Psychology Today: Inhalant Abuse

Excellent piece on Inhalants posted yesterday to the Psychology Today site: “Early drug use problems: Kids, inhalants, and huffing”

The author notes: "Inhalants are often the first drugs that children try. Do you know enough?"

Click here to read the blog posting.

New ACE Ad in Washington Times

Here's our most recent Inhalant Abuse ad - in the Washington Times, January 20, 2009. Click on the image to view the larger version.

New Anti-Inhalant Campaign in Singapore

From a blog in Singapore:

The National Council Against Drug Abuse (NCADA) has released a new inhalant abuse prevention campaign. The project includes a series of outdoor ads depicting through letters, people's real life experiences with inhalant abuse.

Additionally, four spots are “running in movie theatres and on TV mobile as well as executions on train station platforms and public toilet doors.”

Whip-Its Legal, Sold to Undercover Intern

FOX News featured an undercover report on Whip Its (or 'whippits'), the nitrous oxide containers usually intended for whipped cream cainsters. They went incognito to an "alternative novelty shop" called Retro Active in St. Peters, Missouri.

The store clerk claimed that the whippits "give you this weird type of high", and told the undercover agent that in order to get high, you "put the balloon in your mouth and it shoots."

The whippits were sold with a tool used to release the nitrous oxide inside to make it easier to inhale. According to the clerk, "these are crackers, that's how you break them. When you put a balloon over top then it fills up the balloon and then you put the balloon in your mouth and it shoots."

FOX said that it didn't want to give "step by step instructions" but that parents "need to see the tools so you can spot potential problems with your kids".

They also interviewed Joe Amos, who is a former whippit abuser. He said that if "if I saw one that definitely they're using them to get high."

As for the crackers, "I have no other idea what you'd use that for. I think it's made specifically for that."

Because they are legal, some have the idea that it is safe to inhale the nitrous oxide. Amos said that several of his friends had parents that "actually bought them for them for Christmas ha ha, because it wasn't illegal and it's not pot."

The article describes how the internet is full of tutorials and videos of people abusing inhalants, and "one web site even lists the 'do's and don'ts' so you can avoid situations where 'people have died doing this.'"

FOX's undercover agent asked another salesperson why she was selling the whippits in the store. She answered that it was "cause I get informed, this is what you do while you work here."

The clerk who had instructed FOX's correspondant on how to use the whippit also may have just been following the rules, because he said "it just gave me a really bad headache. I just didn't like it that much."

There was no response from the owner of the store. FOX had notified authorities but doubts that there will be any prosecution.

Should whippits be made illegal? Should only the tools used to facilitate their abuse be restricted? What about online sales of whipped cream canisters? It is a good idea to recognize the cracker so that if you see one, you can immediately identify it. A quick image search for 'cracker' brings up not only pictures of it (they look like metallic canisters, about the size of a battery) but also many sites including eBay where you can buy both the cracker and nitrous oxide canisters.

Kids Try Different Products for 'Legal High'

KTVZ of Central Oregon posted Part Two of a special report, "Teens and Legal Highs". This article seeks to inform parents about the prevalence of inhalant abuse in youth.

A School Resource Officer interviewed said that computer duster is a particularly popular inhalant.

One teenager that the interviewer spoke with says his peers "take the nozzle of that dust off stuff, put it in their mouth, and spray. Your lungs can collapse. Teens also do that with hairspray you put a towel over it. I saw it on TV."

YouTube is also mentioned, as many students are able to find videos of their peers huffing and laughing, without showing any of the negative side effects.

Other legal highs are explored, such as eating nutmeg and poppy seeds. One woman, after losing her poppy plant, said that she "wondered where did my plant go? I realized kids took it to get high. I bet they didn't get high from it, but I miss my plant."

I see this as another argument against restriction of inhalants in retail stores - it's clear that kids aren't looking for a specific product, but for anything to get the high sensation. If one product is banned, next week it will be another popular 'drug' that kids ingest. Should nutmeg be kept locked in cabinets? Should poppy seed products only be sold to adults with valid ID?

