Vaping, Alcohol Use & Other Risky Youth Behaviors | Dr. Bonnie Halpern-Felsher

Andrew Huberman

Apr 22, 2024

Episode description

In this episode, my guest is Dr. Bonnie Halpern-Felsher, PhD, FSAHM. She is a professor of pediatrics and adolescent medicine and a developmental psychologist at Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Halpern-Felsher is a world expert in adolescent decision-making and risk-taking behaviors.

She explains the huge increase in vaping (e-cigarettes) by young people. She explains why vaping nicotine and cannabis is particularly dangerous to the developing brain. We discuss the rise in vaping addiction, the unique social pressures and social media influences faced by youth that make quitting challenging, and interventions to aid them in quitting or reducing use.

We also discuss the role of technology and social media. And, the use of alcohol, nicotine pouches, fentanyl, and other risky behaviors that adolescents face now.

This episode should interest parents, teachers, coaches, teens, and families. It covers the current youth substance use landscape and also covers resources and ways to quit these addictive behaviors.

Use Ask Huberman Lab, our new AI-powered platform, for a summary, clips, and insights from this episode: https://ai.hubermanlab.com/s/W2sUGXR7

Thank you to our sponsors
AG1: https://drinkag1.com/huberman
Eight Sleep: https://eightsleep.com/huberman
Mateina: https://drinkmateina.com/huberman
LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/huberman
Waking Up: https://wakingup.com/huberman
Momentous: https://livemomentous.com/huberman

Dr. Bonnie Halpern-Felsher
Stanford academic profile: https://stanford.io/3xMlA4E
Halpern-Felsher REACH Lab: https://stan.md/4aJvYsC
Publications: https://stanford.io/3JtytmN
Donate to the REACH Lab: https://bit.ly/49MQsiR
Tobacco Prevention Toolkit Resources: https://stan.md/3Q9l1Is
Cannabis Awareness & Prevention Toolkit: https://stan.md/3JrsD5x
Vaping Information, Solutions and Interventions Toolkit: https://stan.md/3Q7K66r
X: https://twitter.com/StanfordTPT
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stanfordreachlab
LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3w74JsP
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StanfordREACHLab

Articles
Association Between Youth Smoking, Electronic Cigarette Use, and COVID-19: https://bit.ly/4d8lWCP
Adolescents’ and Young Adults’ Use and Perceptions of Pod-Based Electronic Cigarettes: https://bit.ly/4d4PhOB
Adolescent (Mis)Perceptions About Nicotine Addiction: Results From a Mixed-Methods Study: https://bit.ly/4daeFCs
Nicotine Addiction and Intensity of e-Cigarette Use by Adolescents in the US, 2014 to 2021: https://bit.ly/4b1QZhS
Use, marketing, and appeal of oral nicotine products among adolescents, young adults, and adults: https://bit.ly/49Lp6d0
Adolescents’ and young adults’ perceptions of risks and benefits differ by type of cannabis products: https://bit.ly/4aI4SlH

Other Resources
Understanding and Preventing Youth Tobacco Use: A Focus on Vaping (Dr. Halpern-Felsher): https://youtu.be/VdOhYxu-CsQ?
Parents Against Vaping e-Cigarettes (PAVe): https://bit.ly/3vTVnke
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD): https://madd.org

Huberman Lab Episodes Mentioned
Nicotine's Effects on the Brain & Body & How to Quit Smoking or Vaping: https://youtu.be/uXs-zPc63kM
The Effects of Cannabis (Marijuana) on the Brain & Body: https://youtu.be/gXvuJu1kt48
Controlling Your Dopamine For Motivation, Focus & Satisfaction: https://youtu.be/QmOF0crdyRU
How to Breathe Correctly for Optimal Health, Mood, Learning & Performance: https://youtu.be/x4m_PdFbu-s

