Is vaping the new nicotine addiction?
By Chelsey Jaipersaud | Published by May 15, 2019
Twenty-three-year-old Dylan was a senior in high school, smoking cigarettes almost every day and unaware of the damage it could cause until he saw a commercial of a young boy playing catch with his Dad. Realizing the importance of a healthy future he quit cigarettes and now vapes.
Vaping has grown in popularity within the past 3 years among many teenagers and young adults as an alternative to smoking. In many cases, vaping has been said to be used for stress relief and is not considered detrimental, but lack of knowledge about the usage of the product might lead to injurious effects.
Cigarettes were proved cancerous due to their disturbing list of toxic chemicals such as benzene, which is found in gasoline, arsenic, which is used in rat poison and nicotine, which is addictive.
Juul, the leading vape on the market is a device that consists of a mouthpiece, a battery, and a cartridge for containing e-juice or flavoring. A typical Juul pod contains flavoring, nicotine, vegetable glycerin, and propylene glycol.
Nicotine may be a part of our daily diets more than we think. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, traces of nicotine have been found in many vegetables such as tomatoes, potatoes, and eggplant.
The real concern that has many people on the defense about vaping is whether the small percentage of nicotine can be just as harmful as cigarettes.
According to Truth Initiative, a nonprofit public health organization dedicated to spreading the truth about tobacco, in one standard Juul cartridge “the amount of nicotine is roughly equal to the amount of nicotine in a pack of cigarettes or about 200 puffs.”
It is important to note that as a consumer of a Juul pod, you have the option to add or subtract nicotine in your product. The decision to vape is personal and depends on what influences their decision.
“I mainly do it as stress relief and it is not something I depend on,” said South Brunswick high school student Lexi Olsen.
Dimitrios Patakos of HubCity Smokes in New Brunswick, New Jersey says when choosing between smoke in your lungs or vape in your lungs why not choose “the lesser evil”. Smoking cigarettes did not benefit his “addictive personality”, but having the option to vape has bettered his life.
That past relationship with cigarettes has left people more reliant on their Juul and does leave them susceptible to becoming addicted, but today anything can be addictive and equally dangerous. Along with addiction comes health problems, including harm towards your brain development and lungs.
However, in many instances finding a “healthy balance and tempering down of nicotine can alter the effect it may have on our body” said Patakos. It is vital to look into what you put in your body and knowing when to take a break.
Vaping has the potential to be a viable alternative to smoking, but both shop owners and buyers must be educated as to what they’re doing. Emphasis should be put on nicotine and having a structured system.
If there is no way to regulate it or allow the product to work for you in a safe manner then maybe it is best to “ban it all,” said Patakos.