National Drug Facts Week: Shatter the Myths

The National Institute on Drug Abuse is holding the third annual National Drug Facts Week from January 27 to February 2, 2014 with the aim of helping shatter the myths about drug use for teens. 

Help ACE use this week to share the facts and dispel the myths regarding inhalant abuse!

Approximately 2.5 million children ages 12-17 use inhalants each year. 59% of kids at age 12 are already aware of their friends huffing. With the average age that some kids start using inhalants at 10 years old, it is crucial to reach these youth with the proper facts and information. 


Further test your knowledge of inhalant abuse facts and myths by taking the ACE Inhalant Abuse Quiz.

Download resources to help you talk to students and parents about inhalant abuse: http://www.inhalant.org/resources/

Be a part of the conversation! Share or post these facts:

• Jan 27- Feb 2 is #NationalDrugFactsWeek join us as we share a fact a day to help shatter the myths of inhalant abuse! @NIDAnews  #inhalants

• Did you know that approximately 2.5 million children ages 12-17 use inhalants each year? #drugfacts #NDFW #inhalants

• The average age that some kids start using inhalants is 10 years old #educatethemearly #drugfacts #NDFW #inhalants

• Did you know that 59% of kids at age 12 are aware of their friends huffing? #drugfacts #NDFW #inhalants

• Liver and kidney damage are serious long-term effects of inhalant abuse #drugfacts #NDFW #inhalants

• Inhalant abuse is deliberately sniffing fumes or gases from common household products #drugfacts #NDFW #inhalants

• Did you know people can die the very first time they use inhalants, known as Sudden Sniffing Death Syndrome? #drugfacts #NDFW #inhalants

• Commonly abused products are adhesives/glue, aerosol products, cleaning agents, gases/chemicals, and food products #drugfacts #inhalants

• Inhalants are the fourth most abused substance after alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana #drugfacts #NDFW #inhalants

For more information regarding National Drug Facts Week, visit the website http://drugfactsweek.drugabuse.gov/

New National Inhalant Data: Monitoring the Future Study Shows Decrease in Inhalant Abuse

This morning the National Institute on Drug Abuse released the results of its 2013 Monitoring the Future Study and the results revealed decrease in inhalant use rates for 8th, 10th, and 12th graders

In the chart entitled "Trends in Prevalence of Various Drugs for 8th-Graders, 10th-Graders, and 12th Graders; 2010-2013":

• 8th graders: 2013 Lifetime (10.8%), Past Year [5.2%], & Past Month (2.3%) use rates are the lowest they have been in the past four years.
• 10th graders: 2013 Lifetime (8.7%), Past Year (3.5%), & Past Month (1.3%) use rates are the lowest they have been in the past four years.
• 12th graders: 2013 Lifetime (6.9%) and Past Year use rates are the lowest they have been in the past four years.
• Of the nine categories, only one showed an increase in use rates: 12th grade past month inhalant use increased from 0.90% in 2012 to 1.0% in 2013, the same percentage reporting use in 2011 and still a significant decline from 1.4% in 2010.

Scientists Study Inhalant Abuse in Mice

A recently republished study examined the effects of inhalant abuse on mice. During the four-year National Institute of Drug Abuse-funded exercise, scientists exposed mice to inhalants in different environments. They trained the mice to "deliver a 'dose' of inhalant on an intermittent basis."

You can view the abstract of the study here.

National Inhalants and Poisons Awareness Week Press Conference

To launch National Inhalants and Poisons Awareness Week, the National Inhalant Prevention Coalition, with support from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), held a press conference to focus on inhalant use and efforts by the medical profession to educate physicians. The widely-attended event brought together media, federal agencies, and those personally affected to bring attention this important issue.

Pamela Hyde, SAMHSA Administrator, spoke poignantly about the recent upticks in drug use as a recent study showed a regression in adolescent attitudes about drug use. This trend, which is a harbinger of future drug use, is magnified when discussing inhalant abuse because many teens don’t think it is a ‘real’ drug. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, attitudes about drug abuse were have tumbled to 58% from 75% in earlier surveys.

Ms. Hyde noted that inhalant accessibility and ignorance about side effects contribute to the problem. Among 12-year olds nationwide inhalants are the drug of choice. Currently, alcohol is the only substance with higher user rates than inhalants.

Dr. Jennifer Caudle, of the American Osteopathic Association, intimated inhalant abuse is affecting the medical community as medical professionals have access to commonly abused gases, such as nitrous oxide. Additionally, there is little formal training about recognizing inhalant abuse allowing cases to go undiagnosed. In response, Dr. Caudle and the AOA are helping to create a support system and dialogue among medical practitioners to illuminate that areas need improvement.

The last two speakers shared personal accounts of how inhalant abuse affected their lives. Ashley, 17, and Kevin, a parent who lost his daughter to inhalants, offered poignant and intertwined reflections. The two are now learning how to live new lives of recovery and loss respectively.

We would especially like to thank Harvey Weiss, Executive Director of NIPC for organizing this annual event as it is emblematic of his steadfast efforts to combat inhalant abuse.