What is juuling? The newest trend in teen vaping

Cigarette Smoking, while at one-time a glamorous past-time, has thankfully decreased in its appeal and use in both adults and teens. However, a new form of nicotine inhalation is quickly taking its place: vaping.

Photo for image by Ivandrei Pretorius on Pexels

What is Vaping?
​"Vaping is the act of inhaling and exhaling the aerosol, often referred to as vapor, which is produced by an e-cigarette or similar device. The term is used because e-cigarettes do not produce tobacco smoke, but rather an aerosol, often mistaken for water vapor, that actually consists of fine particles." (Source: Center on Addiction)

Image by @vapeclubmy from unsplash

What about Juuling?
Most vaping devices look like large fountain pens or closely mimic the look of a traditional cigarette. A Juul is a newer type of vaping device that looks more like a tall flash-drive and even comes with a real USB flash-drive to charge the Juul. ​

by Vaping360 on Flickr

by Vaping360 on Flickr

The creators of Juul developed the product for smokers who already smoke and are trying to reduce or eliminate the use of cigarettes; however, teens are getting into Juuling instead of smoking - even if they've never smoked a traditional cigarette - because they think it's "safer" or easier to hide. 
​
​Vaping, especially "Juuling" is more attractive to teens for a few reasons: It's something new and "cooler looking". Compared to its combustible rolled-up paper ancestor, e-cigs don't need a lighter and many e-cigs' liquids come in fun flavors and smells the kids like. However, contrary to what many teens think, vaping is no less harmful and the nicotine in a Juul pod is still as addictive as the nictone in traditional cigarette smoking. "JUULpods are offered in both 3% and 5% strengths. Each 5% JUULpod is designed to contain approximately 0.7mL with 5% nicotine by weight"   (Source: Juul.com)

'Safer is not the same as safe,' says Brian King, deputy director for research translation in the CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health.
'Nicotine is a prime ingredient in these devices,' he says. 'Studies show nicotine is more addictive than heroin and cocaine. And there’s a growing body of evidence that nicotine can harm the developing adolescent brain.'" (Source: WebMd)

How to Help your Kids Avoid or Stop Vaping and Juuling
In an article in Your Teen Mag, Sandra Gordon shares Koorosh Rassekh's - an addiction therapist and founder of Evo Health and Wellness, an outpatient addiction treatment program in Venice, California - advice for how to talk to your teens about vaping and Juuling. 

• Don't Lecture.
• Be Open to Conversation.
• Try to Understand Your Teens Motivations.
• Get Outside Help.

If you are concerned about your teen's health and drug use - including vaping - seek help and support within your community for yourself, as the parent(s) or guardian(s), and for your teen. Find a list of resources for teen drug and addiction recovery here. 

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