Madison County Council on  Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, Inc.
 
 

 

National Inhalants and Poisons Awareness Week

March 18-24, 2007

Legal, Essential…and Deadly

By Susan L. Jenkins

We need gasoline for our snow blowers and cleaning solvents for those tough clean-up jobs. These legal, even essential, products we need in our homes, offices, schools, and cars can become lethal in the hands of a young person intent on getting high. Gasoline, spray paint, nail polish, cleaning solvents, felt tip markers, aerosols and other products are inexpensive to obtain, easy to hide, and very accessible to young people. The same products we took great care to keep from their hands when they were toddlers are now being inhaled or “huffed” in the privacy of their rooms or garage.

Here is an alarming statistic. By the time youth reach the 8th grade, 1 in 5 of them will have misused one or more of these everyday products by intentionally breathing the gas or vapors to get high! Did you know that these national statistics match what we are hearing from youth right here in Madison County and that inhalant use is on the rise? This is frightening.

Chronic users of inhalants can suffer severe and permanent brain damage. The inhaled vapors dissolve or melt the fatty brain tissue. Other risks from inhalants are bone marrow damage, vision impairment, loss of consciousness and irreversible damage to the liver and kidneys. Immediate death can result from just a single inhalant use when the substance interferes with breathing or produces an irregular heartbeat. These are very toxic substances when inhaled.

What are some physical signs of inhalant abuse? Hand tremors; drunk, dazed or dizzy appearance; red or runny eyes or notes; unusual breath odor; excessive sweating; spots or sores around the mouth; paint or stains on hands or clothing; chronic headaches; anxiety, excitability, irritability; and nausea and loss of appetite. Some of these can be symptoms of other medical problems so it is important to get as much information as possible to intervene.

March 18-24, 2007 marks the 15th Annual National Inhalants and Poisons Awareness Week. For more information about inhalants and the symptoms of abuse, please call BRiDGES at 697-3947, toll free at 1-866-4HELP44, or visit www.inhalants.org.
Sitemap   •   Home   •   Terms of Use   •   User Survey
BRiDGES   •   3059 Seneca Turnpike, Suite E Canastota, NY 13032   •   (315) 697-3947
©2003 Madison County Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, Inc.  All rights reserved.