Supporting Friends Sometimes Involves Helping Them End A Nicotine Addiction
According to the US Surgeon General, e-cigarette use poses a significant – and avoidable – health risk to young people in the United States. Besides increasing the possibility of addiction and long-term harm to brain development and respiratory health, e-cigarette use is associated with the use of other tobacco products that can do even more damage to the body. Even breathing e-cigarette aerosol that someone else has exhaled poses potential health risks. It’s been shown that over 50% of people that experiment with products containing nicotine will become addicted, making it far more addicting than any other substance.
The use of vapes, JUULs, or other electronic cigarettes by young people is a major concern across the US. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2019 15% of patients that were hospitalized because of a lung injury caused by vaping were between the ages of 13-17 and 37% were between the ages of 18-24. And as of Feb 18th, 2020 there have been over 200 hospitalizations in Illinois alone due to vaping. Tying for first in the nation with Texas.
The good news is, since Oct of 2019 hospitalizations have been on the decline due to public awareness and programing specifically designed to help young people quit. Given this success, we would like your help spreading the word. Please let your friends know, The Truth Initiative has designed the first-of-its-kind program to help young people quit vaping, This is Quitting has helped more than 150,000 youth and young adults on their journey to quit vaping. It’s a free text messaging program that incorporates messages from other young people like them who have attempted to, or successfully quit, e-cigarettes.
If you know someone between the age of 13-24 who could use some support to help them quit vaping, encourage them to text DITCHJUUL to 88709.
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