Vaping and Nicotine

Vapes are often sold as harmless, flavoured and fun. The facts are more serious: nicotine is highly addictive, and health bodies agree that young people and non-smokers should not start.

What vapes are and why they hook people

• E-cigarettes heat a liquid into an aerosol that usually contains nicotine.
• WHO states that nicotine is highly addictive and harmful to health, and that non-smokers who use e-cigarettes can become addicted to nicotine and may move on to cigarettes.
• WHO reports at least 16,000 flavours and marketing through social media and influencers, which makes products appealing to young people.
• Flavours and bright packaging do not make a product safer.

What the health bodies say

• WHO says nicotine use by children and teens can affect brain development, and links this to possible learning and anxiety disorders.
• WHO says e-cigarette aerosols contain nicotine and toxic substances that affect both users and bystanders, and that the products are 'harmful to health and are not safe'.
• The NHS describes vaping as a stop-smoking aid for adult smokers, says it is not recommended for non-smokers, and notes long-term risks are not yet clear.
• The two views fit together: for an adult who already smokes, switching may reduce harm; for a teenager who does not smoke, starting adds risk.
• WHO's position is that the safest choice is to use neither e-cigarettes nor tobacco.

The law and safety

• In the UK, e-cigarettes cannot be sold to people under 18, according to the NHS.
• Rules in the UAE and other countries are different and can change; check official sources where you live.
• The NHS warns some e-cigarettes have exploded or caught fire: use the correct charger and do not leave them charging unattended or overnight. This matters in shared halls.
• Never share vapes, and never use a device or liquid from an unknown source, as you cannot know what is in it.

Saying no and quitting

• Simple refusals work: 'No thanks, I don't vape.' or 'I'm training, I don't touch nicotine.'
• If you already vape or smoke and want to stop, talk to a doctor or pharmacist. WHO says counselling and medication can more than double a tobacco user's chance of quitting successfully.
• WHO says tobacco kills more than 7 million people each year and that there is no safe level of exposure, which is one reason not to move from vaping to cigarettes.
• Plan for triggers such as stress, boredom or being with certain friends, and choose a replacement action, like a walk or chewing gum.
• Slips are common. If you slip, do not give up; restart the next day.