Dangers of Vaping

Students from Year 11 are doing a community-based project for the VM Personal Development topic.  One class group have focussed their research on the dangers of vaping. 

Teenagers are vaping now more than ever, and the issue is becoming harder to tackle, whether it be at home or in schools around Victoria. So to stop it from growing any further, four students from the Year 11 VM Personal Development class want to share the facts and effects associated with vaping as well as the ways that you can get support.

Let’s start off by stating the obvious. Vaping is not only bad for your health but also illegal:

• to use in school premises or within 4 meters of a school entrance.
• For anyone below the age of 18 to acquire.
• For any person to own a vape that contains Nicotine

It seems that some students forget this and continue to use them on school premises. Teens tend to think that vaping is okay for you because of one fact. “Vaping is better for you than smoking.” While this fact could potentially be true, it creates a big problem. Vapes are not okay for you. They are “better” than smoking but that does not mean they are okay for you. It is like saying you should jump off a house because it is not as high as a skyscraper. Vaping is still dangerous and life-threatening. 

Another issue that E-cigarettes present is the multiple usage of them. They can be used multiple times unlike a regular cigarette that must be lit and eventually put out. Vape cartridges can be used hundreds of times. A vape in a pocket is the same as a nice big jar of your favourite snack sitting on your workbench. So tempting and right there for the taking. Now imagine that scenario but you become stressed and anxious every time you go at least an hour without eating one. This is something people who vape struggle with often. Especially when they start trying to quit. They become so addicted that normal life feels different without it. They feel sad, can’t sleep yet still tired, become jittery and irritable. It even affects your concentration and thinking. These are all withdrawal symptoms of vaping - there to stop you from stopping, whether intentional or not.

Vaping long-term can cause lung damage, lung collapse, lung disease, seizures and nicotine poisoning. Long-term vaping also impairs the function of the body's blood vessels, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease which claims 17.9 million lives each year. This is obviously some awful stuff but that isn’t the end. Due to the small amount of time vaping has been around, we don’t know every long-term effect.

If vaping doesn’t kill you, it will most definitely leave you in a condition of dependence, susceptibility and pain. 

If you are someone who is trying to quit, there are many support groups you can contact or go to, such as:

• Quit Victoria 
• Quitline 13 78 48
• your local GP 
• and even the student wellbeing group. 

So when your “cool” friend asks if you want to take a hit. What is he really asking you?

Students of Year 11 VM