When vaping first became popular at Gracie Mungulu’s school, she loudly declared that she found it just as disgusting as smoking.
‘I literally used to say things to people like, “Er, why are you doing that?”’ she says.
But Gracie says the habit became so widespread amongst her classmates that by the age of 16 she’d taken it up herself, although the first time she coughed rather than inhaled.
“The more you see it, the more often you find yourself reaching for the vape,” says Gracie. “In the end, I got so used to using it all the time.”
Now 21, Gracie buys a reusable vape cartridge every day and takes a puff whenever she’s not busy working at the hairdresser’s or studying.
According to a recent survey by the National
‘It’s the hand movements,’ she says, ‘just holding something in your hand, just holding something in your mouth.’
Like ordinary cigarettes, Gracie’s vape contains nicotine. This substance is highly addictive, and a lack of it in the body can lead to irritability, restlessness and other withdrawal symptoms.
Gracie says that vaping has become an ‘unconscious habit’ for her. When she answered a call from BBC News for this piece, she suddenly realised she was lying in bed with a vape in one hand and her Instagram feed in the other.
According to GP Helen Wall, many of her patients also describe their habit of regularly using vapes.
“It’s a kind of psychological dependence where a person uses something as a way of coping with their emotions,” she explains.
“It’s actually the adult version of a dummy.”
She says the process numbed her feelings and demotivated her.
Malin was so upset that she had become addicted to her banana ice-cream-flavoured vape that she gave it up in May this year.
“I was so annoyed that it was always in my hand that I ended up throwing it across the room,” she says.
Photo: publicity material
Alex from Manchester also gradually developed a habit of vaping. At first, she only used it occasionally during evening walks, but then she started bringing her vape home.
According to the 26-year-old woman, who asked not to be named, vaping later became an integral part of her daily life. I was lying in bed with my laptop in front of me and a vape in
‘From this, we can conclude that some people who vape would not otherwise have smoked,’ says Jackson.
Photo: Getty Images
General practitioner Helen Wall says that the widespread promotion of vapes has helped to create a false belief that they are ‘safe and non-addictive’.
Gracie believes that vape packaging should be as plain and unattractive as cigarette packets, because it creates a put-off effect.
“Instead, vapes come in lots of flavours and bright colours. That just makes them more appealing to people,” she says.
Although she says that vaping is considered far more socially acceptable amongst her generation than smoking, she finds her habit problematic and is considering giving it up to save money. However, for those who, like Gracie, started with vapes straight away, part of the programme has proved ineffective.
“Vapes were intended [by the NHS] solely as a replacement for cigarettes,” she says.