Teenagers trying to quit?
Check out resources just for you.
It’s time to change the way you think about vaping and dipping.
If you think vaping and dipping are healthy alternatives to smoking—think again. There is no such thing as a “safe” tobacco product. It doesn’t matter if you smoke it, dip it or vape it, tobacco contains nicotine that is both highly addictive and dangerous to your health.
VAPING IS NOT HARMLESS
Vaping is popular because a lot of people think it’s just harmless water vapor. According to the 2019 E-Cigarette Use Among Louisiana Youth report, nearly seven percent of middle school students and almost fifteen percent of high school students believe that vaping is less harmful than other tobacco products. Vapes, e-cigs, e-hookahs, JUULs, mods? Call it what you want, but all vapes contain nicotine and harmful ingredients.
Some of the ingredients that can cause serious health effects are:
- Ultrafine particles
- Diacetyl, a flavoring chemical
- Heavy metals such as nickel, tin and lead
- Vitamin E Acetate
If that doesn’t begin to convince you that vaping is dangerous, consider that one single JUUL pod contains as much nicotine as a pack of 20 regular cigarettes!
Another reason to pause before your puff is EVALI. If you haven’t heard of it, EVALI is e-cigarette or vaping use-associated lung injury. Most patients with EVALI need to go to the hospital and some may even die. The CDC launched an investigation into the outbreak on August 1, 2019. Learn more about the national outbreak and cases in Louisiana.
DON’T OVERLOOK THE DANGERS OF DIP
If you think dipping isn’t dangerous, you’re wrong. Whether you dip, spit, chew, or snuff, it’s all just a type of smokeless tobacco that contains high levels of toxic chemicals. Using smokeless tobacco can lead to nicotine addiction, an increased risk of heart disease and stroke, as well as cancer of the mouth, esophagus and pancreas. So when it comes to dip, don’t do it.