Vaping is becoming more of a prevalent issue, especially with teens. As it becomes more popular, more stories about exploded lungs and deaths fill the news. Gorham High School (GHS) is taking action by giving advice on how to quit.

Recently, Claudine Emerson (LCSW, LADC, CCS), a social worker at GHS, gave a presentation entitled “Stop Vaping in Seven Steps.”

Not only did the presentation break down each step but it also gave explanations as to why quitting is important and provided resources for addicted minors.

Emerson started with explaining the why. The two main chemicals involved with addiction are adrenaline, which stimulates the body through increased blood pressure and heart rate, and dopamine, the source of the pleasure sensation.

Since vaping takes only ten seconds to get to the brain, it learns very quickly that this experience brings lots of pleasure, a reward.

“I think that most students don’t quit because they don’t see the long-term risks involved,” said Emerson.

The first of the seven steps to quitting is ‘Know Why You Are Quitting.’ This could be anything from health reasons to employment, but it also includes quitting for yourself or someone else. It is also important to decide what and how many substances you are quitting.

The second step is to ‘Set Your Quit Date.’ It is important to set a reasonable timeline with a set day. It is also important to let people around you know that on a certain date and time you will be quitting. This places priority on it and sets accountability.

The third step is to ‘Quit Cold Turkey.’ Emerson cited that harm-reduction models, such as the cutting down model, still activate all the chemicals in the brain and make it less likely to succeed. She also mentioned that assistants like patches and lozenges have helped but cold turkey is what is advised.

The fourth step is to ‘Identify Triggers.’ These are things, both internal and external, that cause a person to vape as a sort of coping mechanism. Internal would include things like vaping every time someone is stressed or sad while external would be hanging out with a group of friends where it seems vaping is all they do, or going into a convenience store where they are sold. Identifying triggers can help people stay away from them or control their urges if avoidance is not possible.

The fifth step is to ‘Prepare for Cravings and Withdrawals.’ Quitting is not easy and is accompanied by an array of symptoms including: tiredness, greater or decreased appetite, irritability, depression, and anger among others. It is important to familiarize oneself with withdrawals and have ways to cope.

The sixth step, ‘Tell Your Friends You Are Quitting,’ is more important than anything as it creates accountability. Maybe another friend needs support also and quitting can be done together. Having support when going through an experience feels helpful and encouraging. In fact, the success rate goes up when quitting with someone.

The seventh and final step is ‘Change a Habit with a Habit.’ This means finding different and new hobbies to take the space of vaping. If vaping is being used due to sadness or anxiety, finding something like calling a friend or listening to music will replace that.

A tip is to think of coping skills from A-Z; coming up with one thing for each letter no matter how small or big it is. The more variety the better.

Emerson also talked about additional resources for minors. She always advises to talk to a doctor, privately or not. The tobacco helpline at 1-800-207-1230 is a helpful resource and can help people under the age of 18. The only thing they can not do is send a prescription to a pharmacy if the patient is under 18. The hotline is also available for people looking to support friends or family trying to quit.

“I think people think it is exciting and there is a risk involved; they are bored and it is something to do. The problem is people start for one reason but they continue for another reason,” said Emerson. “Once they become addicted a tolerance starts to build and they need more nicotine, they create a dependency. It then becomes a maladaptive coping skill.”