Troubled Teens Resources

A 21-year-old man is unconscious when he is brought to the emergency department. His friends report that he has been “huffing” (placing a rag soaked in a substance over his nose and mouth and then inhaling) for several months…At 24 hours after presentation, the patient becomes completely coherent and demands to be released from the hospital. He is released against medical advice.

Huffing is Often Fatal

Three weeks later, the young man again presents to the emergency department, this time in full cardiac arrest. After extensive resuscitative efforts, the patient dies. Family and friends confirm that he had been inhaling gun cleaner daily.”

Another arena for teen crisis intervention that can often be overlooked is “huffing”. Who would imagine a teenager becoming addicted to inhalants? Yet, in some parts of the country the statistics on huffing are unreal.

An Alaskan blogger reports the following

“Huffing has become deeply interwoven in the culture of rural Alaska. Studies in the lower 48 usually indicate that something like 20% of eighth graders have tried inhalants at least once. Anecdotal reports from village teenagers and from health aides are that nearly 100% of the kids in their villages have tried it. It is a staggering thought. We recently had a death in one of the villages from huffing. A 10-year-old boy wrapped his lips around the opening in a five-gallon gas can and took a few deep fast breaths. Less than an hour later, he was dead.”

Signs Your Teen is Huffing

Here are some of the signs to be aware of:

• Chemical smell on child or child’s clothing
• Correction fluid on nose, fingers, or clothing
• Markers in pockets
• Red eyes, nonsensical talk, irritability
• ‘Drunk’ appearance, slurred speech
• Unusual breath odor
• Decreased appetite
• Frequent headaches
• Sores around mouth
• Lack of concentration
• Low grades, school absences

Huffing used to be what the big bad wolf did to blow the three pigs’ houses down. Now it’s what drug abusing teenagers are doing to blow their life apart. It’s under the radar but apparently escalating and, as with all substance abuse, dangerous to the point of being fatal

Brain, blood, lungs, heart, liver, kidneys are just a few of the organs which undergo damage when troubled teens decide to get high by huffing. It has been indicated that huffing may precede marijuana use and can begin in late childhood or early adolescence. It’s appeal lies in it’s easy availability and instantaneous high. Little known is the fact that it is addictive with few treatment programs available to address a high rate of relapse among recovering users.

“Most parents are in the dark regarding the popularity and dangers of inhalant use. But children are quickly discovering that common household products are inexpensive to obtain, easy to hide and the easiest way to get high. According to national surveys, inhaling dangerous products is becoming one of the most widespread problems in the country. It is as popular as marijuana with young people. More than a million people used inhalants to get high just last year. By the time a student reaches the 8th grade, one in five will have used inhalants.”

Here is a list of substances commonly abused

Volatile Solvents

• Adhesives
  model airplane glue, rubber cement, household glue
• Aerosols
  spray paint, hairspray, air freshener, deodorant, fabric protector, computer keyboard cleaner
• Solvents and gases
  nail polish remover, paint thinner, type correction fluid and thinner, toxic markers, pure toluene, cigar lighter fluid, gasoline, carburetor cleaner, octane booster
• Cleaning agents
  dry cleaning fluid, spot remover, degreaser
• Food products
  vegetable cooking spray, dessert topping spray (whipped cream), whippets
• Gases
  nitrous oxide, butane, propane, helium

Anesthetics

• Anesthetic
  nitrous oxide, ether, chloroform

Nitrites

(Nitrite room odorizers)

• Amyl
  “Poppers,” “Snappers”
• Butyl
  “Rush,” “Locker room,” “Bolt,” “Climax,” also marketed in head shops as “video head cleaner”

From the National Inhalant Prevention Coalition