Inhalant Abuse: Is Your Child Above The Influence?

From HealthCanal.com (June 23):

Officials at the Oklahoma Poison Control Center are responding to a worrying trend among teens. They are seeing rises in the use of non-traditional drugs. Termed a 'silent epidemic', the Center is giving parents more tools to reduce their chance of losing a child to inhalant abuse.

Equipping parents with knowledge about effects and signs of inhalant abuse plays a major role in curbing teen drug use. The poison control authority recommended the following tips to help your teen stay clean. View our complete list of warning signs so you can recognize the problem before it is too late.

• Talk to your kids about inhalant abuse.
• Correction fluid, nail polish remover, and gasoline are commonly abused.
• Inhalant abuse can kill. 22% of inhalant abuse deaths are attributed to Sudden Sniffing Death Syndrome, a chemically induced cardiac arrest, one study found.
• Be suspicious. If you are replacing household products, such as computer duster, inquire about where it is going.

Don't let inhalant abuse take your breath away. Visit www.inhalant.org to find more information about the dangers associated with the household high that may be as close as your kitchen sink.