Do You Suspect Your Teen is Huffing?

The use of inhalants to get high or "huffing" is the fourth most common used drug by children age 12 to 17. It is speculated that the two leading causes that drive teens to abuse inhalants are accessibility and affordability.

There are hundreds of everyday household products that can be used to get high from aerosol deodorants to canned air for cleaning electronics. Some of the warning signs of huffing are poor grades in school or missing classes, lack of concentration, sores around their mouth, complaining of headaches, chemical smell on child or his clothing, red eyes, and slurred speech.

You may also find markers in their pockets or correction fluid on nose, hands, or clothing. Your child may often be irritable, slur nonsense words, or even appear to be drunk.

Children can die from prolonged inhalant abuse or even after the first use.

It can lead to brain damage as well as damage to the heart, liver and lungs. Prolonged use can lead to dementia, depression, delirium, confusion, nerve damage, impaired judgment, impaired cognitive function and many more. These are serious consequences and if you suspect you child is huffing you should seek help right away. You should also be familiar with some of the street slang teens use for inhalants. Some of these are moon gas, poppers, poor man's pot, boppers, head cleaner, gluey, and hardware.
Get involved and talk to your kids about these dangers before they have a chance to find out for themselves.

Experts suggest talking to your kids early.
Teach your kids between ages 6 and 11 to think of toxic household products as poisons. Emphasize the body's need for oxygen and explain how these products produce fumes and gases that can make you very sick. If you recognize some of the warning signs and suspect your child of huffing or any kind of drug abuse get help right away.

There are hot lines and intervention programs available in your area.
Gather all of your family and friends and find and interventionist to help you with an intervention. They will guide you step by step how to handle the situation, exactly who should be involved in the intervention and come up with a solid treatment plan.

This is a huge problem among our teens and it is growing daily at an alarming rate.
As parents we can keep the lines of communication open, listen, talk, watch, and pay attention. Get to know your kid's friends and watch their friends' behavior, meet the friend's parents, and be constantly aware and involved.