Vaping: J.L.'s Top Five Reasons to Say, "I'll Pass

1. I’ve seen firsthand what nicotine addiction is like through my family members. It is so extremely hard for us to deal with their habits. I know that if I ever went down that road, it would be really taxing on my family, and quitting if I was ever lucky enough to want to would be nearly impossible.

2. The chemicals in Juul pods are equivalent to a whole pack of cigarettes. It only looks like a few milliliters in the pods, but I was shocked to find that the little bit of liquid is about 20 cigarettes. It seems so easy to go through a pod in a few days without realizing how much nicotine you’re intaking. (Source: Edutopia, 6/18)

3. I’m a very active person. I ran track until I injured myself, I still run, box, play soccer, and workout with my friends when I can. I know that smoking can greatly affect one’s ability to do those things. It would make me so sad if I couldn’t participate in those activities without getting tired so quickly.

4. I want to be a doctor in the future, and I know that if I picked up the habit, I wouldn’t be able to break it. I would be an awful role model and physician if I was telling patients to quit smoking for their health while I couldn’t myself.

5. I also learned from the SBFC facts page that "nicotine puts the teen brain at risk because It can mess up the areas affecting judgment, completing tasks and meeting goals.” I knew that it was dangerous, but I didn’t know it could affect our teenage brains so easily, and so much. (Source: US Surgeon General Report and Still Blowing Smoke)