So what is 'huffing' it and what does it do to your brain and body?
October 9th 2008 00:30
Signature Tune
From Staff Reports
tsnews@sjnewsco.com
One in four students in America has used an inhalant to get high by the time he or she reaches the eighth grade, according to the Alliance for Consumer Education.
The Southwest Council, Inc., is hosting a conference on inhalants Friday featuring Isabel Burke, director of the Health Network and a nationally-known, awarding-winning expert on drug prevention, safety policies and health education issues.
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The conference is open to the general public, health and education professionals, and especially parents, who often do not recognize the dangers of common products in their homes that can readily be used as inhalants by their youngsters.
More than 1,400 common household and commercial products are used for the purpose of getting high. Most products used as inhalants are inexpensive, legal, and readily available in the home, garage, office, school, or in the local convenience store. These products include computer cleaner, air conditioning coolant, gasoline, felt tip markers, spray paint, air freshener, butane, cooking spray, paint, glue, and hundreds more.
New Jersey's 2005 "Youth Risk Behavior Survey" reported that 10.1 percent of New Jersey students said they used inhalants to get high. Nationally, more than 2.6 million children, aged 12 to 17, use an inhalant each year to get high, according to the National Inhalant Prevention Coalition, and one in four students in America has intentionally abused a common household product to get high by the time they reach the eighth grade. Inhalants also tend to be the drug that is tried first by children.
"In fact, inhalants are the fourth most-abused substance after alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana," said Joe Williams, executive director of The Southwest Council, Inc., an alcohol, tobacco and other drug abuse prevention and education agency with offices in Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem counties.
"Most parents don't know that inhalants, because they are cheap, legal and accessible products, are as popular among middle school students as marijuana," said Williams.
Even fewer know the deadly effects the poisons in these products have on the brain and body when they are inhaled or "huffed."
"It's like playing Russian Roulette," said Williams. "The user can die the first, 10th or 100th time a product is misused as an inhalant."
To help reduce the abuse of inhalants, the Southwest Council encourages parents, educators, health professionals and especially students to become educated on the deadly and addictive dangers of inhalant abuse.
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Comment by Dianna G
I Wish This Was 42
Fictional Worlds
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Comment by katyzzz
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Compulsory, supervised, discussions within families might just do the trick, but I really don't know, I think we are losing sight of humanity.
Comment by Dianna G
I Wish This Was 42
Fictional Worlds
~Dianna
Comment by katyzzz
Photography Tips
Health Focus
MS Paint Art
Comment by Dianna G
I Wish This Was 42
Fictional Worlds
~Dianna
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