Perhaps the focus should be on why youths are so intent on getting high by any means possible. Is it a form of escape? Is peer pressure so overwhelming? Is it just juvenile experimentation? Boredom?

Media Response to Students Huffing on Bus

CBS News 9 of Greenville, North Carolina has recently posted an article called, "Teens Caught Huffing: Why It's So Dangerous" in response to a March 26th incident at Richland High School.

Two 16-year-old students were ill on the school bus going home, and after they were dropped off another student told the bus driver that the two were inhaling from a can of computer duster. They were cited the following day for "inhaling toxic fumes and possession of a toxic substance."

The two students were not physically harmed by inhaling, but Dr. Electra Martin of a nearby hospital warns that,

"People can have brain damage, long lasting brain damage and it can even lead to death. It can cause heart arrhythmia which can cause death immediately."

She also recommends that parents look for "paint on hands and face. Clothes that aren't accounted for. If you have a runny nose. Sores around the mouth and nose."

This story follows one from last week; "Three Girls Huff on Bus, Become Ill". Perhaps it would be a good idea to include bus drivers in initiatives to raise awareness with educators and parents - many probably do not recognize the dangers of inhalant abuse or how to spot potential indicators: abusable products, side effects, or behaviors of students high on inhalants.

Recovering Inhalant Abuser Talks

WSBT2 of South Bend, Indiana posted "Recovering Addicts Warn About Inhalant Abuse Among Teens" last month, and it contains a harrowing story from a former inhalant user, 17-year-old Jordan Paul. He described how how he would indiscriminately inhale "anything I could get my hands on, aerosol, gas — anything I could find."

He progressed from inhalants to cocaine, LSD, and ecstacy, and remembers one of his lowest points:

"I took all my friends and I opened up the door to my parents’ room and said, ‘Anything you can find that’s worth money you can take it,’ and just sold it all because that's how desperate I was."

He eventually overdosed on drugs and was checked into the hospital. He has now been clean for 13 months.

Inhalant Use in India

Expressindia.com's "Region Drug Abuse Statistics Way Ahead of National Average" indicates that inhalant abuse is one of several drug problems that are being faced in Chandigarh, India. The Postgraduate Institute De-addiction Centre handles many of these cases.

While patients of all age groups and economic status are victims of drug abuse, substance abuse is fairly common among teenagers and young adults below 25 years of age. Common inhalant abuse includes white ink, petrol fumes and iodex. “We see around 30 cases of inhalant abuse a year and the number is increasing,” say doctors at the Centre.

Virginia SAFE Presentation

The Midlothian Exchange highlighted the story of Sgt. Jeff Williams in its article "Parents' First Defense Against Inhalants". Sgt. Williams spoke on March 12th at CJW Medical Center to parents, educators, and officials at a presentation from SAFE (Substance Abuse Free Environment). Says Sgt. Williams,

“Parents have to step in and say, ‘no’ … The movies have made it fun. They didn’t tell them they could die,” Williams said after showing a number of posted Web site videos of kids taking repeated “hits” from household products. “It metabolizes within two minutes. After two minutes, you can’t test and find it in the system.”

However, one can find a number of the abused items in the kitchen, the garage and sprinkled in everyone’s household for every day use. There are over 1,400 household products that contain a range of gases such as propane and refrigerant that 9, 10, and 11-year-olds have been known to use to get high. Williams admits that locking up all the items will not alleviate inhalant abuse. “We’re stuck with it and have to educate and teach our children why not to do it,” Williams said. “It’s not compressed air.”

“These chemicals are poisonous when introduced to the human body,” he said. Williams added that parents are the first line of defense for their children when it comes to looking for signs of abuse. “When they have multiple household products without a reason … You know something is up, because they’re not dusting,” he said.

Adolescents will also overuse perfume, cologne, and breath mints to mask the odor of solvent-based inhalants, he added. However, the biggest challenge for parents is when they catch children using household products. “You need to avoid exciting or stressing the person out,” Williams said.

