Off Campus Living

Welcome to Off-Campus Living's original content page! This page is entirely dedicated to the work, projects, and writing that our staff of Liaisons has put on throughout the years. These videos, articles, or recipes produced are supposed to be timeless for UMN students, so feel free to check out the content that makes our office unique and dedicated to serving your off-campus needs!

Hi folks, we at Off-Campus Living have pulled together a campaign that will promote resources, alternatives, and ways for you to tackle the menace of vaping. We have partnered with Boynton Health and have shared a 10 part series with something new that will help you fight this problem. Share it with your friends who need it and watch this space for more.

Post 1:

Hi folks, Thank you for the great responses and connections in our first post in the Vaping Risks campaign! We at OCL and Boynton Health are here to help you in finding a solution to Vaping. It is important for you to know that you are not alone in this and that people all across the nation are fighting the same problem! Thus, this week we are sharing a few statistics which not only highlight the magnitude of this addiction but also certain misconceptions regarding the vaping in general.

1. Contrary to popular beliefs, Juul Pods contain as much nicotine as 20 regular cigarettes. IT IS NOT BETTER THAN CIGARETTES.
2. About 31% of young people are likely to start smoking because of E-Cigs. It is a gateway drug to smoking.
3. More importantly, 66% of people say that they use E-Cigs for flavoring.
4. Lastly, 13.7% say do they do not know why they use E-Cigs. This too highlights the peer pressure factor leading to vaping which we will be cover in the future weeks.

Share this with your friends and loved ones to let them know they are not the only ones in this. We will be back for more next week!

(Statistics via drugabuse.gov)

Post 2:

Hey folks! Thank you for all the connections and responses to our second post in our Anti-Vaping campaign! There are a few more statistics that we thought are important for students to know and understand, especially when it comes to misinformation regarding E-Cigarettes.

1. Many students do not know that Juul Pods contain as much nicotine as 20 regular cigarettes.
2. It is also true that a majority of E-cigarette users are from the age of 15-24 and a majority of people do not know it contains nicotine.
3. E-cigarette use among young adults in the U.S. jumped 46.2% between 2017 and 2018 which is making inroads among 18- to 24 year-olds as it has among teens.
4. Some e-cigarette labels do not disclose that they contain nicotine and some e-cigarettes marketed as containing 0% nicotine have been found to contain nicotine.

Thank you for reading and please share this with your friends and let them know we are all in this together! We will be back next week with another post!

Sources:
http://missingitmn.org/?gclid=CjwKCAjwxLH3BRApEiwAqX9areOfG0QF6UqpNf1xwIbNyBZtWdUDkQnmNrmKZ-zYdHatoiZipyQkERoCeS8QAvD_BwE
https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/e-cigarettes/Quick-Facts-on-the-Risks-of-E-cigarettes-for-Kids-Teens-and-Young-Adults.html
https://truthinitiative.org/research-resources/emerging-tobacco-products/e-cigarettes-facts-stats-and-regulations
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-09-e-cig-percent-young-adults-year.html

Post 3:

Hey folks! Thank you for all the connections and responses to our latest posts on our Anti-Vaping campaign! This week we want to focus on the addiction risk of Vaping. As we said in previous posts, some students do not at the moment know that E-cigarettes can cause addiction. There are questions you can ask yourself to know if you are addicted.

1. Do you continue to vape even though you want to stop or think it’s hurting you in some way?
2. Do thoughts about vaping interrupt you when you are focused on other activities?
3. Do you feel anxious or irritable when you want to use your vape but can’t?
4. Have you ever tried to stop vaping but couldn’t?
5. Do you Vape under stressful circumstances? If so, write down which circumstances contribute to your stress.

There are of course more questions that can be asked to determine if you are experiencing addiction. We have partnered with Boynton Health and we are here to help you anytime! Thank you and stay tuned for our next post!

Source: https://teen.smokefree.gov/quit-vaping/vaping-addiction-nicotine-withdrawal

photo credit: https://knighthoodstudio.com/

Post 4:

Hey folks! This week we started talking about addiction and how that can be caused by E-cigarettes. Another important topic that we wanted to talk about this week is the symptoms of withdrawal. This happens when you try to quit something that is addicting. Some symptoms include:

1. Feeling irritable, restless, or jittery
2. Having headaches
3. Increased sweating
4. Feeling sad or down
5. Feeling anxious
6. Feeling tired or groggy
7. Having trouble thinking or concentrating, as well as sleeping

These are a few symptoms of nicotine withdrawal from using E-cigarettes. There are more symptoms and more conditions to put into consideration and speaking with the professionals at Boynton can help you at any time! Share this to whom it may help. Thank you, and stay tuned for our next post!

Source: https://teen.smokefree.gov/quit-vaping/vaping-addiction-nicotine-withdrawal

Post 5:

Hey folks! This week we want to bring your attention to a program hosted by Boynton Health - The Tobacco Cessation Coaching Program. It helps people trying to give up vaping or other tobacco-related habits. All someone needs to do is call Boynton at 612-625-3222 and schedule an appointment and they will be walked through the telehealth process. Once scheduled, one of the coaches will set up a zoom meeting and email the invite.
Please reach out to your friends about this opportunity. Thank you and see you next week with another post!

