Columnist contemplates teenage attraction to vaping
By Clare Driscoll ’19
Why do we find nicotine addiction so cool?
This year I’ve noticed more and more students ripping in bathrooms, classrooms and hallways. Its made me really sit down and think about why anyone would want to do this and honestly I just can’t think of any solid benefits.
The common reasoning is “I think it tastes good”, or “it just looks cool” or just simply “I don’t know”.
Everyone that vapes understands that they shouldn’t, so why do they? The reason people don’t know why they choose to vape is that they’re being manipulated into it.
We all think that we’re above advertising and that “it doesn’t work on me”, but that’s also what teens thought in the 60s. But after tobacco companies spent millions on advertising geared towards teens to the point where on average 5,400 teens began smoking every day.
Flash forward to present day, after decades of cheesy infomercials about how bad nicotine is for you, we are up to 1 in 14 high schoolers vaping nationwide. Its all because of the deceptive advertising pushed by nicotine companies.
If you vape, no matter what the justification, it’s important to realize that you are falling victim to exactly what these big companies want.
The easiest way to avoid falling for the advertising trap is literally just not to vape. Just don’t. If you are already vaping and feel like you can please for your safety quit. If you feel dependent on nicotine and need help call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669) or visit Quit.com.