A dear friend of my son died this last week in when he was travelling about 80 miles an hour through a residential area and wrecked his car. Although nothing has been officially reported it is rumored that he had been using inhalants. It is a sad and terribly tragic accident and a great loss of a young boy. As I looked up inhalants in the news I found several recent articles posted just this week from several different states addressing the use of inhalants. I also found some of the following information:
Statistics show that over a 2.3 million people used inhalants last year. That one in five children will try inhalants before the eighth grade.
There are four main types of inhalants:
Volatile solvents: Paint thinners, correction fluid, markers, gasoline and dry-cleaning fluids.
Gases: (home) Butane lighters, refrigerants, whipped cream dispensers and propane tanks.
(medical) Chloroform, ether and nitrous oxide.
Aerosols: Spray paint, hairspray, vegetable oil cook sprays, air fresheners and fabric protection sprays.
Nitrates: Isobutyl nitrite, isoamyl nitrite and cyclohexyl nitrite. (aka "poppers") (harder to get)
The use of inhalants is often referred to as "huffing"or "dusting". One of the most popular products to huff is canned air (dust off) used to clean computers and such. Even though it is now a law that you must be 18 years old to purchase this type of product it is still very easy to get a hold of and if you are over 18 there is no limit on the amount you can buy. Unlike other drugs where people will sometimes build up a tolerance and start using more and more before overdosing or death may occur these things may happen on the first, tenth, or hundredth time.
Some signs of inhalant use include:
Drunken appearance
Weight loss / lack of appetite
Glassy eyes
Odor - chemical smells on clothing/breath
Pale skin
Slurred speech
Rashes/sores around mouth/nose
Restlessness/nervousness/mood swings
Missing/empty chemical containers left around or in garbage
Early education is the key to prevention. But, if you suspect that your loved one is using inhalants get them help now. Whether you seek counselling, or feel they need a drug rehab do not wait to see if they are just experimenting or if they have become addicted because with this drug next time could be too late.