The article also provided a link for parents to take online training about inhalants.

Inhalant News

Local news focus on inhalants: the Examiner recently posted an article called "Sniffing Beats Smoking Pot Among Young Teens" using data presented by the University of Maryland Center for Substance Abuse Research. According to the Center,

Inhalants are the most popular type of drug among children 12 to 13, the report found, with more than 500,000 young teens experimenting with solvents. Lacquer thinner, paint solvents and other corrosive chemicals can dissolve the fat needed to keep brain cells and kidneys functioning, and are some of the most dangerous substances that can be inhaled for a buzz, said Tony Tomasello, director of the office of Substance Abuse Studies at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy.

"They really are not all the same. Some are much more dangerous than others,” Tomasello said. “Inhalant refers to the method of putting a drug into your system, not the type of drug.”

More news at Healthfinder.gov: "For Adolescents, Inhalants are Drug of Choice".

Inhalants featured in BusinessWeek, in their Lifestyle section.

BusinessWeek also had an article called "Children On Drugs: More Common than You Realize" last September in their Working Parents section.

NewsAnchorMom posted about inhalant abuse early last week.

From About.com: "Inhalant Abuse Remains an Adolescent Problem".

See other articles posted on the site, such as:

• Basic Facts About Inhalants
• Frequently Asked Questions About Inhalants
• Early Inhalant Use Signals Future Problems
• Youth Inhalant Abuse Continues to Rise
• Inhalant Use: Prevention in the Home

NIPAW News

Various news sources are writing about inhalant abuse, such as:

PerpetualParenting: "For Adolescents, Inhalants are Drug of Choice". This is a blog dedicated to a variety of different issues that parents face with their child.

Solvent and Volatile Substance Abuse: "US Teens Prefer Inhalants to Marijuana, Researchers Say". - a great source for information on inhalants in the United Kingdom.

Kansas City infoZine: "March 16-22 is National Poison Prevention Week". Even though inhalants have been kind of forgotten in this article, they received a mention down towards the bottom.

Daily American: "Inhalants and Poisons".

Morning Sentinal: "Article on Huffing Put Focus on Problem". This is a letter to the editor in response to an article about inhalant abuse published last week. The author is an industrial hygienist warning about how children are inhaling chemicals at levels that are 1,000 - 10,000 times the amount that would be concerning in a workplace.

Recent News

CBS 8 in Knoxville, Tennessee printed some basic information about inhalants in their "Kindervision" section.

In a letter to the editor similar to one the Tuscaloosa News printed last week, Marty C. Malheiro urges parents in Salt Lake City to learn more about inhalant abuse.

Coverage

NIPAW continues to bring an increase in headlines for inhalant abuse.

eFluxMedia: "US Teens Prefer Inhalants to Marijuana".

Fox News: "Report: "Young Teens Favor Inhalants to Get High".

Pacific News Center: "PEACE Spreads Word Against Inhalants".

KTHV at 5:00: "Dangers of Huffing".

Addiction Help Services: "Addiction Help for 20% of the Population".

Healthy Kids Today: "Inhalants Are Drug of Choice for Youngest Users".

WSYR 9: "Teens Get High On Inhalants".

Headlines

The Morning Sentinal of central Maine covered poisons and inhalant abuse for the second time in two weeks today, with "Poisons in Plain Sight Putting Our Children At Risk". They advise parents to talk to their children at an early age:

Because inhalants are so common, there is little that police can do to interdict them, and there is little the Legislature can do to ban them.

Fighting inhalant use, like the task of fighting drug use in general, is best addressed through education. That education is best started early, by parents and teachers who know the risks and the signs of inhalant use.

Among the symptoms to look for are apathy in school, falling grades, unexplained absences, a dazed or dizzy appearance, anxiety, excitability and irritability.

InjuryBoard.com featured an article Friday entitled "Inhalants Most Popular Drug for Pre-Teens". It summarizes many of the statistics that were presented on Thursday by the National Inhalant Prevention Coalition.

