Learn how to prevent teens from vaping

More than one in five teenagers in New York currently vape e-cigarettes, according to the Annual Youth Tobacco Survey. Many of these teenagers are under the impression that vaping poses little to no risk to their long-term physical or mental health.

That’s why the Long Island Council on Alcohol and Drug Dependence has teamed up with local officials, to educate young people and parents alike on the risks of vaping and to empower Long Island’s youth to stay healthy and safe.

The educational campaign is co-sponsored and co-hosted by County Legislator Bill Gaylor, Hempstead Supervisor Don Clavin, and Assemblyman Brian Curran, among others. The next event will be held on May 11 at 6:45 p.m. in the Rockville Centre Public Library. The upcoming educational seminar presents an opportunity for anyone who missed the similar April 19 event held in the Lynbrook Public Library.

The turnout for the Lynbrook event was extensive — high school students, parents, and educators alike filled the library. The events are open to anyone who wants to learn more about how to keep themselves and their loved ones safe from the risks of drugs and alcohol.

“Prevention is everyone,” said Adam Birkenstock, the Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence’s director of programming. “From that one student at risk, to the family, to the guy who runs a business — whether it's a liquor store, a mortar store, or the place where you get pizza.”

“Everybody has a role,” Gaylor said. “We've got to get parents, health care providers, teachers, and everyone else who works with or cares about young people to spread the word. That's what this is all about.”

Underage drinking and vaping are prominent in any community, and Lynbrook is no exception. Using data obtained through the annual Monitoring the Future study, Birkenstock explains that in the 8th grade 13 percent of kids will try vaping nicotine and 8 percent will try cannabis. By 12th grade those numbers jump to 32 percent and 30 percent respectively, with 12 percent of them going on to smoke traditional cigarettes. Alcohol use is even more prominent — by the end of 8th grade over 15 percent of kids will have tried alcohol, and by the end of senior year that number soars to 52 percent.

Clavin, who has three young kids, is particularly concerned about the prevalence of vaping in the Long Island community.

“We are facing an epidemic of drug abuse,” he said. “Studies have shown that vaping and drinking are the initial steps that some of these people end up using more hardcore substances. We want to educate, and we want to prevent any more people becoming dependent on any sort of substances.”

These patterns carry significant health risks. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, vaping and smoking harm adolescent brain development, negatively impact mental health, and can lead to long-term lung damage.

“I've worked with a number of students who after just a year or two of vaping, they’re vaping to the point where they've quit sports because they feel they can no longer run,” said Birkenstock. “So they're seeing a huge health impact. They're dealing with the throes of addiction very young to something that they thought was healthy, or not a risk at all.”

“When you put a kid in the audience, and they can hear it from the experts, I think it has a real significant impact,” Clavin said. “This is educational for a child to be able to say ‘No,'’ and they'll know the reasons why. To me, if you get one kid to have that mindset, then any of these programs are a success.”

The format of these events facilitates back-and-forth dialogues among parents, kids, and experts, so members of the community can ask questions and share their concerns. The seminars will also help learn the signs that their child is partaking in drugs, vaping or alcohol, and how to have productive conversations — not confrontations — with them.

“The biggest and most important thing to do is to be open and honest with your child,” Birkenstock said. “To say, ‘Hey, this is what I'm seeing, this is what I'm noticing. This is what I'm worried about.’”

Young people will learn more than the mental and physical risks associated with underage drinking and vaping — they’ll also learn how to avoid drugs and alcohol during parties and other common situations, so they can stay safe while still having fun and being social.

“Kids are going to make their own choices, for better or worse,” Birkenstock said. “So if a kid's going to go out to a party, we want them to feel prepared to have a safe, fun, healthy time.”

Birkenstock added: “We still have too many young people losing their futures and their lives through addiction and overdose. It’s about solving the problem before it starts, and helping kids and the community to lead healthier lives and make healthier choices.”

For more resources to help yourself or loved ones stay safe from alcohol or drug dependence, visit The Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence’s website at Licadd.org.