Vaping causes brain fog, addiction, and serious health risks.
Vaping causes brain fog, addiction, and serious health risks.
Vaping Harms Start Right Away
It’s not just flavored water vapor.
Vaping can negatively affect your physical and mental health almost immediately.
What may feel like stress relief is often a cycle of nicotine cravings and withdrawal.
Nicotine in vapes can quickly impact:
Your Mental Health & Focus
- Anxiety and mood
Nicotine in vapes can increase stress, irritability, and mood swings. - Attention and focus
Nicotine in vapes can make it harder to concentrate and stay focused. - Memory and learning
Nicotine in vapes can affect memory and the ability to learn new information.
Your Sleep & Energy
- Difficulty sleeping
Nicotine in vapes can disrupt sleep and reduce sleep quality. - Low energy levels
Vaping can leave you feeling tired, fatigued, or low on energy.
Your Physical Health & Development
- Brain development
Nicotine harms the developing brain and increases risk of addiction. - Lung health
Vaping damages lungs and makes breathing harder over time. - Heart health
Nicotine in vapes increases your blood pressure, which negatively affects your heart and circulation.
Vaping Long-term Effects Still Unknown,
Cancer Risk Likely
Vapes (e-cigarettes) are still too new for any verified cases of cancer related to vaping. However, recent data suggest oral and lung cancer risk is greater among people who vape.
Safer Than Cigarettes? Not Really!
Research shows that vaping isn’t an effective way to quit smoking. In some cases, it can lead to an increase in nicotine use or experimenting with other substances because of nicotine dependence. Products labeled “tobacco-free” or “nicotine-free” often still contain nicotine or other harmful chemicals.
Many vaping products contain:
- Toxic chemicals like formaldehyde
- Lead and arsenic
- Cancer-causing substances
- Addictive nicotine
What is ‘Popcorn Lung’ and is it dangerous?
‘Popcorn lung’ is when the small airways in your lungs get scarred shut permanently, which causes breathing problems like coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath. Treatment can help slow the damage, but there is no cure.
Ready to Quit?
Addiction doesn’t always look obvious. Sometimes it’s difficult to recognize when you have a problem. Like when you reach for your vape without thinking about it or feeling stressed when you don’t have it.
Quitting isn’t as easy as just deciding to stop. If you’ve tried to quit and struggled, you’re not alone. For help, call 1-866-QUIT-YES or text ‘Start My Quit’ to 36072.
Fact vs. Myth
Myth
“Vaping is just flavored water vapor.”
Fact
Vape aerosols contain nicotine, toxic chemicals, lead, arsenic, and cancer-causing substances.
Myth
“Vaping helps with stress.”
Fact
Nicotine addiction can increase anxiety, irritability, and mood swings over time.
Myth
“Vaping is safer than smoking cigarettes.”
Fact
Vapes still include some of the same contaminants in tobacco smoke and aren’t safe.
Myth
“I can quit whenever I want.”
Fact
Nicotine is highly addictive, especially for teens and young adults whose brains are still developing.
Myth
“Nicotine-free vapes are safe.”
Fact
Even products labeled “nicotine-free” may contain harmful chemicals that can affect lung health.
Quitting Timeline
What Happens When You Quit?
The First 24 Hours
You may feel cravings and mood changes like anxiety, irritability, or sadness, but within an hour of quitting, your blood pressure starts to lower to a healthier level.
A few days
After a couple of days, withdrawal is often at its strongest. You may feel irritable, anxious, low, restless, have headaches, cravings, and trouble focusing or feeling “foggy,” as your body adjusts to being nicotine-free.
2 – 3 Weeks
Your circulation and breathing start to improve, lung function gets better, and you have a lower risk of heart attack. You may still notice some lingering irritability or low mood as your body fully adjusts.
1 Month
Lung function improves significantly, with less coughing and shortness of breath. You may notice better endurance and energy for physical activity. You may still experience mild brain fog, sleep issues, anxiety, or low mood as recovery continues.
1 Year
Your risk of heart disease is about half that of a smoker. Physical addiction and nicotine cravings are gone, and you may notice lower anxiety and stress as the cycle of dependence is broken.
5 – 10 Years
Your risk of stroke is now the same as that of a nonsmoker, and your risk of cancers of the mouth, throat, and esophagus is about half that of a smoker.
15 Years
Your risk of dying from lung cancer is about half that of a smoker, and your risk of bladder cancer is also cut in half, while your risk of cancers like cervical, larynx, kidney, and pancreatic cancer continues to decrease over time.
Campaign Resources
Vaping Quitting Support
Need Immediate Support?
Text “Start My Quit” to 36072 or call 1-866-QUIT-YES.
Resources for You and Your Friends
Whether you’re ready to quit, support someone else, or just want to learn more about vaping, the link below has tools and resources to help you along the way.
Updated June 25, 2026, 4:50 PM