Vaping and Alcohol are Legal – and They Both Can Kill
Health authorities are still trying to untangle the sudden rise in the number of respiratory diseases. Public health officials from 33 states have associated many of these cases with e-cigarette vaping and alcohol abuse. Both marijuana and its CBD components are considered to play a significant role in the increase in severe lungs-related diseases. The health officials in the U.S. have reported 450 cases of breathing illnesses, including five deaths in Indiana, California, and other different states. (1) According to the latest survey of the Arizona Department of Health Services, 51 percent of young people (9 to 18) tried E- vaping products in 2017 and are likely to develop smoking addiction. (2)
That is to say, vaping e-cigarettes and excessive alcohol drinking have become a health epidemic; especially for young teens. As per the research of the Food and Drug Administration, vaping liquids can be hazardous as they contain flavorings, nicotine, and vegetable glycerine. (3) When these liquids are heated, they produce an aerosol that contains ultrafine toxic components, including chemicals, and heavy metals such as diacetyl. All of these chemicals are linked to some severe lung diseases, for example, popcorn lung. A U.S. surgeon general report 2016 stated that the continuous use of vaping and alcohol might cause long-term health effects. (4)
What Is Lawmakers’ Take on Legal Substance Addiction?
Most of the cases associated with respiratory diseases or breathing illnesses are the result of legal alcohol and vapes that are yet to be ruled out completely.
Considering this, anti-tobacco lawmakers are pushing authorities to have strict regulations against the use of vaping e-cigarettes and alcohol. According to them, Mitch McConnell’s anti-smoking bill is not enough to stop individuals from purchasing e-cigarettes and alcohol before the age of 21, nor will it stop the thriving tobacco and vaping and alcohol industry. The Tobacco-free Youth Act by Mitch McConnell – a famous parliamentarian came out as a response to a massive spike in the number of e-cigarette and alcohol addiction by teens and school-children. (5)
How Are Legal Drugs in America Killing People?
As mentioned earlier, the effects of marijuana legalization are inevitable. While the reforms related to drug users are still part of the heated debates, substance abuse has killed many people in the U.S. The latest data of the National Institute on Drugs (6) and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (7), demonstrated how opioid pain killer, excessive drinking and vaping have made many individuals victim of substance abuse. And the legal vapes and alcohol are responsible for several direct deaths in just one year.
The deadly substances claim 10,000 lives every year in DUIs (driving under the influence) to make the matter worse. As per the average statistics of National Highway Traffic Safety, 30 people die in drunk-driving crashes per day in the United States. (8) Also, the death and damages due to alcohol-related crashes contribute to a significant cost each year.
The rising rate of death is not the only way to evaluate the terrible effects that vaping and alcohol cause. Some drugs may lead to dangerous mental disease and behavior, making addicted individuals more prone to committing crimes or getting violent.
How Do Legal Drugs Affect Your Body?
Vaping and alcohol are some of the reasons for the increasing number of various health complications.
Let us find out how do affect your body and brain.
Vaping Effects
Vaping is all the rage and gradually becoming a part of many individuals’ lifestyles. According to addiction professionals, vaping is not safer or less harmful than other traditional cigarettes. This seemingly innocuous trend is becoming a status symbol.
The legalization of marijuana and cannabis-based products have added to the use of vaping and many opiate painkillers. It is important to remember that vaping liquid has potentially harmful chemicals, like cigarettes and other drugs do.
When an individual inhales nicotine vapors, the lungs absorb and bypass them to the digestive system. The molecules of vaping liquid are transported into the bloodstream and brain from the lungs, making the individual feel an intense high.
Alcohol Effects
According to the latest statistics from the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAA), approximately 16 million American people (young adults) suffer from Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD). The disorder causes a relapsing condition in which individuals become addicted to a debilitating and uncontrollable alcohol use.
NIAA further explained how excessive alcohol drinking affects body functions by interfering with the communication pathways of the brain. It changes and alters the way your brain functions. Excessive drinking disrupts the nervous system that affects behavior and mood. It may also cause long-term health complications by damaging different brain regions, including the cerebral cortex limbic system, and cerebellum.
Deadly Consequences of Legal Drugs
Legal drugs are linked to 89,000 deaths each year, which include alcohol-related deaths, such as poisonings, liver cirrhosis, and drunks-driving. The high rates have made legal drugs the third leading cause of death in America.
Unfortunately, vaping devices and heavy alcoholic substances are readily available to many teenagers and children, making them habitual. The rising numbers of e-cigarette vaping and alcohol is a clear indication that it does not reduce the use of traditional smoking. Instead of that, e-cigarette vaping and alcohol have become a gateway to conventional smoking.
Continued after infographic:
Who Can Help Overcome Vaping and Alcohol?
Addictions are no doubt has become a bigger problem; especially for teens. And the vaping epidemic and heavy drinking continue to cause numerous health risks. It typically hijacks the reward system of the brain and makes it addicted to the substance.
Despite the addictive nature of nicotine and alcohol, quitting them is possible. Only trained addiction professionals in reputable rehabilitation centers such as Desert Cove Recovery can help addicted individuals get rid of it. You can join a behavioral health treatment program that is designed for the people struggling with addiction. Our addiction treatment programs are custom to the needs of individuals.
Moreover, addicted individuals can benefit from services like;
- Detox referrals
- Holistic Treatment
- Outdoor Therapy
- Extended Care
- 12- Step process
Our physicians at Desert Cove Recovery are trained, and they understand addiction and can treat alcohol dependencies drug addictions, and co-occurring disorders. They use personalized approaches and individualized plans to help addicted individuals get back their sobriety.
In short, consulting the professionals at Desert Cove Recovery and seeking help from them are the right ways to quit vaping and alcohol addiction.
Sources:
(1) https://news.wttw.com/2019/09/09/us-health-officials-report-new-vaping-deaths-repeat-warning
(2) https://www.azdhs.gov/prevention/tobacco-chronic-disease/tobacco-vape-e-cigarettes/index.php
(3) https://www.fda.gov/home
(4) https://e-cigarettes.surgeongeneral.gov/documents/2016_SGR_Full_Report_non-508.pdf
(5) https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/116/s1541
(6) https://www.drugabuse.gov
(7) https://www.cdc.gov/
(8) https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/drunk-driving
