Severe nicotine addiction: Dutch teens waking up at night to vape

Many Dutch teenagers are so addicted to nicotine through vaping that it wakes them up at night, according to a new study conducted by Dutch doctors. They asked teenagers at five secondary schools whether they vape and how often. A third of those who indicated that they vaped or smoked in the past year said that they wake up at night to take a few puffs from their vape, RTL Nieuws reports.

The doctors surveyed 978 teenagers from five secondary schools across the country. 396 indicated that they smoked or vaped in the past year, 183 of whom did so daily. 133 teenagers said that they vape at night.

Physician-researcher Daphne Raad of the Leyden Academy knowledge institute called that a shockingly high number. "In previous conversations with young people, we sometimes heard that they lie awake at night because they want to vape. We thought these were exceptions. We're now very surprised that so many teenagers are affected," she told the broadcaster. “We’re very concerned about this, because it indicates serious nicotine addiction in young teenagers. It’s very painful to see, because you know that some of them will remain addicted for the rest of their lives.”

Lillian Goossen, the lead practitioner at WeQuit, a healthcare practice focused on helping people stop vaping, called it “very distressing” that teenagers are having cravings strong enough to wake them up at night. “Previously, we only saw that in very heavy smokers, but not in children,” she told the broadcaster.

“That’s partly because vaping is so easy. There’s no barrier anymore,” Goossen said. “They put the vape within reach, for example, under their pillow. If they then take a few puffs at night, the craving goes away, and they can go back to sleep.”

Beyond the fact that vaping is bad for your health, addiction comes with its own set of daily challenges, Goossen said. Addicts feel constantly restless, struggle to concentrate, are agitated, have less emotional control, and are more likely to get depressed and anxious.

“It’s always important that you, as a teacher or parent, understand that these symptoms are part of the addiction,” she said. “You shouldn’t get angry with the child or punish them, but share your concerns and talk openly with them about it.”