Despite awareness campaigns and school policies, many Fossil Ridge High School students are turning to vaping, driven by peer influence, stress and possible media misinformation.
“I never realized how destructive vaping would be, it just seemed silly and fun, until it wasn’t. Now I can’t stand to be without it,” a Fossil Ridge junior said.
Most teens are introduced to vaping by other teens, whether it be social pressures, looking to fit in or just wanting to try something that seems fun.
“Everyone always had one, and then one of my closest friends started doing it, and offered me one of his old ones. It just kind of started from there,” said one sophomore.
However, social pressure is not always the motivator to start vaping nicotine. It is a coping mechanism for some students.
“I started vaping because it was a seemingly better alternative to other substances,” a Fossil junior said. “It helped lead me off of weed and alcohol. I used it as a kind of fidget, actually, like when I got nervous, or when I was angry. It became almost like a comfort object.”
While there are many health concerns around vaping and what chemicals companies put in vapes, an even greater concern is what is being put in vapes without anyone knowing.
Fossil dean Melissa Stapleton said the school resource officer at Rocky Mountain High School found a tampered vape.
“Their SRO found a vape, he had noticed it had been tampered with, and he saw some white stuff in it, so he sent it to have it tested, and it was fentanyl,” Stapleton said.
Many students who vape purchase their vapes from other students because they are not old enough to legally purchase one of their own.
“I get my vapes off of some friends, although I don’t know exactly how they acquire them,” the Fossil sophomore said.
A Fossil Ridge junior is more cautious about where they get their vapes.
“I have a plug who I really trust but I will never accept a vape if I do not see it in its original box, unopened, I need to know the dispensary, the shop. I am very careful because I have seen the horror stories, it’s awful,” said the junior.
It is not very difficult for students to get their hands on a vape. Students express that it is harder to drop the vape.
“I didn’t realize that I was addicted until I went a day without it, and I was peeling my skin off. It was awful. I haven’t had a vape for four or five days now, I’m struggling,” the sophomore goes on to say. “Please don’t ever start vaping. I wish I never did.”
Unfortunately quitting nicotine is a struggle that many teens face. Fruity flavors and exciting packaging that lights up is strikingly similar to something you might find at a candy shop like Rocket Fizz in Old Town. But no, quitting vaping is very serious and hard.
Students can go to Joel Bekken, drug and alcohol counselor, to form a plan to quit without any punishment.
“I usually direct students to a process of trying to understand what are some of the main triggers as to why they’re vaping or why they’re needing nicotine,” Bekken said. “It takes some processing and understanding but through that we find new coping strategies.”
Fossil deans said they are concerned about the access to vapes and how students can hide them easily, compared to cigarettes. They worry about the long term effects on people’s health and how vaping products are often marketed toward teens with appealing flavors and trends. Despite being advertised as less harmful, these products are highly addictive and have become normalized among students, affecting various groups across the school.
“Vaping is not exclusive to a certain group or clique, we see among all types of students; some of the more edgy groups, students that are very academically oriented, athletes,” Stapleton said.
Students interviewed unanimously agree that vaping should not be taken as lightly as it is.
“I think that it’s important for people to know that it’s not okay and that you shouldn’t feel proud of vaping. It doesn’t make you cool. It’s like any other drug, it isn’t good for you. It’s just more friendly looking than marijuana or substances, but I don’t think it should be taken as lightly as it is,” said the junior.
Although quitting nicotine is far from easy it is not impossible and there are many resources at the school for those looking to quit.
“It’s a toxic cycle. The key is figuring out how to put something in its place to break that cycle,” Bekken said. “The opposite of addiction is connection and relationships. And if we say, ‘Okay, in this time of me wanting to stop vaping, I’m gonna start investing into healthy connections and healthy relationships that are going to promote me doing these things and growing, and moving on.’”