Post 6:

Hi everyone. This week we are going to highlight the several reasons that can lead people to vape. The motive of this post is to help you understand that there are several common factors like peer pressure and major misconceptions that can play a major role in a person vaping. We found the following statistics mentioning the reasons people vape:

1. Around 39% of the people vape because someone in their family does it.
2. More than 17% of people believe that using vape is a healthier option than using other forms of tobacco.
3. Several people (around 31 percent) people vape because of the availability of several flavors like chocolate and mint.
4. Several students also vape to reduce stress and make themselves feel less lonely and sad.
5. Vaping is also practiced by several individuals as a way to kill boredom.

Please feel free to share these posts with your friends and we will be back soon with more resources that you can use to fight this addiction.

Resources:

1. Truth Initiative:

https://truthinitiative.org/research-resources/emerging-tobacco-products/3-main-reasons-youth-use-e-cigarettes

1. Boynton Health Focus Group Summary (Published April 12, 2020)

“Focus Group Summary: Vaping among First-Year Students at the U"

Post 7:

Hey folks, this week we want to talk about other resources that are available to students about trying to quit vaping or smoking nicotine. Boynton Health is a great resource but if you are unable to contact them, there are some state and national resources you can use.

State:

- QUITPLAN Services provided by ClearWay Minnesota supports nearly 200,000 Minnesotans looking to quit addiction for free. Reach out to them at 1-888-354-PLAN (7526)
- Free quitting medications and counseling are available to all Minnesotans by visiting Quit

Partner or by calling 1-800-QUIT-NOW (784-8669). Link: https://www.quitpartnermn.com/

National:

- Try the countrywide helpline: If you use tobacco, it’s never too late to quit. For free help, visit smokefree.gov icon or call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (800-784-8669)

- Try online chat with a health expert: Try the National Cancer Institute’s LiveHelp online chat. You will be connected with a trained specialist who can answer your questions and give you information about quitting smoking. It is available Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to – 9:00 p.m. Link: https://livehelp.cancer.gov/app/chat/chat_launch

Sources:

https://teen.smokefree.gov/quit-vaping/how-to-quit-vaping

https://teen.smokefree.gov/become-smokefree/tools-for-quitting

http://clearwaymn.dreamhosters.com/quitting/

https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/tobacco/ecigarettes/health.html

Post 8:

Hey folks, This week we are sharing how to quit vaping and the steps that go with it. There are many aspects and steps that go with quitting, for example, managing nicotine withdrawals, how to deal with the vape cravings, and tools you can use to help you quit.

Below are some websites that can guide you through the process:

1. What are the tools one can use to stop vaping: https://teen.smokefree.gov/become.../tools-for-quitting
   2. How to prepare yourself to quit: https://teen.smokefree.gov/become.../get-ready-to-quit
   3. How to deal with vape cravings: https://teen.smokefree.gov/quit.../deal-with-vape-cravings

Please share this with your friends and see you next week!

Post 9:

"Peer pressure as long as it is promoting healthy competition should be promoted, but when it is used for vaping and similar practices, one cannot stop but point out how severely it is affecting our youth." -Jack Fisher

Hello everyone, this week we would like to talk about Vaping and peer pressure and how to tackle it. Below are some ways to tackle peer pressure:

- Re-evaluate your friend group
- Think about social/school consequences
- Consider health consequences
- Think if it is worth it
- Consider the long-term consequences
- Offer a valid excuse

These are just some ideas to think about when it comes to peer pressure and some ways to get out of peer pressure. Friends can be the strongest influence when it comes to
risky behavior, such as vaping. It is important to think about what decisions you are making every day and to realize if each decision expresses you. Thank you and please share this with your friends, we will be back soon! (if you want to hear other people's stories we encourage you to look at our sources page)!

Sources:
https://eurweb.com/.../vaping-amongst-youth-and-peer.../
https://blog.chocchildrens.org/teen-advisers-offer-tips.../
https://tafttribune.org/.../cul.../vaping-and-peer-pressure/

Post 10:

This week we wanted to talk about how to have a conversation with your friends or family who you think might be addicted to vaping. This can be a key area, as no one likes being judged and one has to be careful about how you approach this conversation and what you talk about as it may do more harm than good. Here are a few tips, on how you should have the conversation:

1. Explain the health risks, because some kids really don't know.

Surprisingly, there's a widespread misconception among teens that vaping is safe. "Two-thirds of kids didn't realize Juul always has nicotine," says Robin Koval, CEO of Truth Initiative, a public health organization focused on ending tobacco use.
"Many of them started vaping thinking it was just great flavors and water vapor. They certainly didn't sign up to become addicted."
Dr. Suchitra Krishnan-Sarin, a psychiatrist at Yale University, who specializes in teenage substance abuse, says when it comes to some ingredients, "we don't really know the long term effect on your health." She says the advice she gives her own son is: "Don't put something in your body if you don't know what's in it."

1. Highlight vaping's ties to Big Tobacco

Elsa Pearson, a policy analyst at Boston University, "Kids don't see [vaping] as harmful — they see it as very different from smoking cigarettes,"

1. Get Their Perspective

Finding out what adolescents already know and think about vaping, or any other hazardous behavior (getting a perspective instead of just rushing them with facts will lead to a better conversation about Vaping).

If you want to further help your friends with resources that are available for them to tackle this addiction, please check out our past posts or click on this link http://ocl.umn.edu/about-us/ocl-original-content/

Sources:
https://www.npr.org/.../how-to-talk-to-teens-about-vaping
https://www.nytimes.com/.../how-to-talk-with-teenagers...