Stay in Control

Protect What Matters to You

You’re at an age where dreaming about your future is important. The decisions you make now can bring your dreams closer to realization — or push them further away. Choosing to use nicotine is choosing to limit your potential and jeopardize the goals that matter to you.

Don’t let nicotine hold you back.

What could nicotine cost you?

Vaping and nicotine don’t just hurt your lungs. They can affect your brain, mood, energy, sleep, focus, heart, and overall health. Some effects aren’t obvious right away, but nicotine can change how your body and mind function over time. Explore the sections below to see how vaping can affect your life in ways you might not expect.

What matters to you?

Sports

Nicotine can get in the way of your game.

It can affect the focus, stamina, energy, and control you need to train hard, recover well, and show up ready for your team.

Grades

Nicotine can make it harder to stay focused.

It can affect attention, learning, mood, and impulse control, which all matter when you need to study, remember information, and make smart choices at school.

Friends & Family

Nicotine use can affect the people around you, too.

Smoke, vape aerosol, and leftover residue can expose friends and family to harmful toxins. Nicotine dependence can also affect trust, mood, and how you show up for the people who care about you.

Money

It adds up quickly: Buying vapes, pods, or nicotine products regularly can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars each year.

The money spent on buying vapes, pods, e-liquids, or other nicotine products could instead be saved or spent on things you enjoy, like clothes, hobbies, entertainment, travel, or a car.

Mental Health

Nicotine can increase stress and anxiety over time, make it harder to focus without it, and lead to irritability or mood changes when the effects wear off.

While nicotine may provide a brief feeling of relaxation, it can actually increase stress and anxiety over time. It can also make it harder to concentrate without nicotine, disrupt your mood, and lead to cravings, irritability, and difficulty managing emotions as dependence develops.

Art & Creativity

Nicotine cravings can distract your mind, making it harder to stay inspired, focused, and creative.

While some people think nicotine helps them focus, dependence can actually interrupt creative thinking by making your brain focus on cravings instead of ideas. Over time, it can also affect mood, concentration, and motivation—all of which play a role in creativity.

Body & Appearance

Nicotine can damage your skin, teeth, breath, and overall health, making it harder for your body to look and feel its best.

Nicotine raises your heart rate and blood pressure, reduces blood flow, and makes it harder for your body to heal. Over time, it can lead to dull or prematurely aging skin, stained teeth, bad breath, and reduced athletic performance, affecting both how you feel and how you look.

Style & Self-Expression

Nicotine can become part of your image before you mean for it to.

Vaping can affect how you express yourself and how others see you. Nicotine dependence may make a product, habit, or craving feel tied to your identity or social life, instead of letting your individuality and self-expression speak for themselves.

Freedom & Independence

Nicotine cravings can take control of your time, choices, and daily routine.

Nicotine dependence can make you feel like you need to vape to get through the day. Cravings can control when and where you go, how you spend your money, and how you feel, making it harder to make choices independently.

Environment

Vapes are toxic waste that is harmful to the environment and nearly impossible to recycle.

Disposable vapes are considered toxic waste and contain batteries, plastics, and leftover nicotine that can contaminate the environment. When tossed in the trash or littered, they can leak toxic chemicals into the environment, contribute to plastic pollution, and pose risks to wildlife and ecosystems.

Leadership & Reputation

Your choices can influence how others see you and the example you set for those around you.

Nicotine dependence can influence how others see you and may make it harder to set a positive example. Your choices can impact your credibility, leadership, and the influence you have on friends, teammates, classmates, or younger peers.

Future & Opportunities

Nicotine can affect many areas of your life, prohibiting you from reaching your full potential.

Nicotine dependence can make it harder to reach your goals by affecting your health, focus, finances, and performance. It may limit opportunities in sports, school, work, or careers with nicotine-free requirements, while the time and money spent on nicotine can take away from investing in your future.

Take the Next Step

Be the friend who leads the way. Become a TNSTRONG Ambassador or explore resources that help you make informed choices and influence others for the better.

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