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Adolescent Inhalant Abuse in St. Louis Area
by Fred Bodimer of KMOX
A new warning that too many young people are using dangerous inhalants, raising their health risks for now and in the future.
In data just released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), more 12 year olds have used potentially lethal inhalants to get high than marijuana, cocaine and hallucinogens combined.
What's being seen in the St. Louis area?
Substance abuse counselor Dan Duncan with the St. Louis-based National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse says it's always here. "Between one and five percent of young people here are trying different inhalants year round. It's a danger that parents need to be on the lookout for and be aware of what's in their house," said Duncan.
Duncan said "so many different things can be used by adolescents to get high -- glues, paint, paint thinner, shoe polish, fuels."
"Parents need to kind of like baby-proof their house again, now that their children are older. Go around the house and put away any things that could cause temptation."
According to Duncan, the danger of huffing is tremendous. "It can kill somebody the first time they do it through suffocation or asphyxiation, and on a minor level it can cause heart palpitations, difficulty breathing, headaches and dizziness."
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