Check out the article below by one of our ministry partners Donna McKinley, founder of McKinley Reports.
by Donna Funderburke McKinley
If you think “huffing” is only something the Three Little Pigs had to watch out for, the wolf may come knocking at your door. Huffing, bagging and sniffing are terms for inhalant use, a cheap, legal and accessible way that young people in Alabama are getting high. During National Inhalants & Poisons Awareness Week, Safe Harbor in conjunction with the National Inhalant Prevention Coalition (NIPC) strive to educate parents and the public on the dangers and popularity of this deadly practice.
Almost one in five eighth graders has intentionally inhaled household chemicals to get high at the risk of brain damage and even death, reports the 2005 National Institute on Drug Abuse “Monitoring the Future Survey.” Over 2 million young people used inhalants in 2004. Inhalant use, most common in the 10-12 age bracket, is also a “gateway drug,” a student’s first form of substance abuse before graduating to other drugs.
Inhalants are as close as your kitchen sink or your child’s classroom. There are over 1,000 abusable products, including; butane, propane, gasoline, Freon, degreasers, typewriter correction fluid, nitrous oxide, whipped cream, shoe polish, spray paint, toluene, paint thinner, chloroform, computer cleaning fluid, air refresher, cooking spray. Young people in the 12-17 age group most commonly use glue or toluene followed by gasoline or lighter fluid. Young adults in the 18-25 age bracket most commonly use nitrous oxides or “whippets.”
What young people do not realize is that using any inhalant is like playing Russian Roulette: users can die the 1st, 10th, or even 100th time they use. Other effects of inhalant use include brain, respiratory, liver and kidney damage, short-term memory loss and hearing impairment.
“Most parents know how to talk to their kids about tobacco, marijuana and drinking because they have enough knowledge about these things, but inhalants are an informational blind spot for them,” said Harvey Weiss, NIPC Executive Director. “Parents are often out of the loop. Children discuss it and practice it; adults stay in the dark.” “The best deterrent to family crisis is a well-informed parent,” stated Donna Funderburke-Parker, McKinley Reports Founder. “It is imperative that we get the message out to our community. It is a matter of life and death.”
Schools, community groups, drug and health professionals, churches, businesses, law enforcement and the media are joining the effort. Fifty states and over 1,000 organizations across the country are also participating. For more information contact the National Inhalant Prevention Coalition at 800-269-4237.
There are over 1,000 household and classroom products that can be inhaled by children to get high. Inhalant abuse is also known as “huffing” or “dusting.” The Drug Abuse Warning Network reported that emergency room mention of inhalants increased 187% from 2001 to 2002. The 2002 National Survey on Drug use and Health found the number of inhalant users increased to more than 1.1 million NEW inhalant users in 2001.
TYPES OF INHALANTS:
Model airplane glue
Nail polish remover
Cleaning fluid
Hair spray
Gasoline
Propellant in aerosol whipped cream
Spray paint
Air freshener
Degreaser
Butane Vegetable cooking spray
Whippets (see Nitrous Oxide)Markers
Spray cans containing toluene
Air conditioner fluid (Freon)
Gasoline (can cause leukemia)
These products are snorted, bagged (fumes inhaled from a plastic bag), huffed (inhaled-soaked rag, sock, or roll of toilet paper in mouth), and sniffed directly from the container.
EFFFECTS AND DANGERS:
Disoriented
Out-of-control
Light-headed, giddy
Violent behavior
Unconsciousness
Impaired mental and physical function
Chronic abusers experience tremors and uncontrollable shaking
Inhalants starve the body for oxygen
Severe damage to the brain and nervous system causing permanent personality changes, memory impairment, hallucinations and learning disabilities, loss of coordination and slurred speech and death, even if only used once.
SIGNS OF INHALANT USE:
Paint stains on body or clothes
Spots or sores around the mouth
Red or runny eyes or nose
Drunk, dazed or dizzy appearance
Sitting with a pen or marker near nose- marker in pocket
Hiding rags, clothes, or empty containers of the potentially abused products in closet, under bed, etc.
Chemical breath odor
Severe mood swing
Frequent headaches
Lack of concentration
Abdominal pain
SYMPTOMS OF LONG TERM USERS: Short-term memory loss, emotional instability, cognitive impairment, slurred speech, unusual gait, stumbling, tremor, hearing loss, loss of sense of smell, abnormal or absent brainstem auditory-evoked response.
These products are snorted, bagged (fumes inhaled from a plastic bag), huffed (inhaled-soaked rag, sock, or roll of toilet paper in mouth), and sniffed directly from the container.
Donna Funderburke-McKinley
McKinley Community & Family Services
Youth Culture Specialist
Parent Project Certified Facilitator
Certified Christian Life Coach
www.mckinleycommunityandfamilyservices.com
205.718.0239