‘I’d have phone in one hand, vape in the other’: Youth addicted to vapes gets help to quit habit

SINGAPORE - For five years since he was 17 years old, the three things Adam (not his real name) could not leave home without were his phone, wallet and vape.

Introduced to vaping by his friends as an alternative to smoking, Adam said: “I would vape almost daily. Sometimes it was because I was bored, and other times because I felt stressed.

“It became such a habit that if I didn’t have one hand on my phone and the other hand holding my vape, I would feel strange.”

In January, Adam, now 22, contacted Impart, a non-profit organisation that helps young people with their struggles, including addiction to vaping.

Constantly coughing after vaping made the Institute of Technical Education student wonder what might happen if he continued vaping. He said: “I wanted to quit, but did not know how to. I no longer bring my vape out. But it is not easy to completely stop overnight.”

While vaping is illegal here, the Ministry of Health and the Health Sciences Authority said in July that those who voluntarily seek support for quitting

will not face any penalties for doing so

. 

Adam is one of more than 10 young people so far in 2025 who have contacted Impart for help to quit vaping.

Its co-founder and executive director, Mr Narasimman Tivasiha Mani, said most of these young people, aged 14 to 24, had sought help since July 13, when

ST launched its anti-vaping campaign called Vaping: The Invisible Crisis

.

Mr Narasimman said: “In the past month, there’s been a lot more data and many more news articles on vaping. This awareness is very powerful because it’s shaping how young people think about vaping.”

In 2023 and 2024, fewer than five young people contacted Impart annually to get help for their vaping addiction, he added.

Mr Narasimman said: “It’s starting to sink in that vaping is bad for their health. Many thought vaping was a way to make them feel better about their problems, but it actually made them feel worse.”

For those who sought help at Impart, Mr Narasimman suggested to them that they keep occupied with hobbies like sports, and set realistic guidelines on how they can wean themselves off vaping.

He said: “It’s a process that takes time. But when these young people voluntarily seek help to stop vaping, half the battle is won, because it is they who want to change.”

That was the case for Johnny (not his real name).

The engineering student, 21, who works part-time as a food deliveryman, used Kpods in February after acquaintances urged him to try it.

Kpods contain the powerful anaesthetic drug etomidate, which is intended for use to induce sedation during medical procedures and not meant to be inhaled.

When vaped, etomidate enters the lungs directly, potentially triggering spasms, breathing difficulties, seizures and even psychosis.

Said Johnny: “In April, I started vaping every day when I got stressed. I saw it as a form of escapism, but it didn’t help me escape anything. I kept telling myself I would not let this habit go on for long, but it was tough to stop.”

His parents discovered his addiction due to his slurred speech.

He said: “I threw my vape away and got help. At first, I was nervous about coming clean, that I would be reported and arrested.

“But that never happened. I admitted I needed help, and that makes me believe that those who struggle like I did can stop, too.”