My Vaping Mistake: How it affected my mental health | AwesomenessTV

Summary

This powerful video transcript delves into the struggles of addiction, mental health, and self-discovery. A young person shares their journey with vaping, from the initial escape it seemed to offer to the overwhelming negative impacts it had on their life. They reflect on the mental and emotional toll it took—decreased focus, deteriorating relationships, and heightened anxiety. The narrative reveals their transformation, from addiction to reclaiming control over their life through healthier outlets like journaling, biking, and crafting. Ultimately, the story is one of resilience, growth, and a desire for self-pride despite the hardships faced.

Takeaways

• 😀 Vaping became a major part of the speaker's life, affecting their daily routines and emotional state.
• 😀 Vaping led to a decline in focus, with the speaker's grades dropping and their mental health deteriorating.
• 😀 The speaker recognizes the difference between what they deserve and what they wanted, including forgiveness for past mistakes.
• 😀 Mental health struggles, particularly anxiety, led the speaker to start vaping as an escape, which ultimately worsened their anxiety and sadness.
• 😀 Vaping created anger, sadness, and more anxiety, which was the opposite of what the speaker expected.
• 😀 The speaker developed a habit of using their vape before and during school, becoming paranoid about being caught and judged.
• 😀 Addiction to vaping led the speaker to prioritize it over everything else, including relationships and personal well-being.
• 😀 The speaker realized they had hurt a friend while obsessed with getting their vape back, which made them reflect on their actions and the person they had become.
• 😀 Before vaping, the speaker was happy and outgoing, but the addiction turned them into a more angry, anxious, and closed-off person.
• 😀 The speaker felt isolated and detached, losing childhood friendships due to prioritizing vaping over others.
• 😀 To cope with their emotions, the speaker turned to journaling, biking, crafting, and other healthy outlets instead of relying on vaping.

Q & A

What effect did vaping have on the person's ability to focus and perform academically?

Vaping made it harder for the individual to focus, which led to a drop in their grades. They were distracted and struggled to maintain their academic performance.

How did the individual feel about their mental health during their vaping experience?

The person struggled with mental health issues, particularly anxiety, which worsened with vaping. Vaping did not help with their anxiety, but rather exacerbated it, leading to more stress, anger, and sadness.

Why did the individual start vaping at the age of 13?

They started vaping as a way to escape feelings of overwhelm and stress. At the time, they believed vaping could help manage their anxiety and emotions.

How did vaping impact the individual’s relationships with others?

Vaping caused significant damage to their relationships. They became paranoid and withdrawn, and they once even lashed out at a friend who was going through a tough time, resulting in feelings of guilt and regret.

What changes did the individual notice in their personality after starting to vape?

The person became more angry, anxious, and one-dimensional, losing their bubbly and outgoing personality. Vaping took over, and they became disconnected from their emotions and from others.

How did the individual describe vaping in relation to their addiction?

They described vaping as manipulative and likened it to a ghost that haunts and takes over. Once addicted, they felt trapped in a downward spiral, struggling to break free.

What realization did the individual come to after experiencing the negative effects of vaping?

They realized that vaping had taken away their childhood friendships and that they had become self-centered, only caring about their own need to vape without considering the impact on others.

What strategies did the individual adopt to cope with their emotions and stress after quitting vaping?

They turned to journaling, physical activities like biking, and hobbies such as crafting, pottery, and axe throwing as healthier outlets for their anger and stress.

What did the individual find peaceful and therapeutic in their new lifestyle after quitting vaping?

Crafting and engaging in activities like pottery and axe throwing provided a sense of peace and a healthy way to release anger, offering an alternative to the destructive behavior of vaping.

How did the individual feel about overcoming their addiction at such a young age?

The individual felt proud and successful for overcoming their vaping addiction at a young age. They expressed a desire to finish high school feeling accomplished and proud of their personal growth.