WP: Inhalant Abuse on the Rise Among Children ("epidemic")

[DeepModem Mom]

Inhalant Abuse on the Rise Among Children

By Shankar Vedantam
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, January 24, 2005; Page A06


....A hidden epidemic is gaining momentum in America, experts say. Children as young as fourth-graders are deliberately inhaling the fumes of dangerous chemicals from a variety of household and office products. Inhalants, as they are known, are widely available and hard to detect, and are fueling a dangerous trend: The most reliable annual survey of drug use among children has found that inhalants are the one group of drugs in which abuse is on the rise.

The chemicals travel rapidly to the brain to produce highs similar to alcohol intoxication. Unlike the effect of alcohol, these highs disappear within minutes, making it hard for parents to detect the abuse.

The products, which can range from gasoline to cigarette lighter fluid, cleaning supplies to adhesives, are often highly toxic and addictive.

New brain imaging research has shown that the chemicals can produce lasting changes in the brain, as well as heart, kidney and liver damage....

***

Some indications suggest the problem may be growing faster among girls. Overall, nearly one in five eighth-graders has tried an inhalant, usually by breathing from a rag or a bag doused with the chemical. The increase in abuse has tracked a sharp drop in youngsters' perceptions of the risks of inhalants, said Lloyd Johnston, a researcher at the University of Michigan who helps conduct the annual "Monitoring the Future" survey of eighth-, 10th- and 12th-graders....


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A30968-2005Jan23.html

[mahina]

1. Finally an explanation for the 2004 election.

The gluehead constituency.

[Bono71]

17. Lol...I am gonna steal this one if it is ok with you n/t

[mahina]

20. By all means.

Let's unglue them!

[Maraya1969]

2. This is scary

but I heard the same thing ten years ago. So I wonder just how much of it is true and how much is exaggerated for media purposes.

Either way parents and teachers need to address how dangerous this behavior is.

[da_chimperor]

3. A childhood friend of mine used to eat paste back in 1st grade

He also used to drink the watercolor water when we were doing watercolor art. He might have sniffed things as well.

[elehhhhna]

6. like magic markers, perhaps? yum.

[genieroze]

19. When my kids were little they used to have magic markers that smelled

like cherry, blueberry etc...They were nontoxic.

[jdots]

4. This has been a huge problem in South America & Mexico

it has been done off and on in this country but now it is in the suburbs.Hate to tell all parents to see the movie "13" Brilliant performances but very true and depressing.I went with my daughters who are not kids anymore but it hit home with them.I freaked out and asked them if it was really that bad,they told me it was worse.
Rent it ,Holly Hunter should have received 100 oscars for her performance and the kids are amazing.

[Bono71]

18. Great movie. Scared the heck out of me since I have a daughter n/t

[elehhhhna]

5. What comedian said "Give us out pot back and we'll put the crack away."?

Carlin? not sure...

[Carni]

13. I don't know but I tend to agree

That's my feeling on much of the "war on drugs"

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

7. drug abuse doesn't surprise me

how much hope do those kids abusing inhalants in Mexico have? How about the kids doing it here? Do they have any sort of solid foundation for placing meaning in their life, or have they bought into the idea that if you buy something or have certain friends it will make you happy?

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[LynnTheDem]

10. So are you!

buh-bye! :)

[depakid]

11. The Post has very little credibility in my book

Over the past several months, I've read several science and public health articles that contained distortions and outright false statements. I don't know what the deal is- lazy reporters and editors or just interviewing people (undisclosed "experts") who don't know what they are talking about.

A few have been so blatant that I've taken them to class so we could all have a laugh about them. True story.

If it comes from the Post these days, I'd say- take it with a major grain of salt.

[Solly Mack]

9. I'm 41 and "huffing" has been around since I was a child

always been a problem more or less since I can remember

[Carni]

12. THIS is why the drinking age should be 18 and marijuana should be legal

This is an absolutely appalling trend and yes, I realize it has been around a long time -- it was not, however, popular or mainstream when I was a kid.

The reigns on today's kids are pulled in too tight IMO and as a result they are resorting to this type of stupidity.

On the one hand the world is bursting apart at the seams and on the other hand these people like "Focus on the family" expect our youth to live like they are a character in "The Waltons"

[noonwitch]

14. Why can't they stick to whipped creme cans?

There's only a little nitrous in them, not enough to hurt anyone. Just enough to make one laugh really hard for about a minute.

All that other stuff-lighter fluid, model plane glue, cleaning chemicals, can lead to serious brain damage. So can nitrous in higher amounts, like from a tank stolen from the dentist, or too many balloons filled with it.

[Carni]

15. One little problem with that

Ever see a nitrous burn?

I knew someone in highschool that somehow sprayed the canister on their hand and the resulting burn didn't speak well about what undiluted nitrous must do to the lungs!

[Solly Mack]

16. I remember when that was the "rage" too

Is it still? (I'm so out of it)