AdoptionBlogs.com also addressed the issue in "Inhalants Are the Drug of Choice for Those Becoming Teenagers". This article focuses on how inhalant abuse can affect children who are adopted or in foster homes, explaining that,

Inhalants are chosen because they are readily accessible at home or school and the kids typically don’t pay for them. This makes them attractive to kids who want to use drugs. Children in foster care, or adopted at an older age are particularly vulnerable to this behavior. They may have previously lived with drug abuse. They may also be looking for a quick fix to feelings of confusion or anger over being adopted or losing their birth family. Forty-five percent of teens who used inhalants suffer from psychiatric disorders, compared with 29 percent of teens who used other drugs.

WordScrawl touched on the issue in "Oh the Drugs We Will Find". It is not specifically written about inhalants but does feature them prominently, arguing that eliminating products that can be abused may not be as effective as teaching our children good habits. According to Amanda Roberts,

As we outlaw more and more of these minor drugs, our kids turn to other things to get the same buzz. For example, when there was a crack down on drugs in schools there was a surge in inhalants. Children will always be able to get a hold of things that they should not and will find a way to get a high. Spray paint, permanent markers, household cleaners, all these things can be used to get a high. If your child wants to get high, they will find a way to get high! [...]

While it seems very negative of me to give this expression of inevitability, this is truly what I think. As many first time parents soon learn, you cannot baby proof the entire world. The same goes for protecting your tweens and teens, but I know you won’t stop trying. The insistence of parents led my high school to outlaw common inhalants about two years before I entered high school. On the list: Liquid Paper (White Out), permanent markers, paint, and washable markers. It seems outrageous doesn’t it? The key to stopping our kids from abusing drugs is to simply teach them restraint. [...]

“Think out loud” for your children; walk them through your decisions and reasons so that they will take on your style of reasoning. For example, you go to cousin Beth’s wedding. You are served a glass of Champaign and there is an open bar; what do you do? Well, after you finish your Champaign, sit with your child and think with them. Should I get another drink? Well I know I have to work in the morning and I want to be aware enough to enjoy Beth’s wedding, so I think I’ll just have a soda. Walking them through this will help you to take on your good habits.

Press Conference

Media coverage is still going strong today, with several sources throughout the country devoting articles to inhalant abuse after a recent press conference launching NIPAW in Washington DC. Here are the most recent ones:

CBS News: "Tweens Favor Inhalants to Get High: Study shows youngsters use inhalants as a 'gateway' to other drugs"

They also provided statistics from a recent government study of substance abuse in youth.

• 45% of those who abused inhalants also have psychiatric disorders, compared with 29% who abused other drugs.

  12- to 17-year-olds made up 8% of substance abuse treatment admissions in 2006, but they made up nearly half of all admissions who say they used inhalants.

  41% of teenage girls admitted to drug treatment centers involved inhalants; 30% of those admitted did not report inhalants.

The article also quoted Dr. H. Westley Clark, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Statistics director of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. He says,

"Inhalants are everywhere in the house and garage, and parents often do not realize that the glue and paint are not being used for crafts or science projects,"

According to Clark's prepared statements, "while the data show that often children move away from using inhalants as they grow older, they often move on to other illicit drugs. Inhalants are a health hazard that can damage the brain, heart, liver, or kidneys." Clark warns parents that inhalants can "cause severe damage and even death."

CBS3: Philadelphia also ran a similar story, in "Health: Huffing". They interviewed Jordan Paul, 17, who has had a history of abusing inhalants. He mentioned that,

"Anything I could get my hands on aerosol, gas anything I could find ... It was very easily accessible I didn't have to pay for it. You know, I didn't have to look for it. You know, it was around. It was everywhere."

From HealthDay, in Yahoo News: "For Adolescents, Inhalants Are Drug of Choice". This article also ran in the Washington Post.

dbTechno, in Boston: "Young Teens Using Inhalants As Gateway Drug"

Media Coverage

National Inhalants and Poisons Awareness Week is March 16-23 and it appears that several communities around the country are already bringing up this issue.

