Clare Nichols thought she was just doing what \u2018everyone else was doing\u2019 when, at the age of 15, she tried her first nicotine pouch.<\/p>\n
Within two years, the highly addictive drugs had done irreparable damage to her health.<\/p>\n
Her blood pressure soared, damaging her heart and taking her to the brink of cardiac arrest.<\/p>\n
The legal pouches also caused serious gum disease, with the loss of two teeth, and shattered her ability to concentrate, sending her school results into freefall.<\/p>\n
\u2018I honestly thought it was harmless,\u2019 says Clare, now 21 and a history student at Liverpool University. \u2018But I had no idea what it was doing inside my body.\u2019<\/p>\n
A nicotine pouch is a small bag placed under the tongue or against the lip to provide a hit many times stronger than a cigarette. It often leads to light-headedness, nausea and vomiting.<\/p>\n
Clare grew up in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, a sporty teenager who loved running and netball. Her parents were health-conscious and trusting.<\/p>\n
But by 14, she had already started using vapes. \u2018Everyone at school was, and I didn\u2019t want to feel left out. People bought them for me: older kids, friends\u2019 brothers. The corner shop never asked for ID. It was just what you did. The flavours, the colours \u2013 it all seemed so innocent.\u2019<\/p>\n
More dangerous still was the craze for nicotine pouches that spread through Snapchat and other social media. Clare was one of the first to try them.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.com\/1s\/2026\/05\/10\/20\/108508719-15806107-image-a-10_1778441770466.jpg\")
<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\nA nicotine pouch is a small bag placed under the tongue or against the lip to provide a hit many times stronger than a cigarette<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u2018At 15, everyone was talking about these little white pouches that gave you a head rush,\u2019 she says.<\/p>\n
Currently, nicotine pouches are unregulated and can be sold legally to under-18s.<\/p>\n
Clare adds: \u2018You could order them online \u2013 delivered straight to your house. It was cheaper, easier and stronger than vaping.<\/p>\n
\u2018They came with star ratings for strength \u2013 from one to six. I went straight for six. I liked the buzz. But over time, the buzz got shorter, and I needed more to feel it.\u2019<\/p>\n
What started as one or two pouches a day quickly spiralled. By the age of 16, Clare was using eight to ten pouches daily, spending \u00a360 a week.<\/p>\n
\u2018I\u2019d buy packs of 30 and they\u2019d last three days. I\u2019d do it in class, after school, before bed. Nobody ever caught me. It was so easy to hide.\u2019<\/p>\n
At first, Clare ignored the bleeding. But within months, her gums were swollen and painful.<\/p>\n
\u2018My mouth was constantly sore,\u2019 she says. \u2018My gums bled when I brushed. Then one morning, I woke up and one side of my mouth was throbbing.\u2019<\/p>\n
At 16, she was diagnosed with advanced gum disease. Two of her back teeth were so badly infected they had to be removed.<\/p>\n
\u2018I remember crying in the dentist\u2019s chair. I was 16 and losing teeth. I couldn\u2019t believe what I\u2019d done to myself.\u2019<\/p>\n
The infection spread into her bloodstream, causing her blood pressure to skyrocket.<\/p>\n
\u2018One night, my chest started pounding like a drum. I was shaking, sweating \u2013 it felt like a heart attack.\u2019<\/p>\n
Clare was then rushed to A&E, where doctors recorded dangerously high blood pressure and irregular heart rhythms.<\/p>\n
She says: \u2018They asked if I\u2019d been taking anything. I said no; I was too embarrassed to admit it. I thought they\u2019d think I was stupid.\u2019<\/p>\n
She later learned that her heart had twice shown the early signs of cardiac arrest. \u2018They said I was lucky, another few minutes and it could\u2019ve been serious.\u2019<\/p>\n
By her GCSE year, Clare\u2019s schoolwork had collapsed.<\/p>\n
\u2018I couldn\u2019t focus without the pouches. I was snappy, tired and constantly craving that hit. My grades fell apart. I was angry all the time.\u2019<\/p>\n
