By Albert Shang, Y12
Vaping. We all know what it is: that thing your parents tell you never to do and that your friends tell you is cool. We may have made the decision to pick it up for a few days, a few weeks, maybe even years ago. Maybe some of us have yet to make that decision. But when we take away all those opinions, all these outside influences, we can look simply at the facts.
No matter who picks up the pen, it’s always for the same purpose: to relieve stress and to feel better. It has and (most likely) will always be the main use of nicotine. However, the way you take it into your body can have very different effects. That’s what Hon Lik learned the hard way when his father passed away from lung cancer after a lifetime of smoking. This motivated him to invent and popularize the modern electronic cigarette, a way of providing similar amounts of pleasure with minimum risk. Instead of including tobacco, this new creation allows users to inhale an aerosol, or vapor, that is made when heating a pod of flavored liquid.
Nowadays, it has evolved into something much more widespread than the simple intake of nicotine. Tentative evidence suggests that it may help people gradually quit smoking, though it has not proven to be any more effective than smoking cessation medicine. And, while it may seem that its immediate effects are less severe than that of regular smoking, it doesn’t make it the panacea of smoking. Vaping can still lead to a variety of symptoms, including headaches, nausea, and vomiting, albeit to a lesser extent.
So what about people who weren’t smoking in the first place? Why would they suddenly pick up vaping? Well, it’s really not much more than what people say: it soothes, stimulates and, most importantly, provides the user with what is commonly referred to as a “kick”. This is caused by the release of adrenaline, glucose, and finally dopamine, making it a very pleasant sensation. It also seems to increase one’s concentration and memory, an obvious upside.
However, the question remains: should we allow ourselves to indulge in a bit of nicotine every now and then, or should it remain verboten until the end of time? It’s all about weighing the costs against the benefits and, although I study economics, I’m not any more qualified than you to deliver a verdict on the issue.
