Powerful Message from the Manloves

From a letter to the editor in the Tri-State Media:

Death a ‘wake up call’ on the dangers of huffing chemicals:

To the editor:
The recent huffing death of a young woman in Boonville has been a tragic reminder to my wife and me about the dangers of inhalant abuse and a wake up call for the tri-state area.

Law enforcement, judiciary and community officials are worried and are sounding the alarm, according to the article (“Teen dies from huffing,” July 9). They should be and so should every parent of a preteen or teenager who isn’t aware of this type of substance abuse.

Huffing, the intentional inhaling of a volatile propellant or gas to get high, may seem unthreatening because its effects are short-lived.The propellants and gases that produce the brief feeling of euphoria are in hundreds of household items. So, how could they be deadly or harmful? They are harmful because the chemicals that make up propellants in aerosol cans are poisons and toxins that were never intended to be introduced into the human body. Our family learned that lesson the hard way when our 16-year-old son, David, died after inhaling the propellant in a can of computer duster.

An astounding and terrifying reality is the wide gap between what parents know or think about inhalant abuse and what young people report. According to a survey conducted by the Partnership for a Drug Free America, one in five teens has abused inhalants, yet only five percent of parents believe that their child has ever tried inhalants.

When parents are aware of a lethal risk in their home, they do everything possible to warn their children and/or eliminate that risk. But these useful household products can be lethal when abused and unfortunately few parents and their teens are talking about the dangers of huffing or looking for signs of use.

The reality is that every time teens abuse inhalants they are playing Russian roulette. Huffing can kill the first time, the 20th time or the 100th time. Continued use can result in brain damage, hearing and memory loss and/or permanent damage to the lungs, liver, kidneys and other vital organs.

This should be a wake-up call for parents, schools, our entire community — for more conversation and education. Our children deserve to have information that could save their lives and the lives of their friends. Information permits discussion, which can lead to prevention.

Parents, take time this summer to talk to your teens and pre-teens about huffing. Arm yourselves with information about the dangers of inhalants and how to talk to your kids about drugs through Web sites such as www.drugfree.org, and www.inhalant.org, and www.the24group.org

Talk to your school administrators about getting information about inhalant abuse in the library, counseling office and at PTA meetings.We thought we would know the signs of serious drug use in our son but we were wrong.Substance abuse cuts across all sectors of our society and touches one family in three.Our family story doesn’t have a happy ending, but we can honor David’s memory if we can help make others aware of the deadly perils of inhalant abuse.

Kim and Marissa Manlove
Indianapolis