As many of my friends decided to quit vaping and smoking, I decided to make this list of some health risks that I have seen portrayed by those friends. There are some vape juices that do not contain any nicotine but honestly, most vapes do contain it which seems to be a leading cause of health problems in smokers and vapers. Even though vaping is less harmful than cigarettes, it is not risk-free. There are risks being made to your health, whether it be temporary or not. My friends decided to quit vaping not only to save some money but they decided to quit for their health, which is a good reason to stop. Although cutting nicotine is difficult, the pros to lowering the risk of respiratory health problems outweighed the cons. Even though this article is not a scientific journal, these are real experiences that have happened and can happen to anyone. Stay informed about the risks in which you could be exposed.
Addiction
Addiction is the most common health risk of smoking anything with nicotine and many people ignore it. Once you start an addiction, it is very difficult to pry yourself from it. If you haven't started vaping, please know that there are other things that can give you what you're looking for instead of a vape. Addiction of any kind runs the risk of being a long and winding road, so don't put yourself through it.
Inflammation
Vaping can cause inflammation in the lungs and ribs that feel like a general ache and can sometimes make it difficult to breathe. Ibuprofen can help ease the pain however, the inflammation will not go away and will only get worse the more the vape is used.
Mucus Buildup
The smoke clouds that are exhaled from vapes are large and although the smoke exits your respiratory system, there are some chemicals that stay behind. Nicotine is likely the main link to mucus buildup, however, it would not be surprising if the juice itself caused harm by aiding in the buildup of phlegm.
Asthma and Wheezing
The restriction of airways caused by vaping is the likely culprit to breathing issues. If you begin to have respiratory issues as a side effect from vaping, try to at least cut back on how often you vape. If breathing is already an issue, vaping should not be a part of your day to day life. Wheezing is linked to mucus buildup and restriction of airways meaning that the more you vape, the more restricted your airways may become.
Lung Problems
Lung problems are also linked to vaping. One reason my friends decided to stop vaping because they recently learned about the first death by vape. Your lungs can become irritated or you can develop bronchiolitis obliterans, also known as popcorn lung, and there is a possible risk that your lungs may collapse. This is three out of many unforeseen lung issues that could occur when vaping.
Plaque Buildup
Although mucus and plaque are different problems, they have similar causes. Nicotine and residue from vaping will line your arteries and airways and restrict them, causing your blood or air to move less efficiently. Although vapes do not contain as many chemicals as cigarettes, they still contain chemicals that can cause the human body harm.
Suppressed Hunger
Nicotine will suppress appetite. Each one of my friends who vape say that they almost never feel hungry. My friend and I determined that it had been the nicotine suppressing their hunger. As my friends recently stopped vaping, they noticed that they have been hungry more often than usual whereas my other friend, a moderate smoker, still has little appetite. Although more research can be done on this topic, there are plenty of test results supporting nicotine as an appetite suppressor.
Stay safe and make good decisions, my friends.