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On this page, we will give an example of the suffering that Teen Vaping causes. Matt Murphy was 17 when he took his first hit, as New York Times and World News Buzz report. Like many young teenagers, he didn't understand the hype that is built around the Juul or other vaping devices. As Matt Murphy attended a party during his senior year of high school, one of his friends encouraged him to try a Juul. It was, as he described it, "love at first puff." The nicotine in the vape device gave him a head rush that he quickly became addicted to the feeling of.

Matt continued to take hits off of his friends device in the days following, slowly building an addiction. He became a daily vaper, and spent a fortune on pods, blowing over $40 a week on juice alone. Matt joined the 37.3% of 12th grades who have used a smokeless-tobacco product. The weak restrictions in place to prevent the sale of nicotine to minors allowed Matt to buy a large quantity of pods over the years. He became cautious around his parents, however. “I rationalized that it was better to do without it briefly, than forever.” He knows if he were to get caught, his parents would never let Matt get the chance to do it again, so he exercised restraint.

Matt's life changed completely. Not only had he spent hundreds of dollars just to satisfy his addiction, but he also had caused serious harm on his body. For one, his brain risked severe damage due to his bad habits. '“Nicotine may disrupt the formation of circuits in the brain that control attention and learning,” said Dr. Rachel Boykan, a clinical associate professor of pediatrics at Stony Brook University School of Medicine and an executive member of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ section on tobacco control. “And there is a higher risk of them subsequently becoming tobacco smokers.” (NYT)'

Matt could also recall some of the physical struggles that he encountered as a side effect of vaping, such as difficulty breathing playing sports, known to him and his friends as "Juul lung." His addiction was not only affecting his physical well-being, but also his social life. In college, Matt found himself planning vape breaks around his schedule, even if it were completely out of his way (worldnewsbuzz). He became so addicted to nicotine that he began to refer to his Juul as his 11th finger (NYT). Imagine being so dependent on a drug that you consider it to be apart of body....

Matt's addiction got so extreme that he was to an extent grateful when his parents discovered his Juul, according to The New York Times. “I could not justify the addiction anymore. And I realized my parents were my allies. Because I wanted to stop and they wanted me to stop.” While recovering from his obsession, Matt experience withdrawals, which he described as "absolute hell." Parties were even worse for him. World News Buzz reported that Matt seeing others around him vape made it even harder for him to quit. They didn't care however, because they were all addicted too.

Teenagers are facing an epidemic. We see vapes and Juuls as a healthier alternative to cigarettes, when in reality, we were never going to try cigarettes anyways. We don't know for sure if Juuls are healthier. E-cigarettes have not been around long enough to study long-term effects on individuals who became addicted. By picking up the Juul, you are taking an extreme risk to your mental and physical health.