Addiction is a topic that has been discussed time and time over the years. Whether it be tobacco, nicotine, substances or drugs, it is very easy to get addicted, but it takes unimaginable effort to free yourself.
In the past couple of years, addiction to cigarettes and vaping has increased. Although, the consumption of tobacco cigarettes is decreasing among teens or youth. It is still rising within the 28 to 50-year-old age group. Even though cigarette consumption is on the low among the youth, this particular age group has seen a rise in vaping since 2013.
Many students and adults excuse the use of vape pens or e-cigs saying that they are safer health-wise compared to cigarettes. When this statement was first released it seemed true, but after years of testing, it has been proven that vaping causes lung and respiratory issues in the long term.
This is not the main issue that is caused by vaping or smoking. The main problem arises when developing brains and bodies consume such high amounts of nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical that is found in tobacco leaves.
While nicotine is giving a sense of “pleasure” or an “adrenaline boost”, it is also narrowing the arteries which increases the chance of a heart attack at the same time nicotine affects the chemistry of the brain, causing psychiatric issues like depression or bipolar disorder. Nicotine also delays the development of the brain.
Multiple factors have caused the increase in vaping. The first is social influence. Since vape pens are easy to carry and hide, numerous students have been bringing them to colleges and schools. High school students are the main reason for vaping being “the cool new thing”.
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We have also seen a decrease in the upper middle class and high class using vapes. Whatever the reason might be, it seems that this class prefers to divert its addiction toward psychoactive drugs. And the richest of the rich also go for the more expensive LSD or heroin.
The working class youth, although can not go for the fancier drugs, vape pens cost between ₹100-₹300, and these vape pens have the equivalent of 20 cigarettes. Making the working-class youth the perfect targets for addiction.
The teen of 9-5 office-going parents, goes through a huge change during high school. From trying to fit in, to keep up the grades. And the child of labourers goes through the burden of studying and being someone someday, as well as earning something today.
It is during the time of adolescence and for some pre-adolescence that the kids are most vulnerable to vaping as a means of stress reliever and escape. Kids this age go through family issues, school stress and much more alone. Research shows that stress is among the causes of addiction.
It has also been proven that kids that come from dysfunctional or abusive families have a higher chance of getting addicted. This is because vapes or cigarettes temporarily make a person's brain numb and make them joyful. It is this happiness that most low-income kids are trying to get again and again, which is why they end up getting addicted.
Vaping is far more addictive than smoking. We have already established that a disposable vape pen contains about 20 cigarettes, this will last a person something between a day to three days, depending on the frequency of vaping. Vapes also come with unique flavours to allure the audience their way.
In almost every school, starting from 8th grade you will find at least one kid in a class who brings a vape pen to school. And at every gathering or party, you will see a group of teens hanging around together vaping. The interesting part is that each one of them has their own vape, even the underaged ones.
Online websites aren't much worried about selling to underage kids. If you go right now to buy a vape pen the only question that any website will ask you, is if you are above 21, that is all they ask to examine the buyer. This reckless behaviour may be because the sales of online vape websites are very less.
As most of the youth prefer to buy vape pens, hookahs, e-cig and much more from friends or local shops. This way they can get the vaping devices at less cost and can also try to get a discount. Plus ordering online takes time to deliver and the delivery can be handed to anyone from the family, whereas if they buy it in person they have a better chance of hiding it.
After a person gets addicted to vaping it's very easy to get vapes and hide them as well. This is among the reasons why the youth of the working class is getting addicted to vaping.
In a way addiction and poverty often get interlinked, people get addicted while trying to escape a part of their life. The challenges a kid from a minimum-salary household faces is far greater mentally than that for a well-fed and rich household.
When a rich kid gets addicted to nicotine or any other substance, they have the privilege to go to rehab and therapy to overcome and fight their addiction. None of this means that kids and adults who have grown around money or have money don't face challenges or don't have to fight addiction.
Escaping the clutches of nicotine addiction is among the hardest things ever, and the more you delay it the harder it gets. Fighting addiction is not easy at all and for those kids who are trying to fight it, it is very necessary that nicotine and vapes mustn't be easily accessible to them. There needs to be proper policies and regulations regarding the sales of such devices and substances.
Outside help can only take the person to a particular step, it is this time that you have to remain strong and cross the final steps alone. Once addiction is defeated, you can live a happy and healthy life.
“Recovery is hard, regret is harder”
~ Brittany Burgunder
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