Timestamps
00:00:00 Dr. Bonnie Halpern-Felsher
00:01:40 Sponsors: Eight Sleep, Mateina & LMNT
00:05:38 Adolescence
00:09:19 Household Conflict, Parents; Smart Phones
00:12:35 Smart Phones & Social Media
00:18:25 Vaping, E-Cigarettes, Nicotine & Cannabis
00:23:46 Adolescent Nicotine Use: Marketing, Flavors
00:30:41 Sponsor: AG1
00:32:13 Nicotine Initiation, Freebase vs. Salt-Based Nicotine, Concentration
00:41:35 Addiction & Withdrawal; E-Cigarette Access
00:48:48 Vaping Health Hazards, Aldehydes, Flavors
00:56:32 Sponsor: Waking Up
00:57:48 “Just Say No”, Adolescent Defiance
01:04:21 Cannabis & Potency, Blunts, E-Cigarette Combinations
01:10:30 Psychosis, THC & Adolescence
01:14:11 Quitting Nicotine & Cannabis; Physical & Social Withdrawal Symptoms
01:23:05 Social Pressures, Quitting Vaping, Environment Concerns
01:30:08 Teen Activities, Social Media, Autonomy
01:36:28 Risky Behaviors, Alcohol, Driving, Sexual Behavior
01:43:27 International E-Cigarette Use, Regulation
01:46:10 Nicotine Pouches, Health Risks; Tolerance
01:53:25 Tools: Vaping Interventions, Decision Making, Harm Reduction
02:02:37 Fentanyl, Drug Testing, Recreational Drug Use
02:13:45 Tool: Organic Conversations & Risky Behavior
02:17:20 Long-Term Goals & Teens; Vaping, Pornography & Teens
02:24:08 Mental Health Crisis & Substance Use
02:29:11 Zero-Cost Support, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, YouTube Feedback, Momentous, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter

#HubermanLab #Science

Disclaimer: https://www.hubermanlab.com/disclaimer

Episode description

In this episode, my guest is Dr. Bonnie Halpern-Felsher, PhD, FSAHM. She is a professor of pediatrics and adolescent medicine and a developmental psychologist at Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Halpern-Felsher is a world expert in adolescent decision-making and risk-taking behaviors.

She explains the huge increase in vaping (e-cigarettes) by young people. She explains why vaping nicotine and cannabis is particularly dangerous to the developing brain. We discuss the rise in vaping addiction, the unique social pressures and social media influences faced by youth that make quitting challenging, and interventions to aid them in quitting or reducing use.

We also discuss the role of technology and social media. And, the use of alcohol, nicotine pouches, fentanyl, and other risky behaviors that adolescents face now.

This episode should interest parents, teachers, coaches, teens, and families. It covers the current youth substance use landscape and also covers resources and ways to quit these addictive behaviors.

Use Ask Huberman Lab, our new AI-powered platform, for a summary, clips, and insights from this episode: https://ai.hubermanlab.com/s/W2sUGXR7

Thank you to our sponsors
AG1: https://drinkag1.com/huberman
Eight Sleep: https://eightsleep.com/huberman
Mateina: https://drinkmateina.com/huberman
LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/huberman
Waking Up: https://wakingup.com/huberman
Momentous: https://livemomentous.com/huberman

Dr. Bonnie Halpern-Felsher
Stanford academic profile: https://stanford.io/3xMlA4E
Halpern-Felsher REACH Lab: https://stan.md/4aJvYsC
Publications: https://stanford.io/3JtytmN
Donate to the REACH Lab: https://bit.ly/49MQsiR
Tobacco Prevention Toolkit Resources: https://stan.md/3Q9l1Is
Cannabis Awareness & Prevention Toolkit: https://stan.md/3JrsD5x
Vaping Information, Solutions and Interventions Toolkit: https://stan.md/3Q7K66r
X: https://twitter.com/StanfordTPT
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stanfordreachlab
LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3w74JsP
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StanfordREACHLab

Articles
Association Between Youth Smoking, Electronic Cigarette Use, and COVID-19: https://bit.ly/4d8lWCP
Adolescents’ and Young Adults’ Use and Perceptions of Pod-Based Electronic Cigarettes: https://bit.ly/4d4PhOB
Adolescent (Mis)Perceptions About Nicotine Addiction: Results From a Mixed-Methods Study: https://bit.ly/4daeFCs
Nicotine Addiction and Intensity of e-Cigarette Use by Adolescents in the US, 2014 to 2021: https://bit.ly/4b1QZhS
Use, marketing, and appeal of oral nicotine products among adolescents, young adults, and adults: https://bit.ly/49Lp6d0
Adolescents’ and young adults’ perceptions of risks and benefits differ by type of cannabis products: https://bit.ly/4aI4SlH

