E-Cigarettes, Julia D’Elia ENBY, Dot Grossman…………………………………………………………………………101

E-Cigarettes

Julia D’Elia

E-cigarettes are an alternative to smoking combustible cigarettes, but it is important to recognize the danger and threat these products pose to adolescents. When analyzing e-cigarettes concerning adolescence, it is crucial to look at how these devices impact adolescents' health. E-cigarettes contain many harmful substances such as nicotine which is a highly addictive substance that can negatively impact brain development for adolescents and those in their mid to early twenties. Before understanding the impacts of e-cigarettes one ought to recognize and understand the devices themselves. Note that e-cigarettes are electronic devices that come in many different forms; most are battery-operated and have a heating element that heats the liquids to make an aerosol which is then inhaled. E-cigarettes are called many things but many young people including adolescents refer to them as vapes or vape pens. E-cigarettes do have flavoured pods, they can also be used for marijuana or other drugs. E-cigarettes come in a variety of flavours which makes them appealing to adolescents who do not want to smoke actual cigarettes. This is dangerous as e-cigarettes seem to be marketed towards adolescents as they are discrete, and many are used in school washrooms. A popular brand of e-cigarettes is JUUL which not only offers different flavours but also different skins to customize the look of the device. JUUL is also popular amongst students as it uses nicotine salts which gives the user a high intake of nicotine. Not all JUUL e-cigarettes contain nicotine but recognize that approximately two-thirds of people who use JUUL are between the ages of 15 and 24.

Note that e-cigarettes cause harm to the parts of the brain that manage one’s impulses, learning, attention, and mood. All of these aspects are already changing for adolescents as their brain develops, and the introduction of e-cigarettes only makes this development more difficult. Adolescents who then try to quit using e-cigarettes have a difficult time as they go through withdrawal, which in turn harms their mental health. These withdrawal symptoms include being irritable, depression, anxiety, problems sleeping and concentrating on tasks, as well as craving nicotine. When adolescents use e-cigarettes to combat or cope with their issues, it creates a vicious cycle where they now depend on it. Their withdrawal symptoms will improve over time but the long-term effects of the use of e-cigarettes are still not completely known. Understanding the term e-cigarettes is important to understand the experiences of young people as some use it to cope with their struggles with depression, stress, or anxiety. Others may turn to e-cigarettes as a way to fit in at school, and to be cool. E-cigarettes are popular amongst young people, and it is important to bring awareness to this as they may not know the potential health risks e-cigarettes present. Many believe that e-cigarettes are better than combustible cigarettes, however, both are very dangerous not only to their development but their mental health and wellbeing. Knowing what e-cigarettes are is important because if adolescents are using them, adults can provide them with alternate resources to help them cope with whatever they are dealing with.

References

ENBY

Dot Grossman

For my keyword assignment I chose the word ENBY. Enby is a phonetic spelling of the initials N.B., which is short for NONBINARY. So in some ways my keyword is three keywords, but it is also just three ways of referring to the same thing. Nonbinary referes to a person, or quality of a person, whose gender identity is located somewhere outside of the categories of male or female. Nonbinary is a word typically used in the West. First Nations folks in the West however, historically and currently use the word “Two-Spirit” to describe a type of gender identity and/or embodiment that is neither male or female specifically. Many other cultures around the world have their own terms and specific ways of understanding individuals who do not fall neatly into the gender binary. Enby is a term that is not only culturally specific to place but also to time. I personally identify as nonbinary but it is a word I have adopted for myself over time. I came out as “Genderqueer” and I still identify that way. Genderqueer is a word that was available to me at the time of my coming out. When I use it, it dates me, which is a cool (and sometimes not cool) thing that language can do. So, like many people, I may use language and identity markers selectively in unique contexts, to subtly different outcomes. We know that adolescence is a period of growth both physically and mentally in which youth go through many changes. Some of those changes refer to the process of becoming more sexually mature both physically and psychologically. We also know that much of the work of adolescence is about figuring out one’s unique identity, particularly as distinct from one's parents and caregivers. Gender identity and sexual orientation are two different things, but they do inform one another. So when hormones and puberty and sexual attraction feelings are on the rise, gender identity is bound to become very present as well. For all of these reasons, adolescence may very likely be a period in which one comes to understand and recognize themself as nonbinary. As queer genders become more talked about in the mainstream, we see younger and younger children coming to identify and express themselves as trans and/or nonbinary. Evenstill, I feel that the developmental stage of adolescence will always bring new meaning and implications to one’s gender identity, particularly those which deviate from the norm, because this is often when our gender identities become intimately relational. Words can help us know and express ourselves to others, two central tasks at the fore in adolescence. Nonbinary is an umbrealla term underwhich there are infinite unique ways of being. So much like Queer, Enby as a label has both the power to categorize a person in one way, and also remain almost completely non-restrictive or determinant at the same time. I think these words can be very helpful and important in a person’s development. Also, N.B, ENBY, nonbinary are truly quite specific key terms for the here and now.

SOURCES FOR FURTHER LEARNING

ACADEMIC:

Knutson, D., Koch, J. M., & Goldbach, C. (2019). Recommended terminology, pronouns, and documentation for work with transgender and non-binary populations. Practice Innovations, 4(4), 214–224. https://doi.org/10.1037/pri0000098 Carrie Paechter, Alex Toft & Anna Carlile (2021) Non-binary young people and schools: pedagogical insights from a small-scale interview study, Pedagogy, Culture & Society, 29:5, 695-713, DOI: 10.1080/14681366.2021.1912160 NON-ACADEMIC: (A rather adorable video of a trans/nonbinary youth asking and answering twenty questions related to their identity and inviting other nonbinary people to participate as well) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1xHOqpHkXU&ab_channel=AshtonDaniel (Dictionary (dot) com definition of the word “enby”) https://www.dictionary.com/e/gender-sexuality/enby/ (Wikapedia entry for “ non-binary gender” with links to related but distinct terms including “genderqueer” and “enby”) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-binary_gender