Stealth Vaping ...it's a thing
Stealth Vaping is a term used for vaping in a secretative or discreet manner with the aim to avoid detection. It is fast becoming more popular amongst vapers that want to or perhaps can’t stop themselves vaping in areas that vaping is not allowed. In many cases it is even being considered an “art form” amongst vapers.
Within Australia, vapes and e-cigarettes are classed under the Tobacco and Other Smoking Products Act 1998 (the Act) and at state levels they’re subject to that states smoking laws.
It is currently illegal to sell, purchase or use a nicotine containing vapes or vape/e juice product without a prescription from a Medical Professional. Many public spaces, organisations and workplaces ban vaping and e-cigarette use and this is primarily to help encourage smokers to quit, discourage people from taking up smoking/vaping especially the normalisation of smoking to young people, and protect others from second-hand smoke exposure and in the case of Vapes, third-hand exposure.
Common places where vaping is banned:
Airplanes
Government property grounds
Public transportation
Theaters
Hospitals
Schools
The increase in vaping amongst Australians and particularly young people as shown in the National Drug Strategy Household Survey 2019 is making it difficult for vapers to find socially acceptable space to carry out use. It’s no surprise the challenge laid down for even more creative ways to deceive and mask use, has well and truly been taken up by Vape company’s and users worldwide. Enter Stealth Vaping and it’s getting big.
Whilst many Vape Company’s and online sites are careful to not promote actively flaunting the smoking laws in their articles to ready learners, carefully constructing language to first understand the risks of breaking a particular law and weighing up the possible consequence the user may face e.g. penalties/outcomes to vaping on an airplane compared to within your school. Box for not getting directly sued by a reader ….ticked!
Then in the next paragraph move on to recommend the best devices and the inhaling, holding and breathing techniques that can help them develop their technique to artform status. There are literally hundreds of youtube and online tutorials on how to stealth vape and avoid detection in areas it’s not allowed.
Stealth Vaping must knows
Here’s some things you should know about stealth vaping techniques:
Usually small devices like Disposable Vapes are used (with the hint that the smaller the device the less vapour it produces)
Ensuring any lights on the devices are covered. The device is held tightly enclosed within the users hand and held closely to their mouth to cover any lights or visual evidence of the device itself.
Small puffs are taken, the longer the draw the more vapour produced
Exhalation is long and slow in a downward direction from pursed lips
Stealth vaping is not 100% invisible and that’s where you move to next level, Zero Vaping. This is the ultimate of clandestine vaping, Zero vaping is where the vaper draws on the device and no vapour is then visable on exhale.
Zero Vaping
What you should know about Zero Vaping techniques:
Only small devices are used and are completely disguised within the fist of the user. All sounds and lights are thus muted and covered
Small puff , then taking several small sips of air still holding back the exhale, after this is repeated a few times the user exhales with no or very little vapour present
Small puff, then drawing deep within the lungs and holding for as long as possible before exhaling
There are deep concerns over these methods and arguably the least being the reckless drive to encourage more and more youth to conceal their use and deceive their loved ones around them. Holding on to the vapour for longer periods of time exposes the users lungs and body to more intense exposure to chemicasl including Nicotine, Heavy Metals and various other harmful chemicals found in vapes. This increases the users risk of damage to their bodies and both short-term and long-term health risks including addiction, lung and heart disease and cancer.
What can you do?
What can you do if you’re engaging with young people you think may be at risk?
Education - stay educated on the latest evidence and facts so you are prepared for conversations. This doesn’t mean you have to research for hours but stay in touch, even just basic understanding is a start than none when faced with a situation.
Be open and make no assumptions - have open conversations with young people seeking their understanding on vaping and encouraging conversation. If you haven’t seen hard evidence (ie you’ve caught them vaping) but have suspicions then be mindful to not accuse, although you will know your young person really well, sometimes our fear can change our perception of reality and then sometimes your intuition is bang on. Openess to talk encourages self-reflection and disclosure.
Non-judgmental - being aware of when judgmental attitude can colour a conversation and avoiding that, will greatly increase trust and reduce the “wall going up” with a young person
You can’t “fix” it - understand a person will make their own choices and ultimately reap their own consequences both good and bad. There is not one thing you can say or do that will fix the situation. However having conversations based on facts can help that person within their decision making process, whether that’s right now, months or years down the track.
Don’t embellish - everything is available on the internet. If you are making a statement then make sure its factual and you can back it up. Over exaggerating risks or harms (don’t get me wrong they are significant where vaping is concerned) will lose trust. Pointing someone to the evidence is helpful (bookmark some of those articles/papers on your phone in preparation)
Keep the feedback to the behaviour/health impact - if you’re noticing changes in the person then ensure all your feedback is reinforcing your genuine care and concern for them and focusing on the issue not them as a person. If we tell them they’re “bad” or “we thought they were smarter than this” for example, once again we’re going to lose trust and the walls go up. Switch it out to something like “I really care about you and I’ve noticed you’re not as active as you usually are and there’s this throat clearing thing. How are you actually feeling? What do you think might be causing this? I’d like to help you get back to your healthier self”
About NotEvenOnce Projects Australia
NotEvenOnce Projects Australia (NEO), has been delivering evidence based Alcohol & other Drug (AOD) education to schools, school staff, parents and communities since 2015. NEO is connected to Teen Challenge Australia who are specialists in working with individuals and families with active life-controlling addictions such as substance, within residential rehabilitiation centres since 1970. Our seminars incorporate the latest scientific & medical evidence on AOD use, particularly its impact on the developing adolescent brain and interweave real-life professional and at times personal experience in this field to bring the choices and consequences young people face to life. NEO has now delivered to over 87000 young people around Australia and our highly interactive, cognitive & affective domain education incursions have been proven by Western Sydney Universities evaluation of our program outcomes to positively impact young people in the way they think and act within the AOD scene. To learn more visit our webite here or make an enquiry and discuss how we may be able to assist you in this field.