Her parents thought she was struggling with anxiety or depression. \u2018They didn\u2019t know it was addiction. None of us did.<\/p>\n
\u2018It\u2019s such a new thing \u2013 there are no warning signs, no smell, nothing obvious.\u2019<\/p>\n
Hers is just one case among tens of thousands of teenagers who are risking heart problems, as experts warn of an \u2018epidemic\u2019 rise in the use of super-strength nicotine pouches, dubbed \u2018the new vape\u2019.<\/p>\n
Latest figures indicate a rise of up to 60 per cent in the use of the pouches in the last year \u2013 just as figures from Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) show vaping figures seem to be plateauing.<\/p>\n
![\"Packages](\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.com\/1s\/2026\/05\/10\/20\/108508721-15806107-Packages_of_Velo_Fre_Alp_and_Zyn_nicotine_pouches_The_pouches_co-m-12_1778441828074.jpg\")
<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\nPackages of Velo, Fre, Alp and Zyn nicotine pouches. The pouches come in a variety of flavours,\u00a0are unregulated and can be sold legally to under-18s<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Drug education charity the DSM Foundation regularly polls more than 4,000 youngsters around the UK. In surveys that asked school-age children on perceived use of the pouches among their peers, they found that use has risen from 46 to 61 per cent in just six months \u2013 leap-frogging cannabis for the first time since it started the surveys in 2017.<\/p>\n
When asked if it\u2019s \u2018OK to use nicotine pouches\u2019, the percentage saying \u2018yes\u2019 rose from 22 to 35 per cent.<\/p>\n
Fiona Spargo-Mabbs, director and founder of the charity, says: \u2018It\u2019s worrying how quickly this seems to have happened. Kids are swapping vapes for nicotine pouches without any real understanding of what risks they might have, and how incredibly strong some can be.<\/p>\n
\u2018We only introduced nicotine pouches into the survey last year because it was coming up in the \u201cother\u201d category for the first time. Since then it\u2019s been consistently towards the top of our list of most commonly used drugs.\u2019<\/p>\n
The Government is currently planning to ban the sale of the pouches to under-18s in the new Tobacco and Vapes Bill. But Spargo-Mabbs says by the time that comes into force next year (or possibly later), \u2018a whole generation of kids could be addicted, permanently damaged\u2019.<\/p>\n
A single pouch, often fruit-flavoured, can contain as much nicotine as 15 cigarettes. And it usually comes in a tin of 30 that costs as little as \u00a35.<\/p>\n
\u2018It\u2019s a whack-a-mole situation, with the big tobacco companies always one step ahead of the Government when it comes to keeping kids hooked,\u2019 says Spargo-Mabbs.<\/p>\n
\u2018Way more kids are addicted to nicotine now than before vapes, and that figure\u2019s rising by the day.<\/p>\n
\u2018If the Government bans one form of nicotine without providing ways to help kids come off it, these companies have an open goal. They\u2019ll just create another nicotine product to fill the void.\u2019<\/p>\n
Use of the pouches has been glamorised by footballers including Leicester striker Jamie Vardy, who admitted to using them, and Manchester United\u2019s Victor Lindelof, who has said he used \u2018snus\u2019 (similar to pouches but containing tobacco). Marcus Rashford was also photographed holding what appeared to be snus pouches in St Tropez last summer.<\/p>\n
Before Euro 2020, Gary Lineker warned of their dangers after trying a pouch and vomiting for several hours.<\/p>\n
Last September Steve Pope, a psychotherapist and addictions counsellor based in Lancashire, started his first ever support group for under-16s addicted to nicotine pouches.<\/p>\n
\u2018Nicotine\u2019s one of the most addictive, damaging substances there is, and the levels in these pouches is off the charts,\u2019 says Pope. \u2018I personally know four kids under 16 who\u2019ve been hospitalised with heart issues in the past year because of nicotine pouches.<\/p>\n
\u2018Your heart rate goes through the roof, your blood pressure surges, it can trigger asthma, eczema, gastrointestinal problems, they can even cause your teeth to fall out. Add in high-caffeine and sugar energy drinks and I\u2019m in no doubt these pouches can be fatal.\u2019<\/p>\n
