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What COVID 19 & Vaping Have in Common

by Eric Zagar | April 9, 2020

A Man Vaping an E-Cigarette. Image by Lindsay Fox from Pixabay

Hey, we at Vive18 get it. Vaping is popular and it’s everywhere. It’s hard to go on YouTube, Twitter, Insta, or even TikTok without seeing an influencer repping e-cigarettes. There are shops everywhere with the ability to make mods and their own flavors and you can’t help but be exposed to their influence. And with an estimated 55 million people vaping by 2021 it’s not a question of do you know anyone who does it, but who. Maybe you do it, or you’ve done it, or you have friends or family who do. Well, let’s social distance ourselves from those other 55 million, because right now I want to talk to you.

 

     It’s a crazy time we’re living in. This strain of Coronavirus called COVID 19 has touched every aspect of society. Maybe you won’t be able to graduate in person, maybe your job went entirely online, or you became a part of the projected 32% of Americans who lost their jobs. Or maybe it’s worse. Over a million people worldwide have gotten ill and thousands of those have tragically lost their lives. With all the commotion going on in the world it’s perfectly understandable to want to light up in order to escape. But you’re going to want to reconsider.


    The truth is we don’t know what vape pods are made of. Each one is made up of different chemical constructs. What does stay consistent are four main ingredients: water, nicotine, flavorings, and a propylene glycol or vegetable glycerin base. And while it’s hard to trace the exact side effects caused by vaping there is a lot to be said about the harmfulness of nicotine.


    Have you ever stopped to consider what the vaping process is like on your body? Inhale. Exhale. Inhale vapor which courses through your body and exhale to let it out. As you inhale the vapor works its way through your lungs and while e-cigarettes do not contain some of the more harmful ingredients of regular cigarettes like tobacco and tar, nicotine is still highly prevalent and dangerous. And whether you’re smoking or vaping as the nicotine enters your lungs it starts to break the organ down. The vapor breaks down your lungs’ natural defenses on the inside with little to no indication on the outside until it’s too late. Until your lungs become inflamed and infected. This is very similar to how COVID 19 operates.


    COVID 19 like its fellow coronaviruses SARS, MERS, and some strains of the common cold are all respiratory illnesses, diseases that start by affecting your lungs and other parts of your respiratory system. American Lung Association’s Chief Medical Officer Albert Rizzo, M.D has described the virus as “…a lung infection that aggressively attacks the lungs and even leaves lung cells and tissue dead.” The weaker your lungs get the harder it is to breathe. The harder it is to breathe the more your body has to fight to keep you alive, and it doesn’t always win. And while there has been no proven correlation between vaping and an increased likelihood of contacting COVID 19 this is no time to take risks. By vaping, you are weakening your lungs. You are reducing your chances of being able to fight this disease. The vapor that enters your lungs causes inflammation and removes the helpful bacteria that help keep it safe, and you are giving COVID 19 even more of a chance to spread, infect, and destroy.

 

    It’s easy to think that vaping won’t hurt you. That you’re young and invincible. That nothing bad will ever happen to you. That COVID 19 only affects older people. But it’s also foolish. Vaping is popular because people don’t stop to consider the consequences. Yes, it may be healthier than smoking, but that doesn’t mean it’s not dangerous. You don’t have to do it. Vive 18 was created to show that you don’t need alcohol, drugs, or even vaping to have a good time. Sober parties are a fun, viable, and safe option and there are more people interested in them than ever. To follow more from Vive 18 head over to https://www.vive18.com/ or follow us on Instagram at vive18_