Our Understanding of Adolescent Vaping & its Health Hazards

A medical journal recently published an article “Detection of vaping, cannabis use, and hazardous prescription opioid use among adolescents”, (The Lancet, Child & Adolescent Health, August 25, 2022). The article provides evidence that:

There has been a global surge in adolescents’ use of vaping, cannabis (vaped and edible), and prescription opioids, collectively termed ECPO. The nature of ECPO use can make it difficult to detect due to few obvious immediate physical and behavioural signs, as well as subtle long-term effects that allow adolescents to transition from initial exploration into hazardous ECPO use without easy detection by care providers. For more information click on this website.

The article lists the acute effects of vaping at the cellular and neural levels, the long-term changes in thinking, cognition and development including hormonal functions of growth and development.

Vaping is having insidious effects on our young people, almost to the extent that we are now discovering asbestos is a long-term damaging force to workers’ lungs. Vaping is damaging our young people's health now and, even more critically, threatens their potential.

The Dangers of Vaping for Teens

Source: Glen Gerreyn www.thehopefullinstitute.com

This new form of addiction is gathering momentum, and education is the best defence against this growing menace.

This article explores the following areas:

The nature of vaping
How it compares to cigarettes
Stages of addiction so you can support the teenagers in your care
Helpful interventions for young people

The Nature of Vaping

What is Vaping?

Also known as e-cigarettes or electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), vaping devices are battery-powered smoking implements. Inside the cartridge is a liquid made from nicotine, flavourings and other chemicals. When you use the device, a vapour is created, which can be inhaled.

Vaping devices are usually sleek, metallic or brightly coloured prisms which you could mistake for a cigarette lighter or a USB that plugs into your computer. Unlike cigarettes, which come in plain packaging with warnings, vaping devices are attractive and don’t seem to have a great deal of marketing legislation. For example, online vape stores promote their products as "delicious" and promote vaping as a way to stop smoking cigarettes.

Is Vaping Better than Smoking?

According to the Australian Government’s Department of Health, “e-cigarettes do not produce tar like conventional cigarettes, which is the main cause of lung cancer. However, many scientists are concerned that using e-cigarettes could increase the risk of lung disease, heart disease and cancer.”

Although scientists are still learning about the dangers of vaping, the current belief is that they are not safe. This is because they contain harmful chemicals. Using e-cigarettes has also been shown to have a strong association with becoming a future smoker.

Most e-cigarettes contain nicotine, the drug in cigarettes that is so addictive and so harmful for the developing teenage brain. According to tobaccofreeca.com, nicotine changes adolescents’ brain cell activity in the parts of the brain responsible for attention, learning and memory. It can also worsen anxiety, irritability and impulsivity.

While the long-term health effects of e-cigarettes haven’t been confirmed, there are very, very few scientists and health professionals who would not advise extreme caution, especially for teens.

You may have already spotted some teens in your local shopping centre or sports ground sneaking off for a vape. If so, it helps to be aware of the dangers of vaping and also the stages of addiction.

The Stages of Addiction

Psychological addiction in its most basic form can be split into four stages. Nobody begins using a substance with the intent of getting hooked. But more often than not that is exactly what happens.

The four stages of addiction can be classified as: Experimentation, Misuse, Fixation and Dependence.

Experimentation

This is also called the initiation phase and commonly occurs within adolescence. First-time engagement is often not planned or organised. A teen might be at a party where an e-cigarette is being smoked and someone offers them a toke. They may not have planned to smoke at the party but, given the opportunity, they participate.

Teens rarely experiment with drugs alone. The urge to try vaping arises out of a strong and understandable sense of curiosity.

During this phase, teens learn how the substance alters their mood and changes their emotions.

For young people involved in this early form of addiction, the most powerful form of helpful intervention is information. The more informed they are about the consequences of their actions, the more empowered they are to make worthy choices. There is ample research on the harms of vaping. Stay well informed. This is the information age.