Pope has also worked with a number of professional football clubs including Glasgow Rangers, Tottenham, Manchester United, Blackpool and Burnley, and says it\u2019s because nicotine isn\u2019t on the list of banned substances that players so often get their high from pouches.<\/p>\n
![\"In](\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.com\/1s\/2026\/05\/10\/21\/108508723-15806107-In_surveys_that_asked_school_age_children_on_perceived_use_of_th-a-6_1778446621876.jpg\")
<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\nIn surveys that asked school-age children on perceived use of the pouches among their peers, they found that tobacco-pouch use has risen from 46 to 61 per cent in just six months<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u2018Kids see people like Jamie Vardy with a pouch and think it\u2019s safe, or even that it\u2019ll increase their performance, when the opposite is true,\u2019 he says.<\/p>\n
\u2018It\u2019s the ultimate false endorsement: you can get your high and still be a hero.\u2019<\/p>\n
Pope says referrals to clinical practice of under-16s hooked on the pouches has risen by 60 per cent since 2021 \u2013 and that\u2019s only those whose use has become so problematic they seek professional help.<\/p>\n
\u2018I\u2019ve got one 11-year-old who\u2019s in our support group who started when he was eight.<\/p>\n
\u2018Every adult who\u2019s ever tried to quit smoking cigarettes knows how hard it is. How do you expect a youngster to give up a nicotine product that\u2019s ten times stronger without support?<\/p>\n
\u2018They\u2019re \u201csanitised\u201d by professional sportsmen, they\u2019re easy to use without being spotted because unlike vapes there\u2019s no vapour or smoke, and they\u2019re in fruity flavours. We\u2019re only beginning to see the true fallout from this epidemic, driven by multi-billion-dollar companies looking for new revenue streams as tobacco sales decline.\u2019<\/p>\n
High nicotine levels also affect concentration and sleep quality in youngsters, which can be detrimental to their schooling, says Pope.<\/p>\n
\u2018There\u2019s evidence to show high nicotine intake as a child can permanently affect concentration, increase impulsivity and exacerbate ADHD, so all these kids\u2019 futures are hanging in the balance \u2013 and other research shows some pouches contain charcinogenic substances, yet consumers are rarely told this.<\/p>\n
\u2018Cigarette packets are plastered with health warnings; nicotine pouches carry almost none, and the NHS still has no definitive long-term data because the products are so new.\u2019<\/p>\n
Pope suggests he\u2019s \u2018in no doubt\u2019 that these pouches are the \u2018perfect gateway\u2019 into nicotine and potentially other addictions. \u2018It\u2019s exactly the same multi-billion-dollar tobacco companies who killed us with cigarettes for decades who\u2019ve pumped tens of millions into these pouches, and the UK Government is completely blind to what\u2019s happening,\u2019 he says.<\/p>\n
Dr Rosemary Hiscock, from the Tobacco Control Research Group at the University of Bath, says there is clear evidence that tobacco companies are actively promoting nicotine pouches to young people.<\/p>\n
These include hosting \u2018pop-up\u2019 events in large shopping centres, using giveaways and competitions, and partnering with music, food and beer festivals to showcase their nicotine pouches.<\/p>\n
\u2018This has been going on for years without anyone really noticing because everyone was so focused on cigarettes and then vapes. But now it seems to be really bearing fruit for them \u2013 pouches are everywhere,\u2019 Dr Hiscock says. She also agrees that high levels of nicotine can be especially harmful in youngsters.<\/p>\n
\u2018There are clear clinical trials to show nicotine damages developing brains of mice and rats, and there are clear indications there are similar effects in humans,\u2019 she says.<\/p>\n
And the only effect of using the pouches for sport is a negative one, she adds.<\/p>\n
