Addicted Before They Understand: The Youth Vaping Crisis

As individuals, we see vaping all around, and those of us who deal with it or have dealt with it through teaching know that the younger generations are seeing it too. What the youth do not understand about vaping or smoking is that it is hindering their cognitive development and possibly causing permanent changes in their brain. Unfortunately, we see a lot of school-aged individuals starting to vape because they want to do it at school, so that they ‘fit in’ or can be known for something that is deemed rebellious. Outside of destroying

brain functionality, vaping is causing underdeveloped minds to become addicted to nicotine, which is something else that causes errors in a person’s “Reward Pathway,” which is used for our entire life. Another situation that we are seeing with vaping is the transition from high school to middle school. Relating to the topic of trying to fit in at school, we have witnessed that students in middle school are starting to try vaping. Though students in high school are still able to develop a permanent addiction, middle school students are even more susceptible to having addiction problems and potentially worse brain damage.

Once someone is addicted to a product, they are going to begin exposing themselves to that “needed” substance more and more until they are unable to function without it; they become dependent. This is when you begin to see students using a vape in school without even thinking about the consequences if they were to be caught. Something to note about this, since young people are still developing their brains, it can be a lot harder for them to quit because their brains have begun to develop with addiction as a primary structure, unlike fully developed adults.

Something else that comes along with addiction is embarrassment, due to the stigma of addiction. Many people who are addicted to vaping find themselves embarrassed because they did not believe they could get addicted to something like using a vape. As a result of their embarrassment, they struggle to quit and are afraid to admit they need help. One resource I found during my time teaching prevention education was LiveVapeFree.org. LiveVapeFree helps mitigate that feeling of embarrassment by making their program completely anonymous and entirely text-based. This means that teens and young adults can achieve their goal of quitting vapes without being judged for starting in the first place. LiveVapeFree also helps remove the stigma around vaping by providing adult advocate learning materials for adults so that they can better support teens who are actively trying to quit. Young people from age 17-26 can receive support directly from their phone 24/7 by signing up at www.livevapefree.com. Young adults ages 18-26 are eligible to receive Nicotine Replacement Therapy. Coaches use techniques rooted in habit reversal therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy to help youth identify triggers, develop a quit plan, and provide 24/7 on-demand support. By promoting this resource, we can spread the word that there is a discreet, free solution for teens/young adults who want help quitting, they don’t have to struggle in secret.

Cole Harbour
Prevention Educator
Rushsylvania, Ohio​