Survey: More teens abusing inhalants

[Kooperman]

Survey: More teens abusing inhalants

Thursday, March 18, 2004 Posted: 1:51 PM EST (1851 GMT)

(CNN) -- Inhalant use is on the rise among teenagers, with more than 2 million of them abusing these products at some point in their lives, said a report released Thursday.

Also known as "huffing" or "sniffing," the abuse involves snorting or inhaling chemical vapors in common household products such as spray paint, glue or cleaning products to get high.

About 2.6 million 12- to 17-year-olds have used inhalants in the past, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health estimated, based on a 2002 questionnaire answered by more than 23,000 youths. Two years earlier, the numbers were half a million less.

"The use of inhalants is a big concern since these products are legal and can result in irreparable brain damage or death," said Charles Curie of the survey's sponsor, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, at a news briefing in Washington. The sponsor is a Department of Health and Human Services agency.

"It's a silent epidemic in many ways, overshadowed and ignored perhaps because it is not considered a 'illegal' drug."

The jump in inhalant abuse comes at a time when overall drug use by teens is on a downturn. The Partnership for a Drug-Free America said last month that the overall number of teenagers abusing drugs has fallen by 10 percent since 1998 but that fewer of the youths believed inhalants were dangerous.

"The number of children abusing inhalants is very likely to increase -- and will continue increasing -- until we address and change the underlying attitudes kids have about this destructive form of substance abuse," Steve Pasierb, president and CEO of the partnership, said in a statement.

Inhalant abuse also appears to be more prevalent in younger children. Data from the new survey shows that peak years are around the ages of 14 or 15, with almost 5 percent of this age group having used inhalants in the past 12 months.

"[inhalants are] a particular threat to the youngest of young people," said John Walters, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. "Many times we have people harmed because they're thought to be too young to have a serious problem or be at serious risk."

Teens who abuse inhalants are also three times more likely to use other drugs, the report said.

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, signs of possible inhalant abuse include red or runny eyes or nose; spots or sores around the mouth; the hiding of rags, clothes or empty product containers; and unusual breath odor or smell on clothing. Damage to internal organs, hearing loss, irregular heartbeat and even death are side effects, the commission says.

Also on Thursday, the National Inhalant Prevention Coalition released a set of guidelines for medical examiners and coroners for detecting inhalant deaths, a move to reduce the number that may go unreported.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/HEALTH/parenting/0...buse/index.html

[DudeAsInCool]

Yuck! I know people who did this when I was a teen and didnt get it I always thought it was dangerous.. Why not just have a beer or two?

[joeyz]

Ever seen the independent film "gummo"? There is some model airplane glue huffing in that movie... I guess sometimes inhalents are all that some teenagers have to experiment with. As a teen, you can buy model glue over the counter... the same isn't true for beer.

[Kooperman]

I always liked putting the model airplanes together when I was a kid...but the more glue I used, the more it started looking like a tank...

[joeyz]

That a boy Koop! Double your pleasure and double your fun... Model airplanes for everyone!..... If you started getting the "tank daze" just from fumes, then it's a good thing you stayed away from the ziplock sandwich bags... hopefully....

[wingnut2600]

I used to work at an art supply store, and we had this customer named Jerry... he was approximately 55 years of age or so... he was a nice guy, he really liked me as opposed ot other people... he would come in and purchase tubes of Testor's model cement three at a time, always in a bag... he was really a nice guy... after many hour long conversations/cornerings I go the fact that he was more than likely abused and had major schizophrenia (in retrospect)... I always felt sad for the man... he had such severe delusions, the glue was most assuredly not the biggest problem... I wonder about him now.

I have not talked to these people I worked with for 9 years recently, since I wasted so much of my life, but i wonder about this man. He was always polite and had something deep in his eyes; I could sense his tragedy.

Inhalants are a death escape... they bring you to the void.

I lived with a person for a while that showed me how to do inhalants... he was a damned fun person to live with... I never did them, but his lesson in "schnocking" has always stayed with me even thought that is not who he is.