\u2018The farmers who grow the tobacco used in pouches regularly experience something called \u201cgreen tobacco sickness\u201d \u2013 nausea and vomiting as a result of just handling it. This is a very damaging substance, and the idea of children putting high concentrations of it directly into their mouths is extremely worrying.\u2019<\/p>\n
For Clare, weaning herself off nicotine took months. After meeting Steve Pope through a school wellbeing programme, she decided to quit, despite horrific withdrawal symptoms.<\/p>\n
\u2018Steve understood straight away,\u2019 she says. \u2018He said I had an addictive personality and he didn\u2019t judge me. We started meeting once a week.<\/p>\n
\u2018It was horrible at first. The headaches, the cravings, the fatigue. I\u2019d cry and say I couldn\u2019t do it. But Steve kept reminding me how strong I was.\u2019<\/p>\n
She\u2019s now been nicotine-free for four years and today, Clare\u2019s energy has returned. She goes to the gym regularly and is thriving at university. Her complexion has cleared, her blood pressure is normal and she hasn\u2019t touched a vape or pouch since she was 17. \u2018My dentist told me if I hadn\u2019t stopped, I could\u2019ve lost all my teeth by 24. That was the shock I needed.\u2019<\/p>\n
She still lives with the consequences: two missing molars and a lingering fear of what the nicotine might have done to her heart.<\/p>\n
\u2018When I see people doing it now \u2013 especially younger teens \u2013 I want to grab them and say: \u201cPlease, don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not harmless. It\u2019s addictive, it wrecks your gums, your energy, your heart \u2013 and your confidence.\u2019<\/p>\n
Clare now shares her story in talks at schools near her hom town. \u2018It starts with curiosity, but it ends with addiction. You think: \u201cWhat can go wrong?\u201d \u2013 until it does.\u2019<\/p>\n
She pauses, her voice softening. \u2018I\u2019m lucky to be here. It took losing teeth, nearly losing my life, to realise how dangerous these things are.<\/p>\n
\u2018But if my story makes even one person stop before they start, then it\u2019s worth it.\u2019<\/p>\n
Clare now also shares her story at Pope\u2019s sessions of the Nicotine Pouch Harm-Reduction & Recovery Group.<\/p>\n
\u2018She\u2019s become one of the strongest youth voices in our group on nicotine pouch addiction and early harm,\u2019 he says. \u2018When I was helping Clare, I had just a handful of kids needing help with pouches. Now I\u2019ve got waiting lists.\u2019<\/p>\n
Hazel Cheeseman from ASH agrees the pouches are currently \u2018near ubiquitous\u2019, but believes changes to the Tobacco and Vapes Bill \u2018should see an end to such marketing, and create an age of sale of 18\u2019.<\/p>\n
A spokesman for British American Tobacco UK, which owns the VELO brand of nicotine pouches, said: \u2018We are clear that VELO is for adult smokers and nicotine users only and a tobacco-free alternative to cigarettes.<\/p>\n
\u2018We have repeatedly called on the UK Government to introduce specific regulation for nicotine pouches to ensure robust product quality, responsible marketing, and minimum age of sale requirements and hope it will do this as part of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.\u2019<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Clare Nichols thought she was just doing what \u2018everyone else was doing\u2019 when, at the age of 15, she tried her first nicotine pouch. Within two years, the highly addictive drugs had done irreparable damage to her health. Her blood pressure soared, damaging her heart and taking her to the brink of cardiac arrest. The<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9224,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[520],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-9223","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-hot"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9223","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9223"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9223\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9224"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9223"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9223"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9223"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}