Ds 21 is addicted to vaping

amother

Sun, Jul 18 2021, 12:17 pm

I’m so worried. He just came to visit after being away for the whole covid time. He is back going to college here and lives with a roommate. He lost a lot of weight and doing his laundry I saw a vaping device. We spoke to him before and he said he doesn’t do it much but now after a year away he lost a lot of weight ( also he has other medical issues from childhood). He said he doesn’t have appetite and I think it’s because he vapes so much. I’m devastated and worried. I didn’t speak to him about it yet. Wwyd?

FranticFrummie

Sun, Jul 18 2021, 12:44 pm

If he wants to taper off, he can get liquid in lower and lower amounts of nicotine, until he's just vaping flavor.

If he doesn't want to stop, then you need to leave him alone. He knows all the pros and cons by now. I'm sure you wouldn't be the first one to tell him.

Does he suffer from anxiety? Low doses of nicotine are often very useful for anxiety - and have the opposite effect in higher doses. Maybe you can at least convince him to go down a little bit, and see if he feels better.

The urge to suck is the first reflex a child has. Smoking and vaping can fulfill a basic need for a self soothing mechanism. For many people, the act of sucking on something like a cigarette or vape, that gives just a little bit of resistance when you inhale, can be extremely relaxing. It's a pacifier for adults.

amother

Sun, Jul 18 2021, 2:52 pm

amother [ Candycane ] wrote:

Anyone else found it more concerning when read it as dd and then relaxed when noticed she meant ds? Somehow it’s way more acceptable for boys. Don’t ask me why.
OP, dd is dear daughter.

Thanks I corrected it

amother

Sun, Jul 18 2021, 2:55 pm

FranticFrummie wrote:

Thank you for your advice. It’s very helpful. He does put in finger in his mouth sometimes maybe he likes the sucking. Also the covid year was very lonely sometimes. I will try to convince him to taper down. How can he taper down. Does it come in low concentration?

FranticFrummie

Sun, Jul 18 2021, 3:18 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Every time he buys the liquid, they will ask what strength. If he's at 2.8, he can go to 1.5, or something like that.

If he's using Juul, he needs to stop ASAP and switch! That company is owned by Marlboro, and Juul is specifically designed to be very addicting. The amount of nicotine in them is extremely high, and they don't come in lower varieties. Even worse, you get a much bigger "hit" of vapor than you would with a regular vaping system.

(I read about this in Mishpacha about a year ago.)

The good news, is that according to the British Heart Association, vaping is 92% less damaging than cigarette smoke. The NHS has a vaping program to get their heart patients to quit smoking, and they taper down gradually.

Another concern, is those crazy "candy flavors". They contain ingredients that have been known to cause something called "popcorn lung", which is just as bad as it sounds. He should find a neutral flavor that is not overly sweet or strong.

Sometimes you can't get people to change completely, but you can get them to compromise.

amother

Iris

Sun, Jul 18 2021, 3:22 pm

Would you consider reaching out to either Amudim or CCSA?
Of course you are concerned regardless of wheter it is a daughter or a son.
There is help available. Please reach out and use these wonderful resources. (Or others, there are just the ones I know) They are there for a reason.

Amudim (646) 517-0222

CCSA-can’t find a phone number but this is there website/email.
Jewishccsa.org / Time2TalkAddiction@gmail.com

Wishing you hatzlacha.

amother

Sun, Jul 18 2021, 3:52 pm

FranticFrummie wrote:

I thought juul and vape is the same

amother

Sun, Jul 18 2021, 3:52 pm

amother [ Iris ] wrote:

Thank you I will call them