“I’ve literally broken the law to vape”

Lizzie, 35, teacher, Dubai

One boundary I’ve always had with teaching is to never smoke before school. No one wants to smell like a fag tray when trying to maintain control of a class of 16-year-olds. And yet, I’ve broken the law to vape. Here in Dubai, it’s illegal to bring a vape onto school property, but I’ve found myself sneaking off to quiet corners of the campus to have an illicit puff.

I vape everywhere: in the car, on the sofa, in bed. The weird thing is, I was never a heavy smoker – I’d smoke five cigarettes a day at my worst. But I spend way more on vapes than I ever did on cigarettes. Out here, vapes are much bigger; I buy ones that have 6,500 puffs rather than the little 500-puff ElfBars you see in UK newsagents. I probably get through two or three a week.

All of this is so out of character. I’m your typical wellness-loving millennial. I go to the gym five times a week, I eat well, I do everything that I should be doing… except vaping. My friends out here vape as much as I do, and we’ve been chatting about giving up but it’s such a consuming habit. If I know my vape is running low, I’ll have a spare one in my bag because I cannot go without it on a night out.

One issue is that I haven’t felt any side effects. If you’ve smoked all night, you feel horrendous the next day – the hangover is on a different level. Vaping all night, however, seems to have no effect. You don’t feel any less healthy – I’m still able to do plenty of cardio throughout the week without getting breathless. It just feels like there are no side effects… but I know there must be.

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