The Descent of a 16 Year-Old Boy

PREFACE

Follow the journey of Nick, a 16 year old boy, who encounters the challenges that loss brings, and in the process finds himself addicted to nicotine.

His story, like the story of many teens shows how easy it is to fold to peer pressure, when just trying to make it from one day to the next.

Early that morning Nick meets up with a friend at the park.

On his way to school, Nick runs into his friend

We often don’t know as much as we think about our friends….

Nick loses a lifelong friend just months after losing his mother.

School goes on, friends move on, but life often stops for those that are grieving.

It is a time of high emotion that for Nick leads to problems . . . .

Vaping is often used as a coping strategy by individuals suffering from depression, anxiety or other mental health conditions. However, it could potentially worsen the existing mental health conditions. Nicotine interrupts the cerebral dopamine pathway leading to an increase in depressive symptoms. https://blogs.bcm.edu/2021/05/06/vaping-and-mental-health-whats-the-connection/

The glamour of vaping has been affirmed by celebrities, but also adults and parents are responsible for the glorification of tobacco usage. This is where the huge controversy begins, because young adults are mesmerized by all of endorsements and watching not just celebrities use electronic cigarettes, but every day people in their life. spinfuel.com/role-model-effect-vaping

Nick like so many kids, grew up

watching and learning from adults.

Nick seeks support . . . .

While at home, Nick faces the emotional impact of nicotine addiction.

Back to the park where Nick was first introduced to smoking . . .

FACTS

E-cigarettes are threatening to addict a new generation to nicotine and nicotine is harmful to developing brains: younger users are more likely to become addicted, have more difficulty quitting and may be at higher risk for addiction to other substances in the future.

Almost a third of high school students reported being current vapers in 2019 and about a third of those reported frequent use, meaning they vaped at least 20 times a month, according to the CDC.

Evidence is growing that vaping harms lung health and can make young people more vulnerable to COVID-19, including new research from Stanford University that shows teens and young adults who have vaped may be up to five times more likely to test positive for the virus than their non-vaping peers.

In Wisconsin, almost 9 out of 10 high school students said they tried vaping because of all the fruit and candy flavors.

In Wisconsin and in our communities, we’ve seen a notable uptick in possession, use, and purchase (PUP) policies as a strategy to address youth tobacco use. We know that these strategies have the potential to do more harm than good and that there are alternative strategies that are more supportive in quitting.

—American Lung Association