Vaping. Maybe you’ve seen young kids doing it — and maybe you wished you had more definitive information about the ways in which it’s a health risk. There’s a lot of misinformation out there, and Natural High is here to cut through the clutter.

Tip: The lungs are designed for breathing in oxygen, not substances delivered by a vaping device.

Lung damage occurs because the substance remains at the bottom of the lung. This impacts the total amount of oxygen your lungs can access, therefore impacting your athletic performance.

New ways to smoke, new stuff to smoke, and evolving legal guidelines make it tougher to teach kids to just say no. Read the full article here.

Freeport Middle School is celebrating The Red Ribbon Campaign. They are raising awareness and providing education about vaping. Learn more how about you can talk with your kids about vaping here:

How To Talk With Your Kids About Vaping

Tip: Nicotine in one vaping pod is equivalent to the nicotine in one pack of cigarettes

Vaping marijuana or nicotine can cause respiratory problems and decrease aerobic capacity- it reduces athletic ability by interfering with lung function. It also causes shortness of breath 3 times more often than nonsmokers- nicotine narrows blood vessels and makes your heart work harder than it should.

Tip of the Week: Nicotine is addictive – 3 out of 4 teens who start using in high school will continue to use as adults

Vaping nicotine rewires the brain, which can impact your concentration, learning and impulse control. It reduces athletic ability to focus completely, slowing your reaction time. Nicotine also interferes with lung function – narrowing blood vessels and making your heart work harder than it should.

This helpful article from Child Mind Institute includes how adults can talk to teens about the harmful effects of vaping

Teen Vaping: What You Need to Know

Check out Casco Bay CAN’s Vaping Prevention resource page, here!

Tip of the Week: Vaping isn’t considered safe for teens because your brain is still developing and can expose you to toxic substances and nicotine.

Exposure to nicotine and toxic substances in vaping devices can cause your breathing to become rapid and shallow, as well as increase heart rate and blood pressure.  The vapor can contain volatile organic compounds, flavoring such as diacetyl which is a chemical linked to a serious lung disease and heavy metals such as nickel, tin and lead. Nicotine use can also rewire the brain, which can impact your concentration, learning and impulse control.