Vaping, involves no combustion or burning. Instead, vaping products release an aerosol that is inhaled. While many people make the mistake of assuming this aerosol is as harmless as water vapour, it actually consists of fine particles containing toxic chemicals, many of which have been linked to cancer, as well as respiratory and heart diseases. When it comes to tobacco use, cigarettes are considered a combusted or burned product. The cigarette has to be lit, the tobacco burned, and the smoke inhaled.
Vaping devices, which include e-cigarettes and vape pens, typically have to be plugged in or powered by battery so a heating component can warm an e-liquid cartridge that then releases the aerosol to be inhaled in the lungs.
“A lot of these cartridges are actually marketed as health products,” “They have ‘healthy’ flavours, things like mango and berry that are associated with high antioxidants. But they’re just flavours.
*There are no actual health benefits.” People believe e-cigarettes are simply a safer way to consume nicotine, and that nicotine isn’t harmful by itself. But that’s not true 60 percent of kids believed that pods used in Juuls (a specific brand of e-cigarette) were nicotine-free — when the reality is that 99 percent of these products contain nicotine.
This is a product teens are able to use more discreetly, without drawing as much attention from their parents and teachers. Millions of adolescents currently are addicted to nicotine by using e-cigarettes.
