What started as a “safe alternative” has turned into something far more dangerous — and disturbingly addictive.
Psychologist Claire Wakefield says she’s seeing more young people trapped in vaping addiction than ever before. “The worrying sign,” she explains, “is when you think about it even when you don’t want to. You wake up and the first thought is, Where’s my vape?”
But the most shocking cases go beyond addiction. Wakefield warns of nicotine poisoning, known as “nic-sick,” caused by taking in too much nicotine at once. Victims can suffer nausea, dizziness, confusion, and even collapse — and in rare cases, it can be fatal.
She recalled one young woman whose body gave her a horrifying wake-up call. “She said she knew she had a problem when her vomit started tasting like her vape,” Wakefield revealed. “It was strawberry-flavored. She’d had so much, it was coming back up.”
Health experts now warn that vapes can contain more nicotine than traditional cigarettes, making them even harder to quit. And as more teens reach for them thinking they’re harmless, one haunting truth remains: when your comfort becomes your craving — your body always knows first.
