I remember when I was a junior in high school back in Bethlehem, PA. We were all at an age where habits began to form. Some of my friends began smoking cigarettes daily, leaving the school between classes to catch a smoke break. To me this was a disgusting habit. I had experimented with tobacco in earlier years and always hated it. Plus, I was an athlete who wanted to continue playing in college.
But there was something about smoking that always seemed to draw me in. The act of stepping away from everything for a moment: A few minutes to one’s self to meditate and come back ready with a clear mind. Also, the act of smoking: putting something to your mouth and taking puffs is an addicting procedure. But I couldn’t do that. Smoking destroys your lungs, teeth and leaves you smelling like a bonfire. And I couldn’t just step outside to just stand there, that would look a little weird.
I was envious of smoking until one day I walked into a Wawa, looked beyond the counter and noticed a blue hookah pen. This was a very low tech vaping device, and it only cost $10. I didn’t hesitate to buy one. Immediately after, I finally scratched that itch that was smoking. And I scratched it in a safe way, without touching a single cigarette or discoloring a single tooth. Since that day I’ve always had a taste for vaping, and I vape currently. I vape with an Ego One XL, a small portable and concealable vape.
According to a Reuters poll analysis, around 10 percent of adults in the U.S. vape. That includes college students, even some here on Cabrini’s campus. Some of these students vape because they are trying to quit smoking, some vape because they enjoy the act of smoking and the fruity flavors and in some cases, people vape because they think it just looks cool.
Sam Ettore, a Cabrini student, started vaping when he was in middle school. “…vaping was the cool new thing to do,” Sam Ettore said. “We couldn’t buy real cigars yet and we wanted to look like the badasses that we were.”
Ettore explained that the trend wore off during high school for him, but when he got to college he saw people vaping and he decided to pick it back up. “I have a KangerTech SubVod, it’s a basic vape that costs $50,” Ettore said. “For a person trying to stop their crave for tobacco, this is the way to do it. The liquids come in different nicotine levels so a smoker can slowly work their way down to being tobacco free.”
Ettore does not see himself giving up vaping, “ It’s more of a hobby than a habit because you can stop doing it whenever you want.”
Another student, a student athlete, Ryan Taylor also vapes. “I started vaping about a year and a half ago,” Taylor said. “It’s relaxing and the flavors are always really good.” Ryan vapes with an Aspire NX75, a more top-of-the-line vape. “I’ve had plenty of friends that smoked cigarettes. Some of them were able to wean themselves off by using vapes,” Taylor said. “It’s definitely a much healthier alternative to smoking. I started vaping because I thought it satisfied my craving for sweet foods, since then I stuck with it.”
