Blog #7; Addiction and Teen Vaping Epidemic
This week's topic was about addictions and drug use, including vaping. The issue of addiction and drug use has been an ongoing issue for decades, but now we have e-cigarettes and vaping to add into the equation. The vaping and e-cigarette issue has been going on for a number of years now, but unfortunately it hasn’t been getting much better. With rules and laws being put in place to try to prevent vaping, it is still a huge issue because teens are still finding ways to get a hold of these products. In general, addiction, drug use and vaping is a really important topic to be educated on for teachers no matter what age.
After watching the short video, “Vaping in Schools. ‘Juuling Is Popular Among Teens Despite Health Risks,'' I can honestly say that nothing came as a shock to me. Being that I went through middle and high school knowing so many people that used vapes, I wasn’t too shocked about what I was hearing when looking at the school in Millford, Connecticut. The teen vaping epidemic is horrible, and more needs to be done. One thing that came as a shock to me was that the principal of this school was saying how he didn’t see it as kids should be punished for vaping, and that is because they don’t fully understand it themselves. I thought that was shocking, because in my high school, if you were caught with a vape or vaping, you would be suspended for one week. There was always punishment in my high school. I am curious as to how the principal handles it when a student is caught vaping, though. Another thing that came as a shock to me was seeing how many teachers didn’t realize that these devices were vapes. I agree, they definitely can be hard to identify if you have no background knowledge about vapes, especially Juuls considering how much they look like flash drives. Seeing the teachers in the room educating themselves on these vapes was interesting to see, and I think every school should have their teachers learn more about it and what to look for. Lastly, I thought it was an interesting standpoint that one of the female students had to share. She stated how a lot of kids like to vape and sneak it around school to feel rebellious. I think that is definitely a key word when it comes to teens. I’m sure that there are a lot of students and teens that choose to vape just for the rebellion, and also to “fit in.” Overall, students and teachers need to be more informed about the risks of vaping, and further educate themselves on the topic to hopefully alleviate or even better, end the teen vaping epidemic one day soon.
The website, SAMHSA’s National Helpline, is something that can be very helpful to hundreds of thousands of people. This website or helpline is available in English and Spanish, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, free, confidential and really it is for anyone. The purpose of this specific website is to help an individual, family member, friend, whoever it is, with mental or substance use disorders. This helpline also gives you access to local treatment facilities, support groups and community based organizations. The helpline website also provides tons of different resources for people in need. One of the resources that I thought was very useful and could be very helpful for someone was the “It’s Not Your Fault!” resource. This resource is mainly for children and teenagers whose parents are involved in drug or substance use. It provides you with facts, such as how every one in four youth under the age of 18 lives in a family where there is drug/substance use. The resource also states that you are not alone, and I think this is something so important to stress when it comes to these situations. A lot of our youth can be going through things and feel completely alone, but in reality, you are never alone. There is always going to be someone out there who is going through something similar, and not only that, you are loved always. This is something we need to say more often. You are not alone! This resource also talks about who to talk to, how to take care of yourself, different local groups, etc. This is not your fault, it is a disease that you did not cause, and something that you cannot stop. I know that there are thousands of students living in these unfair situations and conditions, and as a teacher it is so important to me to stress that my students are not alone in this. I will always be one to support my students and be there for them if they need to talk, if they need help or if things are ever getting to be too difficult for them.
When it comes to the article; “The Student Vaping Crisis: How Schools Are Fighting Back,” I found a couple of things that were interesting and shocking. One thing that I saw was that the particular school, Boulder Valley High School, 33% of the students vape. That is a huge percentage of students, and not to mention there are probably many others that are more secretive about it. I thought it was interesting to see that the town was going to be working to create bans on purchases under the age of 21, and that the people want to do whatever is best for the youth. Seeing a community come together to work on issues such as vaping is really important. If something can be helped, then it should be. Many schools have no tolerance for vaping, and students will be punished. But another issue is that schools want to be sure that students are aware of how harmful vaping can be as well. This is a tricky situation, and there has to be punishment of course, but also awareness of the risks.
Overall, it was really sad to read about this topic, because vaping, addiction, substance use, etc is something so much more common than you think, and it can really take a toll on a child’s life. We as teachers need to be very aware of everything that could be happening in a students life, and we need to support them and help them when we can. Being educated on these different issues is crucial. More needs to be done to help our students understand the risks of substance use and vaping, and we also need to assure our students that if substance use is going on at home, they are not alone.
Educationweek (Director). (2018, July 18). Vaping in Schools: 'juuling' is popular among TEENS despite health risks[Video file]. Retrieved March 28, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNs19kGAnLU
SAMHSA's national Helpline – 1-800-662-help (4357): SAMHSA - substance abuse and mental health Services Administration. (n.d.). Retrieved March 28, 2021, from https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline
Superville, D., & Prothero, A. (2021, January 15). The student vaping crisis: How schools are fighting back. Retrieved March 28, 2021, from https://www.edweek.org/leadership/the-student-vaping-crisis-how-schools-are-fighting-back/2019/08
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