In a 2023 survey, it was revealed that almost half of the surveyed students were using e-cigarettes. The delicious flavors, bright colors, and nicotine make vaping hard to resist – but you don’t have to be a diminished slave to nicotine addiction forever.
Vaping isn’t a healthy fix-all alternative to smoking, as we once believed.
If you’re ready to bravely liberate yourself from vaping addiction, read on. This guide will walk you through the health risks of vaping, and the most essential tools to help you on your quitting journey!
What Are The Health Risks Of Vaping?
Vaping has only become a wildly popular and prevalent habit in the last 20 years, so there has been limited research performed on the long-term effects and consequences of vaping. Initially, doctors hastily favored vaping as a healthier alternative to smoking – but have recently reconsidered this notion.
Every day, we are wisely opening our eyes more and more to the dangers and consequences of vaping, and seeing just what it can do to the body. This is why many US schools are implementing vape detectors in bathrooms and other key areas that are hard to monitor to help curb vaping on the premises.
Here are some of the health risks we’re noticing.
People Vape More Than They Smoke
As a smoker, you must get up, travel to the nearest exit, and smoke outside – even when you’re at home. However, since vaping does not have the same pungent odor, many vapers feel no need to travel outdoors to smoke.
Instead, they can constantly chain-smoke the vape, never needing to get up or leave their seat. This means that the volume of vape liquid entering their lungs is more than the smoke that would enter in a typical smoker’s daily routine. Inhaling chemicals at such a rapid rate is bound to lead to complications such as emphysema.
It Can Increase Allergies
If you’re suffering from asthma or another type of allergy, vaping can most definitely make it worse (and more debilitating). The vape liquid you inhale can irritate your respiratory system, worsening irritation and inflammation when you experience allergies.
It Affects Lung Health
Inhaling toxins and chemicals on a regular basis increases your chances of lung conditions such as emphysema, asthma, and damage to the alveoli often called ‘popcorn lung’. When your lungs are receiving so much damage and abuse on a daily basis, it makes exercising, breathing, and regulating your nervous system much harder – completely interrupting your health and fitness routine.
It Affects Mental Health And Mood
Nicotine is a temporary fix for stress – until the cravings kick in. Then, you’re stuck in a constant cycle of temporary relief, craving, and getting your fix. Despite the temporary relief nicotine provides for stress, it can increase your overall irritability and stress when you’re stuck in the cycle of addiction. If you quit, you may experience more stress initially, but it will carve out a path towards a calmer, more regulated mood in the future.
Nicotine Affects The Skin
Nicotine is a vasoconstrictor. What’s that? This means that it constrains and restricts the nourishing blood flow to your skin, reducing the presence of collagen in the skin – no point in getting a cute headband and working on your skincare routine every night if you’re shooting yourself in the foot with nicotine. It’s ultimately not just the nicotine either, the toxic chemicals in vape fluid are also highly irritating to the skin, leading to more inflammation.
Now’s The Time: How To Increase Your Chance Of A Successful Quitting Journey
Your quitting journey is only as successful as your determination and preparation. Here’s what you should consider in your quitting toolkit.
Use Nicotine Replacement Therapy
Nicotine replacement therapy helps you to manage nicotine withdrawals so you can focus on curbing the dopamine dependence you have on vaping. Nicotine withdrawals can make you crabby, anxious, depressed, and can seriously make you want to pick up your vape again. But, if you have some gum, mints, or patches to help you manage the nasty side effects of nicotine withdrawal, you’ll be far less likely to turn back to vaping.
Invest In Natural Remedies For Stress Management
Natural remedies are your best friend when quitting vaping. If you struggle with irritability or anxiety when quitting, you can invest in valerian root extract to help you feel more calm and balanced.
Aromatherapy and aromatherapy pens can also help you to curb your craving for that throat hit by inhaling some soothing and healing scents.
Curb The Oral Fixation
Whatever you need to do when quitting, do it. When you are craving that hand-to-mouth behavior, curb it with candy, lollipops, redvines, or even a pen lid. Whatever you think will work to satisfy that urge is the right way to go for the future of your health, mental stability, and wellness.
Summary
Vaping is becoming increasingly popular in students, children, and young adults. But, little do you know that you’re setting yourself up for a lifetime of irritating and painful addiction. If you’re feeling empowered to quit, it’s well worth going to the trouble. Follow the advice listed above to take your first steps towards freedom from vaping.