Inhalants are common products that are in everyone’s home. They are freely available to children and are frequently used to get high.
A few statistics:
- 26% (1 in 4) children in 6th grade have used inhalants (this is the drug of choice for 6th – 8th graders)
- Fourth most abused substances after cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana
- Can lead to later abuse of illegal drugs
What to look for:
- Having multiple household products without a reason
- Hidden baggies, rags, or empty aerosols in unusual places
- Whipped topping or other aerosols are always low on propellant
- Child overuses perfumes, body sprays, breath mints to mask odor of solvent-based inhalants
- Paint, other products on face, lips, nose or fingers
- Fingernails painted with permanent markers or typewriter correction fluid
- Constant smelling of clothing, markers, rags
- Butane lighters (empty or partially filled ) or refill cans especially if student doesn’t smoke
- Multiple cans or overuse of computer keyboard cleaners
Difficult to cure:
- Traditional drug treatment facilities do not like to admit inhalant abusers
- Failure rate is very high
- Treatment takes months, possibly years
- Addiction to inhalants is as strong as that to cocaine
For younger children:
- Talk about oxygen and how it sustains life
- Play a game: “It is safe to smell or touch?”
- Discuss the purpose of household products
- Read product labels together
- Make sure children know that some household and garage items are not safe to breathe repeatedly or use recklessly.
- Ventilate all areas
- Educate your child by setting a good example
For older children:
- Tell your children you love them
- Their health and safety is your #1 priority
- Ask if they know about inhalant abuse
- Reinforce peer resistance skills – Not the way to “fit in”
- Tell them about the consequences -Inhalant abuse is dangerous, sometimes deadly
- Monitor your teen’s activities – Set boundaries, ask questions, be firm, know their friends, friends’ parents, and where they hang out
- Educate teens about the dangers but do not mention specific products
This information came from: The Alliance for Consumer Education
For more information, visit these sites:
www.inhalant.org
http://www.inhalants.org/
http://stopinhalantabuse.org
http://www.theantidrug.com/