A woman who is addicted to vaping says e-cigarettes have ruined her life.
Belle Moore, 19, from Bickerstaff, Lancashire, has confessed she has âno control over itâ as she has to vape every couple of hours.
She started vaping as a result of peer-pressure from some of her college friends, and she used to hide it from her mum.
After two unsuccessful attempts to quit, she has since become addicted to cigarettes, too.
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âIt honestly feels like I have no control over it,â she told the BBC.
Belle said she was able to buy vapes from a shop when she was only 16 - where she wasnât asked to provide identification - even though she also looked a lot younger than her age.
It is illegal to sell vapes to anyone under the age of 18.
âI start to get shaky and itâs almost all I can think of,â she said, describing her addiction.
Belleâs mum Lynne said she hated watching her daughter vape and said a âdrasticâ change needed to happen.
âI hate that she feels the need to do it, because sheâs addicted and itâs so hard for her to stop,â Lynn said.
âI hate that sheâs got to use her hard-earned cash to buy vapes and cigarettes because of the addiction.â
Belle said sheâs opening up about her addiction to stop others from facing the same issues.
âI know how much of a struggle itâs been for me,â she said.
âI have started coughing more and getting sick easier.
âIf thereâs anyone who is thinking of starting vaping or starting smoking, if theyâre younger donât because it can honestly ruin your life.â
Elle shared her story after public health bosses called on the government to do more to stop young people from vaping.
Health officials from Merseyside and Cheshire joined forces to call for a country-wide ban on the sale of disposable vapes amid a rapid rise of vaping.
Research published last year found chronic vaping causes the same risk of heart disease as smoking cigarettes.
The research consisted of two studies; the first being conducted on mice and the other on humans.
Both confirmed that vaping causes damage to blood vessels, making people susceptible to cardiovascular disease as much as smoking would, according to the National Institute of Health.
Gregory Robinson