For months now, we have been hearing about a bridge effect between electronic cigarettes and tobacco among adolescents. To learn more about the relationship our children can have with e-cigarettes, John Rosemond, a psychologist specializing in the family answers the parents and gives his expert opinion.
MY CHILD USES AN E-CIGARETTE, WHAT SHOULD I DO?
John Rosemond had to answer a parent's question as a family psychologist: “ I found an electronic cigarette hidden in my 13 year old son's room and I'm a little confused about how to react. He is very easily influenced and wants to look "cool" to adjust with other children. Any help would be appreciated. «
John Rosemond's analysis : No matter what my answer is, it's one of those occasional questions that will get me to have a group of people searching for my house with pitchforks and torches.
At the risk of being rushed anyway, I will share some objective facts, starting with the many surrounding speculations. Currently, science has not yet found a specific health risk from the use of e-cigarettes. The other fact is nicotine addiction. . There is no doubt that some people believe that nicotine causes various cancers, including lung cancer, but again, and it is a fact, it is smoking that is bad because tars present become carcinogenic when burned and inhaled. The Nicotine alone does not cause lung cancer.
Let there be no doubt that nicotine is an addictive drug (although the strength of its addictive effect varies from person to person). However, if tobacco is removed from the equation, nicotine addiction cannot be reliably associated with a specific risk to health or behavior.
As a group, the nicotine "addicts" are not known for stealing from traders or snatching handbags from elderly women in order to get a dose. There are no murders associated with nicotine addiction and neither does South American cartel of nicotine. In the end, nicotine remains a relatively benign addiction. However, and it is important to say this, no addiction is a good thing, and there is a risk of overdosing with nicotine.
We can also talk about studies that found that nicotine had positive effects on cognitive functioning and appeared to be a kind of "vitamin for the brain". For example, the use of nicotine is associated with lower rates of Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and other forms of neurological degeneration.
Right now, the most worrying thing about e-cigarettes is the risk of explosion. As with everything, the cheaper your e-cigarette, the more likely it is to malfunction. Needless to say, in the case of 
your son we are probably talking about an inexpensive model.
On the other hand, let me be clear, I am not rejecting your concerns. I'm just saying that if you do all you can to stop your son from vaping and he remains determined to get around your ban, the world won't end. After all, he could have been trained by a group to drink alcohol, smoke marijuana, or use other illicit or even prescribed drugs. If you don't see an alarming change in his mood or behavior, then he's not likely to consume anything other than nicotine e-liquid.
When it comes to adolescents, parents need to accept that the limits of their influence and confidence have diminished and that the discipline implemented so far could effectively deter anti-social and self-destructive behavior. Some experimentation is likely during the teenage years especially with boys. You should know that dyears many, if not most cases, experimentation does not go further than that.
But above all, if you want to address this issue, do it without passion. You can and should confiscate your son's e-cigarette by letting him know that until we are certain of the safety of the vape, you would be quite irresponsible to let him. Let him know that there will be consequences if you find a new e-cigarette in his possession. Also, try to find out if the group that initiated it is experimenting with riskier things than vaping. If so, then you should do everything to limit his contact with them, knowing that the attempt to ban teenage relationships carries its own risks.
As your question illustrates, sometimes the only thing a parent can do when facing a problem is to stay calm and continue to be "friendly", loving, and always approachable.
