Featured Articles

Children who have serious respiratory problems such as asthma are just as likely as other teens to experiment with inhalants, according to a new study from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

• About 4 percent of all teenagers sniff or inhale common household substances such as gasoline and glue in order to get high.
• Among teenagers with asthma, bronchitis, and other respiratory conditions, the rate was slightly higher at 4.4 percent, even though the practice may pose a greater risk to that group of teens.

The findings were based on a study of 67,850 students ages 12 to 17 years old that was conducted between 2006 and 2008.

Labels: inhalants, huffing

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

According to data just released by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), more 12-year-olds have tried "huffing" dangerous inhalants than have used marijuana, cocaine, and hallucinogens combined.

According to SAMHSA data from the 2006-2008 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 6.9 percent of 12 year olds have tried inhalants at least once. By comparison, 5.1 percent of 12-year-olds have used marijuana at least once, 0.7 percent have used hallucinogens at least once, and 0.1 percent have tried cocaine at least once.

Huffing involves the intentional inhalation of chemicals in gas or vapor form with the purpose of getting high. Users can experience stimulation, reduction of inhibition, and loss of consciousness. Huffing can also result in "sudden sniffing death syndrome" which is sudden death due to cardiac arrest.

Huffers can experience sudden death the first, 10th, or 100th time they inhale chemicals. Negative effects of huffing include damage to the heart, kidney, brain, liver, bone marrow, and other internal organs.

Labels: inhalants, huffing, pre-teen

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

The number of teens who sniff glue, spray paint, and other inhalants in order to "get high" has gone down in the past few years, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. However, the number of teens experimenting with inhalants is about one million, or 3.9 percent of all teens. About 100,000 are dependent on inhalants.

These statistics are for the year 2007, and represent a decline from the period 2002 to 2007.

Labels: inhalants

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

The findings of a new government survey indicate that a smaller rate of teens are sniffing glue, lighter fluid, spray paint, shoe polish, and other household substances to get high. However, the number of teens who abuse inhalants remained stable between 2002 and 2007, indicating a need for ongoing prevention and intervention efforts.

Ed Jurith, acting director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, commented on the findings, "Most parents don't realize how dangerous inhalants can be ... these productsfound in every home in Americaare among the most popular and deadly substances that kids abuse."

Approximately one million youth between the ages of 12 and 17 used an inhalant in 2007; this represents 3.9 percent of respondents, compared to 4.4 percent in 2006 and 4.5 percent in 2005.(Source: Associated Press)

Labels: inhalants, getting-high

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments