Do you see vaping as a problem? Why/why not?

JustV

Nobody in my social circle vapes but I get the sense it's super common, especially at schools and unis, which I find really interesting. I'm curious what y'all think even if you yourself don't vape.

Do you see it as an issue?

Former Member

@Mike personally I find it a little issue, loads of people do it in my school and it sets the fire alarm off multiple times a day, I do find that for some people it's maybe a comfort item for in school as it may de stress them or de stress them in general and I find that okay for whatever reason they do it. Ultimately its just there choice to and its fine if they wanna do it but its when it becomes pressure to do it that's when an issue occurs and it should be stopped which there's not any awareness around that sort of thing if that makes sense

spacedog

I don't mind those who do vape, I don't judge them for it but just the amount of people who use them in school, on the bus, anywhere indoors. I feel like it should be treated the same as smoking, but I don't think shaming young people to the point they vape in places within school that is more of a danger is right either.

JustV

Makes total sense @AnonymousFox! Do you think there is that pressure to do it?

I hear that too @IainJammyboy about vaping inside, I suppose it's still something you're having to breathe in at the end of the day even if it's not something harmful to you. Are there a lot of people at your school who vape indoors? Do your teachers mind?

spacedog

@Mike alot of people do it in the school bathrooms where the teachers don't check, but it ends up in the fire alarm being set off absolutely all the time - One time we had it go off about 5 times on the same day because of people vaping. I've had it go off in the middle of one of my final exams, it's just frustrating honestly

JustV

@IainJammyboy I can imagine! When the fire alarm is going off it's probably difficult not to be frustrated, let alone 5 times. I know I would be. 😅

Amy22

Honestly I don't have an issue with vaping as it is a free world so I guess people are free to do what they feel the need to. However, vaping could be comparable to smoking as not much is known about vaping specifically what it could to a person in the long run. I have noticed that a lot more younger people have taken to vaping as a way of de-stressing and escaping our harsh reality of the world at the moment, maybe while being unaware of the effects of vaping in the long run. I can see why it may have become a problem for schools even to the point where they have to have fire alarms installed because of the risk of someone vaping in class, (I think a few years back someone in my class tried to vape, I can't remember though as I was in school a while ago).

Quite recently when travelling to and from college I have noticed a lot more students vaping in and around the bus shelters and even on the bus. They also tend to breathe the vapour directly at people too sometimes so you have to breathe it in. It happens to be more in colleges a lot especially in groups. I tend to see groups of students vaping and in a way it seems like it is becoming a social activity for some students to do. My only issue is that if it is a social activity, does it also become a way of peer pressuring someone who doesn't vape into doing it with their friends?. I can see it becoming a peer pressure thing similar to smoking.

Overall, I don't have an issue with people who vape as there is always a reason why they chose to vape in the first place whether that being that they chose to themselves or not. However, I personally feel that smoking and vaping kind of belong in the same category as they both have disadvantages including health disadvantages as well. I know that with some vape juice they do put random chemicals in them alongside high grams of sugar which means that technically you could be breathing dangerous chemicals that you may not be aware of. Also, the sugar can have an affect on your teeth too. Personally though, I don't really have an issue with it though.

Maisy

At first, I didn't have an issue with vaping.

But then I've realised that younger people, some of whom have never smoked before, have taken up vaping. I can see the appeal- they do smell really nice, are colourful and look cool, and I can see why young people might want to vape, especially if their friends are doing it or because it's the in thing to do.

Buuuut....because vaping is new, there isn't much research available about any long term effects. And more recently, while watching the news (article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-65614078 ), it was found that in some vapes (illegal ones...but would you know if they were illegal or not?) there were high levels of lead, nickel and chromium. Lead in particular is known to cause problems with brain functioning.

I can understand the logic behind cutting down on cigarettes/tobacco products and switching to vaping to help reach that goal but I do find it a bit concerning that many people are vaping, even if they have never smoked before and we don't know much about any risks to health.

sinead276

I think for me it depends on the circumstances. For those who are trying to stop smoking cigarettes, I think that vapes are a better alternative. However, when I see young people who probably didn't smoke vaping (as a social activity) I don't think it's the best idea. Although as I'm sat typing this I'm thinking that maybe because no one in my social circle vapes, I haven't seen the other side to it as to why people (especially young people) may choose to vape

However at the end of the day everyone has there reasons for vaping/not vaping so I'm not going to judge them for what they do

JustV

Okay so it seems like a lot of people here think:

✅ Vaping instead of smoking
❌ Vaping when you've never smoked

And you guys are conscious of the potential unstudied health effects too, which is fair.

I have to admit, the only vapers I know are my mum and my auntie who are both ex-smokers. So there are probably things I don't understand about it too.

This might be a silly thing to suggest, but do you guys think it's possible that people vape as a way to fidget or stim? I say this as someone who has a lot of fidget toys and needs that constant stimulation, and I can imagine vaping becoming an addictive habit for that reason too.

I know stimming is being talked about a bit more now, I imagine partly because people are more aware of autism and ADHD, and I wonder if that all ties in somehow. I might just be joining dots that aren't there but it did get me thinking about whether they're linked.