Misuse

Addiction is progressive. The more teens choose to experiment, the more likely they will move to the next level, which is misuse.

Other features of the misuse phase are that teens start to plan their vaping, even though they are aware of the dangers. The urge to engage arises out of fond memories. They also start to develop a pattern of use, where the behaviour starts to become a habit.

Many young people in this phase tend to establish "safe rules". These are self-imposed rules devised to stop the participant from slipping over the edge into full-blown addiction. Typical statements made are: "I only vape after school. I would never vape at lunchtime." When teens reach this phase, their use can quickly become a problem.

To intervene and disrupt a young person’s behaviour, communication is vital. The individual in this stage needs to develop relationships with people they can talk to about issues like pain and failure. They also need to establish networks with people who don’t engage in this behaviour.

Fixation

These next two stages are much more dangerous. In stages one and two, teens have some form of control and could potentially quit. But in these next two stages, they are no longer in control.

In this stage, the law of diminishing returns kicks in. In its most basic form in relation to substance abuse, it means the more you have of a substance, the more you need to sustain the same high. Now, the user needs more nicotine to change their emotions. At first, one vape was enough. But suddenly there is the longing for more. This is when the "safe rules" start to be broken.

The urge to use now arises as a response to stress. During the day and night the addict’s mind wanders to the addictive behaviour and when the next engagement will occur. The love for the habit becomes obsessive.

The seemingly insurmountable stress a person feels when they are completely fixated on the substance sends this person into meltdown. The only thing the user trusts now is the substance. Their mind starts to connect the dots. The only way to alleviate the pain brought on by the stresses they are experiencing is to vape more frequently. The user is self-prescribing drugs to regulate his or her feelings. Nothing is more reliable than the substance or the way it makes them feel. The relationship knot is now completely tied.

Dependence

The fourth and final stage of addiction is dependence, also called the stage of full-blown addiction. In this stage the person aches to experience the addiction continuously.

The user’s body and brain begin to change. In this phase the addict uses the substance to just feel normal. Without it, life is full of pain and anxiety. Often the addict will talk about running away from their problems. They will say: "If only I could move somewhere else and get away from all of this." But the problem with this statement is that "wherever you go there you are". The problem is now internal.

By stages three and four, information is not helpful. The addict knows they are addicted but cannot stop. Trying to reason with an addict and provide information on the dangers of substance abuse is a waste of time and energy.

I am positive nobody dreams of being so anxious to find a spot to vape that they completely miss all the information in an important school lesson, or never getting ahead financially because every spare dollar goes to their vaping addiction.

Really, you become an addict when you willingly decide you will experiment. It was an act of your will to say yes.

Helpful Interventions for Young People

Lastly, below are five interventions aimed at getting you back on the right track where you are happy, healthy and living your best life.

1. Tell a trusted adult

A problem shared is a problem halved. We all need help from time to time. Reach out to someone you trust. They will be proud of you for wanting to get your life back on track. Having someone in your corner to provide encouragement and reassurance can be a powerful support.

2. Write down your dreams

Developing a compelling future empowers us in the present and gives us the necessary strength to overcome our foibles. Sacrificing a short-term pleasure could potentially solve an array of complex problems in the future.

3. Manage stress

Using nicotine at any age may be an attempt to handle stress. Finding healthy alternatives like mindfulness, regulating your emotions, exercise or talking about your concerns is vital to helping you kick the habit.

4. Get a part-time job

Anyone with too much time on their hands can easily find themselves in trouble. Staying future focused and productive is another great way to help you stay on the right track plus open you up to new opportunities.

5. Get physical

Try to master a new physical discipline. It could be becoming proficient with push-ups or chin-ups, walking 15,000 steps a day, or perfecting the double skip. Plus feeling good physically sends positive emotions surging through your system making you less likely to participate in physically weakening activities.

“Life is a matter of choices and every choice you make, makes you.” John Maxwell

To contact Ms Keller (Monday, Thursday and Friday) phone: 4052 9136 or email: mkeller@cns.catholic.edu.au

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