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Friday,
October 14, 2005
The Dangers of Huffing
Letters to
the Editor
In your Area section of
the September 28, 2005 edition, there was an article about teens huffing
and then crashing into a house. As
program manager of an organization that works with young people and
families in the Winchester community, I wanted to comment on that story and
share some information on inhalants.
Recently our staff
has dealt directly with two inhalant cases. What we are hearing is that this behavior seems to be
unusually prevalent with older adolescents (16-17) and it’s very often the
same product, Dust Off.
Huffing is the term used
when an inhalant-soaked rag is placed in the mouth. Other terms that refer to fumes being
inhaled include sniffing, snorting, or bagging, which is when the fumes are
inhaled from a plastic bag. This
behavior is usually associated with a childish fad and is often equated
with the youthful experiments one has with cigarettes, but it seems that
trend is changing.
Inhalant abuse can cause
severe damage to the brain and nervous system. By starving the body of oxygen or forcing the heart to beat
more rapidly, inhalants can even kill.
Inhalants produce
effects similar to anesthetics.
They act to slow down the body’s function. When inhaled through the nose or mouth, they can cause
intoxicating effects that can last a few minutes or several hours.
Possible effects of
inhalants include sudden death, suffocation, asphyxia, visual
hallucinations and severe mood swings, numbness and tingling of the hands
and feet, loss of muscle control, slurred speech, headache, muscle
weakness, abdominal pain, decrease or loss of sense of smell, nausea and
nosebleeds, hepatitis, violent behavior, irregular heartbeat, liver, lung,
and kidney impairment, brain damage, nervous system damage, and dangerous
chemical imbalances.
Common household
products that are misused as inhalants are legally available for their
intended and legitimate uses.
However, 46 states have enacted legislation designed to prevent
products that are commonly used as inhalants from being sold to minors.
CLEAN, Inc. is a private
nonprofit organization founded in 1986 and based on the principle that
prevention is the key to keeping our young people safe from the ravages of
substance abuse. We are the
community coalition for substance abuse prevention providing the Community
Assistance Program, educational programs and Community Case Manager
services.
What our programs and
services provide is education and support for our young people to make the
right decisions in life. Parents
and youths who have questions or concerns about substance abuse are
encouraged to contact us at (540) 722-3589.
I also would like to
thank the Winchester Star for the exceptionally well written editorial on
Family Day – bravo!
LINDA JONES
Program
Manager
CLEAN,
Inc.
Winchester
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