In Central Maine, the Morning Sentinal published an article called, "In Plain Sight: Kids Getting High On Stuff Found In Most Homes". They featured a 21-year-old named Brian Buzzell II who began using inhalants at age 13. His story is an ominous warning of what dangers can be found with inhalant abuse:

Brian Robert Buzzell II of Waterville has permanent memory loss and slurred speech as a result of huffing.

Now 21, he first used inhalants at 13, while an eighth grader at Lawrence Junior High School in Fairfield. He and eight schoolmates bought whipping cream cans at local supermarkets and used them to get high. The cans' pressurized propellent, nitrous oxide (N20), is an intoxicating agent.

They stashed the cans in their backpacks. Between classes, they'd race to the bathroom and huff, Buzzell said.

"I was like a vegetable. When I'd go into my next class, I'd stare out into space. I wouldn't do the work."

Buzzell, who stopped huffing at 19, said while he was getting high he would have sudden nose bleeds, frequent headaches and blurriness in his eyes.

"I could hear something in my head. It felt like my brain cells were dying -- a popping sound. I was 15 when I started noticing memory lapses.

Now, Buzzell said, he will be in the middle of a conversation and forget why he placed the call. "It happens all the time," he said.

His mother, Dawn Buzzell of Fairfield, took him to doctors when his memory problems surfaced, he said.

"A doctor at the emergency room said I was killing my brain cells." Chest X-rays showed his lungs were congested from heavy smoking and huffing.

Withdrawal from inhalant use was difficult, Buzzell said. Symptoms included shakes, cold and sweating, vomiting and diarrhea.

From the Richmond Times-Dispatch, "Inhaling or 'Huffing' Legal Products - Lethal Results", parents are warned to keep on the lookout for aerosol products that are disappearing at a suspicious rate. One woman's air conditioner needed repairing often and her whipped cream canisters were emptied. The article also highlights Sgt. Jeff Williams, who describes the warning signs of inhalant abuse in a child.

Elsewhere in Virginia - the News Virginian published an article about "City Teenagers Sniffing Inhalants; Officials at Loss On Prevention". It details the statistics of students in the Waynesboro-Staunton area who are abusing inhalants, as well as questioning how much children should be told about them.

The Voices Newspaper of Connecticut offered information about an upcoming seminar for parents on March 18th that focuses on different drug and alcohol risks to children, as well as information about inhalants.

"The substances we talk about in this program are all available in the house," [Jennifer DeWitt] told Voices. "Inhalants can be found under every kitchen counter, alcohol is available in the fridge, the garage or in the bar and prescription medications are available in the bathroom medicine cabinet."

Lots of time, she said, parents look for signs of illicit drug use, but they're not aware of the dangers to be found at home.

"We give parents and other adults education about what these substances are," she said, "how kids use them to get high, signs to look for that kids are using these substances and specific language to use when talking with them about prevention."

The program will also describe Sudden Sniffing Death Syndrome as well as conduct a question and answer session after the forum.

The Tuscaloosa News of Alabama featured a letter to the editor entitled "Educate to Stop 'Huffing'", written by Lois Palecek, the executive director of PRIDE, an organization devoted to keeping kids drug-free. The letter begins,

Dear Editor: If you think 'huffing' is just 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 easy way that young people in Tuscaloosa get high.Parents are often out of the loop when it comes to inhalants. Children discuss it and practice it: adults stay in the dark.

The week of March 16-23 is National Inhalants and Poisons Awareness Week. PRIDE of Tuscaloosa supports effort to educate parents and young people about this deadly practice.The goal? To take the 'silent' out of this silent epidemic. Most parents know to talk to their kids about marijuana, date rape and drinking because they have enough knowledge about these issues, but inhalants are an informational blind spot.

The letter continues to provide information about PRIDE as well as resources available about inhalant abuse.

NBC 12 in Virginia raised awareness for informational meetings for parents in the article, "Dangers of Inhalants: Prevalent in Middle, High Schools". ABC 3 brought it up as well.

