Playing with poison
SAFE sponsors inhalants program for parents, students, community
Susan Nienow CONTRIBUTING WRITER

A recent study by Substance Abuse Free Environment Inc. (SAFE) shows inhalant use by teens in Chesterfield is above the national average. Now, SAFE is hoping to educate parents, students and the community about this dangerous practice during a special seminar at Monacan High School on Tues., Mar. 20 at 7 p.m. "Inhalants: Poisons Right Under Your Nose" features Harvey Weiss, executive director of the National Inhalant Prevention Coalition.

"This is the beginning of a community-wide discussion on inhalant abuse that will have statewide and national implications," said Wayne Frith, executive director of SAFE.

This past year, SAFE has offered guidance and information to those who interact with kids including bus drivers, librarians and others. According to Betty Hornick, instructional specialist for school counseling, elementary and middle school counselors have also received education on inhalants.

Inhalants are poisons, not drugs. Kids as young as nine years old are using easily accessible, cheap household chemicals to get a drug-like high. This effect is created when the brain cells are starved of oxygen unlike the use of drugs, which alters the chemistry of the brain. Just six months of regular use can cause significant brain damage, warned Frith.

Common household items used during "huffing" include canned whipped cream, Freon from air conditioning lines, spray paint and even air freshener. Over 1,400 products can be abused. They can cause brain, respiratory, liver and kidney damage, short-term memory loss and hearing impairment.

"Using any inhalant is like playing Russian roulette: users can die the first, 10th or even the 100th time they use," said Frith.

"There is a perception that this is harmless," continued Patrick Slifka, chairman of the Chesterfield Inhalant Task Force and a clinical social worker and addictions counselor with the National Counseling Group.

Most parents know how to talk to their kids about drugs and drinking but "inhalants are an information blind spot for them," said Weiss.

Parents should know that some kids huff because it is not detectable in drug screens, explained Paul Brasler, substance abuse treatment clinician for the Chesterfield Juvenile Drug Court and a member of the task force.

So far, there have been no known deaths due to inhalants in Chesterfield. However, hospitals treat inhalant abuse as a poisoning - not drug abuse - so no statistics are available.

Inhalants are the bottom of the food chain when it comes to substance abuse. When addicts can't get their drug of choice, they will sometimes resort to inhalants to get a quick high.

Often heroin addicts will say that their first drug was inhalants. Freon highs are similar to those of heroin. Mary Lib Morgan, prevention teacher with Chesterfield County Public Schools, pointed out that they both are delivered quickly to the brain.

"Abusers may end up with profound mental and emotional problems," said Slifka. "They don't develop a tolerance; however, toluene can produce a tolerance and there may be other chemicals that do as well."

There is also another little known risk with inhalants. When a user inhales, the brain suffocates and the body produces adrenaline. If a parent or someone else surprises a user, the adrenaline is increased. An additional surge in adrenaline can cause a heart attack, warned Slifka.

Then there's the risk of suffocation. Those who abuse inhalants often fill a plastic bag with the inhalant and then put the bag over their heads. If they pass out, they can suffocate and die.

Advice to parents

"Trust your gut," Brasler says to parents. "Don't be afraid to ask questions." He added, "Boredom is a big trigger for users and a reason to use."

"One major determining factor is the attitude of parents," said Brasler. If parents talk to their kids about inhalants, they are less likely to use them.

Parents need to educate themselves and make sure their children are aware of the risks. The dangers are invisible because the inhalants are legal, everyday products that can be found in any home.

Look for plastic bags with chemical smells or stains, cotton balls, balloons, clothes with paint stains on them or empty aerosol containers. Users may have rashes around their mouths or noses, chemical odors on their breath, slurred speech, coordination difficulties, excitability or an increase in quantity and intensity of headaches.

"The toxic effects resemble alcohol," said Morgan.

The social effects include increased isolation and defensiveness, an attitude favorable toward inhalants, and peer group changes.

Treatment

There is no known model for treatment of inhalant abuse, said Morgan. Since it is different than traditional drug abuse, only a few places in the United States treat inhalant abuse. Brasler noted that he knew of a kid with an average IQ. A year later he was in a treatment facility with an IQ well below 70 because of his inhalant abuse. The choice is being institutionalized or being cared for by others, Frith observed.

For further information, call the National Inhalant Prevention Coalition at (800) 269- 4237 or SAFE at 751-4960.