Other Resources
Understanding and Preventing Youth Tobacco Use: A Focus on Vaping (Dr. Halpern-Felsher): https://youtu.be/VdOhYxu-CsQ?
Parents Against Vaping e-Cigarettes (PAVe): https://bit.ly/3vTVnke
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD): https://madd.org

Huberman Lab Episodes Mentioned
Nicotine's Effects on the Brain & Body & How to Quit Smoking or Vaping: https://youtu.be/uXs-zPc63kM
The Effects of Cannabis (Marijuana) on the Brain & Body: https://youtu.be/gXvuJu1kt48
Controlling Your Dopamine For Motivation, Focus & Satisfaction: https://youtu.be/QmOF0crdyRU
How to Breathe Correctly for Optimal Health, Mood, Learning & Performance: https://youtu.be/x4m_PdFbu-s

Timestamps
00:00:00 Dr. Bonnie Halpern-Felsher
00:01:40 Sponsors: Eight Sleep, Mateina & LMNT
00:05:38 Adolescence
00:09:19 Household Conflict, Parents; Smart Phones
00:12:35 Smart Phones & Social Media
00:18:25 Vaping, E-Cigarettes, Nicotine & Cannabis
00:23:46 Adolescent Nicotine Use: Marketing, Flavors
00:30:41 Sponsor: AG1
00:32:13 Nicotine Initiation, Freebase vs. Salt-Based Nicotine, Concentration
00:41:35 Addiction & Withdrawal; E-Cigarette Access
00:48:48 Vaping Health Hazards, Aldehydes, Flavors
00:56:32 Sponsor: Waking Up
00:57:48 “Just Say No”, Adolescent Defiance
01:04:21 Cannabis & Potency, Blunts, E-Cigarette Combinations
01:10:30 Psychosis, THC & Adolescence
01:14:11 Quitting Nicotine & Cannabis; Physical & Social Withdrawal Symptoms
01:23:05 Social Pressures, Quitting Vaping, Environment Concerns
01:30:08 Teen Activities, Social Media, Autonomy
01:36:28 Risky Behaviors, Alcohol, Driving, Sexual Behavior
01:43:27 International E-Cigarette Use, Regulation
01:46:10 Nicotine Pouches, Health Risks; Tolerance
01:53:25 Tools: Vaping Interventions, Decision Making, Harm Reduction
02:02:37 Fentanyl, Drug Testing, Recreational Drug Use
02:13:45 Tool: Organic Conversations & Risky Behavior
02:17:20 Long-Term Goals & Teens; Vaping, Pornography & Teens
02:24:08 Mental Health Crisis & Substance Use
02:29:11 Zero-Cost Support, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, YouTube Feedback, Momentous, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter

#HubermanLab #Science

Disclaimer: https://www.hubermanlab.com/disclaimer

Mindsip insights from this episode:

Recognize nicotine pouches as a gateway to addiction for teens

Nicotine pouches like Zyn are becoming a new gateway product, initiating teens into nicotine addiction who haven't previously used e-cigarettes.

Expose e-cigarette tactics targeting children with disguised vapes

E-cigarette companies are targeting children with products like a working highlighter pen that is secretly a nicotine vape device.

Implement 'Bowl of Narcan' model for safety in schools

A bold harm reduction strategy suggests making Narcan and fentanyl test strips freely available in schools, similar to condoms, to prioritize safety.

Recognize nicotine risks in e-cigarette pods

One e-cigarette pod can contain the nicotine equivalent of one to two packs of cigarettes, with some addicted teens using up to four pods daily.

Avoid vaping due to harmful formaldehyde-like chemicals

The aerosol from vapes contains aldehydes, the same carcinogenic chemicals used in labs to harden and kill tissue by cross-linking proteins.

Fuel anger against industry to deter teen smoking

To discourage teen smoking, it's more effective to make them angry at the industry for targeting them than to warn them about long-term health risks.

Avoid high-THC cannabis to prevent psychosis risk

Scientists are now suggesting a causal link, not just a correlation, between high-THC cannabis use in youth and the triggering of permanent psychosis.

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