The Associated Press wrote an article called "Inhalant Abuse Target of Groups, Gov't." It listed the statistic collected from the Partnership for a Drug-Free America in which students were questioned in 2001 and 2002, and when asked if someone could die from sniffing products like gasoline or hair spray, 68% of students answered 'yes' in 2001 versus only 56% in 2002.

Hopefully March 16-23 will see more create more media and parental awareness about inhalant abuse.

Inhalants and Children: Ignorance Takes a Terrible Toll

Janna Zuber's letter appeared in the Sunday edition of the Washington Post and is directed towards all parents. Ms. Zuber has been an outspoken advocate for inhalant education and instrumental in helping to promote awareness. The text has been reprinted in its entirety below.

Tomorrow is the sixth anniversary of our son Justin's death. He was 16. He died from inhaling air freshener, an act of inhalant abuse. His senseless death rocked the worlds of all who knew him. Justin was an honors student who loved life and embraced it with gusto. Although he had been physically challenged since birth, he never once asked the question, "Why me?" He was a source of inspiration for many.

Over the years, we had discussed many things with our five children: drugs, alcohol, sexual responsibility. Regrettably, at one time I allowed my children to inhale helium from balloons. I laughed as they talked in that squeaky high voice. I did not understand the permissive message I was sending. Now, I do. The message that needs to be sent is that inhalant abuse is a serious problem.

The repeated refrain of parents who have lost a child to inhalant abuse is, "But we didn't know." All of us who have lost a child to this form of substance abuse hope that every parent will learn of and use the tools to warn their children about this deadly high. Children naturally think that "if it's in the house, it can't be that dangerous." But inhaling can kill (sometimes on the first instance), can cause organ damage and is highly addictive. It is a very real game of Russian roulette. And it cuts across every socioeconomic group.

Last year, Maryland Del. Tawanna P. Gaines and her administrative assistant, Pamela Powers (who lost her daughter Mackenzie to inhalant abuse), championed the enactment of a law that mandates public education regarding inhalant abuse. Mackenzie's Law is a huge step toward realizing this goal.

But there is more to be done. Studies show that when parents and teachers combine to educate children on abusive behavior, experimentation drops by at least 50 percent. Moreover, while teen drug and alcohol abuse is on the decrease, inhalant abuse is skyrocketing. According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, by eighth grade, 29.2 percent of students admit to having used inhalants. By the 12th grade, 51.2 percent of teens have experimented with inhalants at least once. Over the past six years, more than 800 deaths have been linked to inhalant abuse.

Many people might assume, "Not my child. I don't want to give him or her ideas." That is a fantasy. This type of adolescent "recreation" knows no boundaries. Unless children are warned, every child is at risk. Kids see it in movies and television. It is portrayed as harmless and funny on YouTube or the radio. It is impractical if not impossible to lock up the hundreds of items in every home that kids inhale. But we can teach children that inhaling is not "harmless."

I will always be haunted by the question of whether Justin would be with us today had he known about the risks he was taking. Please, give your kids the chance that Justin and Mackenzie did not have.
-- Janna D. Zuber

High in a Can

Action 3 News from Omaha, Nebraska covered a story yesterday that highlights inhalant use in teenagers and profiles a teenage boy who had abused dusters in the past. According to the story,

The teen we spoke with is no longer dusting. After three hits, he says he's afraid of what could happen. But he says there are still cans at some of the parties he goes to and there's no stopping his friends.

Parents should take note of the fact that controlling or even banning dusters and other inhalants in the house doesn't mean that your child will not be pressured to use them in other situations.

A common misconception is that computer dusters are nothing but compressed air, when actually they work using a chemical called difluoroethane that when inhaled can replace the oxygen that your brain needs. This is what produces the high, but it can be very dangerous.

WJZ Baltimore News Story

ACE was featured prominently in a local news story covered by Channel 13 WJZ in Baltimore, Maryland. The clip focuses on Janna Zuber, who has been proactive in raising awareness about inhalant abuse after the death of her son Justin. It showed at 11:00 PM last night and will continue to air on WJZ this week as well as on the wjz.com web site.