E-cigarette devices are not difficult to come by. A program on how and why children are experimenting with, and sometimes becoming addicted to, these products will be offered at Trackside and Wilton Library.
Mark Mulligan / Staff photographerWILTON — Students, parents and concerned community members have two opportunities next week to attend the discussion “Vaping: What You Need to Know,” which will explore how and why children as young as elementary school are experimenting with, and sometimes becoming addicted to, these new products.
An evening program will be held Monday, Jan. 13, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Trackside Teen Center, 15 Station Road.
A morning program will be presented Wednesday, Jan. 15, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at Wilton Library, 137 Old Ridgefield Road.
E-cigarettes and other vaping devices took off in 2009, but there has not been much information available about their ingredients or safety until recently. As millions of people have adopted these products, the consequences of regular use are starting to come to light.
Student members of Wilton Youth Council’s Youth to Youth club at Wilton High School (previously Warrior Council) have partnered with Newport Academy, Trackside Teen Center, and the Wilton Library to present “Vaping: What You Need to Know” with Elizabeth Jorgensen of Insight Counseling in Ridgefield.
“Some kids are able to quit vaping when they understand that it is important to their parents, but when the child has an underlying disorder, like unmanaged anxiety, then they really do need help to quit,” says Jorgensen. “I have seen vast rates of addiction, particularly in the kids who are most vulnerable. Anxiety disorders are epidemic, and nicotine is one of the oldest effective, short-term anti-anxiety agents that exist. It’s terrible, and causes all kinds of problems. But when kids become addicted, it’s because they have found a way to manage anxiety and perhaps other issues.”
Jorgensen will address common parent questions such as what the most popular devices look like and how they are used, and how to talk with teens about these products and intervene, if necessary. She will share the current research on the risks of vaping, including its potential to serve as a gateway to alcohol, opioid or THC abuse.
Visit wiltonyouth.org for more information and contact Genevieve Eason at geason@wiltonyouth.org with questions.
Registration is recommended. For the evening event on Jan. 13, visit https://vapingwhatyouneedtoknow.eventbrite.com/
Register for the morning Jan. 15 event at www.wiltonlibrary.org/events or by calling 203-762-6334.