Clint Eastwood Youth Program - CEYP Newsletter
Issue 29: Sniffing out the truth about inhalants
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You may have seen the internet article about Dust-Off®, a can of compressed air used to clean computers, causing the death of the 14-year-old son of a Cleveland police officer and a nurse. While it would be a relief to think, “OK, I don’t keep Dust-Off in my house (or I no longer will), so I don’t need to worry,” the frightening truth is that many children and adolescents can use an endless variety of household products to get high.
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Some of the inhalants people use to get high are listed below. Many of them are commonly found in the home.
- hairspray
- whipped cream cans
- marking pens
- glue
- deodorant
- air freshener
- spray paint
- nail polish remover
- cigar lighter
- fluid octane booster
- spot remover
- vegetable cooking spray
- helium
- whippets (The cartridge in a product like whipped cream that delivers nitrous oxide when inhaled.)
Inhaling, also known as “bagging “ or “huffing,” is reported to have a 22-percent death rate for first-time users. The peak age for inhalant use is 14 to 15 years old, but huffing is often seen in kids as
young as 6 to 8 years old.
Why inhalants?
Bagging/huffing appeals to adolescents for many of the same reasons that alcohol and other drugs appeal: thrill-seeking, escapism, peer pressure, curiosity, boredom, self-medication.
Bagging/huffing has the additional attraction of being readily available and easy to disguise. When purchasing inhalants, kids don’t need to fi nd a “drug dealer,” and there is little fear that store clerks, teachers, or parents will question them about buying deodorant or air freshener. Most adults, as well as most adolescents, view whipped cream as a dessert treat not a killer.
These products are seldom seen as the potential threat they are, adding to the impression that, unlike “real” drugs, these products are “harmless” because they are “legal.” Bagging/huffing is much easier to conceal than other drug/alcohol use. Most parents would likely think their children were maturing and concerned about hygiene if they began to keep spray deodorant in their backpack or spot remover in their room.
What kind of high does bagging/huffing produce?
- Inhalants initially have a stimulating effect.
- Inhalants typically produce a dizzy, light headed, or giddy feeling.
- Agitation or violence occasionally occurs.
- Repeated use causes brain damage.
- Sudden death can and does occur, even with first-time use, due to suffocation, loss of oxygen, or toxicity from the inhalant.
What to look for
- Products that seem “out of place” (e.g., cooking spray or air freshener in a backpack, spot remover in the room of a child who doesn’t clean)
- Household products disappearing from kitchen or bathroom shelves
- Chemical smells on clothing or breath, or in a room
- Paint or other chemical stains on your child’s clothing or belongings
- A dazed or glassy-eyed look
- Nausea, loss of appetite
- Anxiety, excitability, irritability
- Red or runny eyes or nose
What you can do
- Become aware, get information, talk with others.
- Talk to your kids about inhalants and their dangers.
- Teach your children resistance skills so they will be strong when facing peer pressure and potentially dangerous situations.
- Help your children learn to make their own decisions and to say no, even to friends.