Amy22

Mike wrote: »

Okay so it seems like a lot of people here think:

✅ Vaping instead of smoking
❌ Vaping when you've never smoked

And you guys are conscious of the potential unstudied health effects too, which is fair.

I have to admit, the only vapers I know are my mum and my auntie who are both ex-smokers. So there are probably things I don't understand about it too.

This might be a silly thing to suggest, but do you guys think it's possible that people vape as a way to fidget or stim? I say this as someone who has a lot of fidget toys and needs that constant stimulation, and I can imagine vaping becoming an addictive habit for that reason too.

I know stimming is being talked about a bit more now, I imagine partly because people are more aware of autism and ADHD, and I wonder if that all ties in somehow. I might just be joining dots that aren't there but it did get me thinking about whether they're linked.

@Mike that is a very interesting point to make actually as I never thought as vaping being used as a form of stimming or fidget. Morover for people who identify as neurodivergent as it can help with daily stress or sensory needs. I know that most people vape to escape reality as well as something they can do to clear their minds. It reminds of something similar where there was a recent rise of CBD oil users due to studies that CBD helped to calm anxiety and particular conditions such as ADHD and autism. CBD oil was something I did look into once when I struggling a lot with my anxiety as an alternative form of medication. However, I went for medication as I felt that I didn't know what the long terms effects of taking CBD oil would be. Therefore I guess I played it safe maybe. I have thought of vaping once but I always been very unsure of how it could affect me or my health as I know some of the chemicals in vapes can be dangerous to inhale if consumed for a long period of time.

independent_

I cannot judge other for vaping as I am a heavy user myself. The issue for me was I was (am, shamefully) a social smoker and I only smoke around others who are smoking or if I’m really stressed, but the vape on the other hand is never more than 2ft from my hand!

But I did start as an adult and when I had previously smoked, so I can’t judge other adults for what they do. I also use refillable vapes which I don’t feel are as much of an issue as those little disposable vapes you get in corner shops, at least you have more choice and awareness over what you’re putting in them.

I hate the fact they sell them to kids and I personally wouldn’t buy one for someone under 18 ever. If they can be so strict on alcohol (and heck, even paracetamol) with IDing they can do it with vapes too and I don’t understand why it’s seen as different than smoking/drinking and ok for kids to do. My parents weren’t happy when they found I vaped but as I was an adult they couldn’t do anything, had I been a kid I would hope they would do something.

They are very addictive and i do find myself using mine as a fidget when there’s nothing to do with my hands. It’s like how I bite my nails too I need to have something in my hands if that makes sense?

spacedog

@independent_ those are some good points - and going on from what you said about not judging other people for vaping, I would say from my point of view there's not much point in judging people for it and holding a grudge against them - but we should be more focused around who we let into our personal lives rather than looking down on people for the choices people make that only have an impact on their own life. Basically what I'm saying is life's too short to be complaining about other people's choices, I wish the world worked that way though - to a certain extent though lol, we can't let people do whatever they want

AislingDM

Super interesting thread @JustV . From the perspective of a 'vaper' I couldn't agree more with the points I'm seeing, a lack of judgement is a great approach with friends/family, equally, no one should be vaping around others if they do not have permission (same as smoking) and definitely not in public enclosed areas such as buses! I know that's a lot easier said than done for some, as it can be a strong addiction.

For a while, I think, I was very in denial about the strong impact the nicotine in vaping was having on me. Thinking 'hey it's just for fun when I go out with friends' but it did very quickly turn into something I relied on. I sometimes feel very gutted about this, because not only do I feel like I'm wasting my money, lol, but also that there are health consequences I do not want to be unnecessarily worrying about!

Given all of these self-reflections, I have begun a process of stopping vaping. I tried to just stop abruptly 'cold-turkey' if you will, but this was very ineffective for me. Instead, I have started by not bringing one to work, so no vaping during 9-6 hours and my next step will be not to vape at all in the morning before work / before 10am on weekends. We shall see how this progresses and I am trying not to let any missteps get me down. It can take time to stop a habit, even of only a year or so. I am looking forward to having stronger lungs though haha xx

Former Member

JustV wrote: »

Nobody in my social circle vapes but I get the sense it's super common, especially at schools and unis, which I find really interesting. I'm curious what y'all think even if you yourself don't vape.

Do you see it as an issue?

Well... I've seen a lot of people vape a lot. And TBH, I don't have anything against them.

But I don't vape myself, even if it looks cool. I won't even try. *steps away*

Former Member

i think the only issue is how common it is among kids as young as 12 . as soon as my siblings joined high school, a large chunk of their peers began buying vapes from older kids . it is like watching a group of babies drinking beer and playing poker to me . at least it is once removed from them smoking cigarettes
full grown adults on the other hand can make their own decisions, i do not care about that . but the way it is marketed, i dont know.... a little insidious . it shouldnt be advertised as anything other than a tool to help someone quit smoking . but then, all marketing is the devil . rule of thumb, block your ears and scream really loud when you are shown any commercials, and dont sell babies nicotine for breakfast