The ER Nurse's Guide to Quitting Vaping

The Crisis

What most people
don't know

6.9M

Views on a single video about a 19-year-old's fentanyl death from vaping

100×

The nicotine in one hookah session vs. a single cigarette

60–95%

THC concentration in today's vape cartridges — up from 2–4% in the 1970s

2 mg

A lethal dose of fentanyl — smaller than a few grains of salt

"At 5:45 in the morning, I stood in front of his parents and told them their son was dead. He was 19 years old. He thought he was vaping. He had no idea what was in that cartridge."

— Nurse Charles, on a case watched 6.9 million times

education
saves lives

Nurse Charles packed 37 years of emergency medicine into one free guide. 10 chapters. Real ER stories. A step-by-step plan to quit.

Get the Free Guide

Inside the Guide

10 chapters of
life-saving info

Why I Wrote This Guide

The 5:45 AM moment that changed everything — and why 6.9 million people listened.

The Vaping Crisis by the Numbers

CDC stats, the THC potency explosion, fentanyl contamination, and the middle school epidemic.

What Vaping Does to Your Body

Lungs, heart, brain — system by system. Including pre-surgery risks nobody talks about.

Real Stories from the ER

6 adapted cases: from a fatal fentanyl hit to a 13-year-old in psychosis.

The THC Connection

Why today's marijuana is nothing like what existed a generation ago.

A Chapter for Parents

Signs your child is vaping, how to have the conversation, and when to go to the ER.

A Chapter for Young Adults

No lectures — just the myths that will get you hurt, debunked.

How to Quit

8 practical steps from decision to recovery — including surviving the first 72 hours.

Life After Vaping

Recovery timeline, mental clarity, and the financial freedom nobody warns you about.

Resources

Crisis lines, quit apps, treatment locators, and an ER red flags checklist.

Your Guide

Meet Nurse
Charles

Charles T. Folsom Jr., RN, has spent over 37 years in emergency medicine — working trauma centers, critical care units, and emergency departments across the country.

Two years ago, he started sharing what he sees in the ER on TikTok. 100,000+ followers, videos watched over 10 million times, and hundreds of messages from parents and teens all saying — "Nobody ever explained this to me."

37+ Years ER Registered Nurse Healthcare Executive Doctoral Candidate 100K+ TikTok IAMNURSE Founder

From the ER

These are
real cases

Every story is adapted from a real patient. Identifying details changed. Outcomes unchanged.

Years Old

One Hit. Fentanyl in the Cartridge.

Vaped with friends. Bad cartridge. Pinpoint pupils. No breathing. EMS gave Narcan — didn't work. Parents notified at 5:45 AM.

Fatal

Years Old

One Hookah Session. Intubated.

100x the nicotine of a cigarette in one session. Lost consciousness. Breathing tube placed. A machine kept him alive.

Critical

Years Old

Full Psychosis from THC.

Hallucinations. Paranoia. Disorganized thinking. One year of high-concentration THC vaping. No prior psychiatric history.

Psychosis

Years Old

His Mother Was Afraid of Him.

Good kid. Good grades. Started vaping THC. Within months — isolation, paranoia, aggression. Personality unrecognizable.

Behavioral Crisis

Have questions about vaping, quitting, or what's in this guide? The answers are below — or download the full guide for the complete picture.

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Frequently
asked questions

Who is this guide for?

Parents, teenagers, young adults, educators, and anyone who wants to understand what vaping actually does — and how to quit. Written in plain language by an ER nurse, not a textbook.

Is this guide really free?

Yes. 100% free. Nurse Charles created this guide because the information needs to get out. Enter your email and the full guide will be delivered to your inbox immediately.

Is vaping really that dangerous?

It's not water vapor. Vape aerosol contains propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, heavy metals (nickel, lead, chromium), and flavoring chemicals linked to lung disease. When heated, some produce formaldehyde — a known carcinogen.

My kid says they're only vaping nicotine. Should I worry?

Yes. Nicotine is one of the most addictive substances on earth and can establish addiction in adolescents within days. It disrupts brain development in anyone under 25. And many kids don't actually know what's in their cartridges.

What's the connection between vaping and fentanyl?

Fentanyl — 50-100x more potent than morphine — is being found in black-market vape cartridges. A lethal dose is about 2 milligrams, smaller than a few grains of salt. You cannot see, smell, or taste it.

How is today's THC different from what I used?

In the 1970s, marijuana averaged 2-4% THC. Today's vape concentrates contain 60-95% THC — 15-25x more potent. It crosses the blood-brain barrier in seconds. This is not the same substance.

Does the guide include a quit plan?

Yes. Chapter 8 is a complete 8-step quit plan: making the decision, identifying triggers, replacement behaviors, NRT, surviving the first 72 hours, building the first 30 days, support systems, and handling relapse.

Can I share this guide?

Please do. Share it with parents, teachers, coaches, counselors, and anyone working with young people. Send them to this page to get their own copy.

Stop the
vaping crisis

What most people
don't know

education
saves lives