12 year olds Huffing

This is pretty alarming. I think 12 years-old is really young to start trying to get a "high." I am grateful for stories like this because I wouldn't even suspect anything with my kids until they got into high school. We have heard substance abuse starts in middle school and there's a good chance your child will be exposed to it. I already hear and see negative behavior from my 6-year-old that he has picked up from kids at school. I am sure I am in for a whole lot more! If there are no warning signs early, I plan to talk to my kids about substance abuse by at least 10 years old. You can't be too careful when it comes to this stuff. Kids don't understand that sniffing glue can kill them. Scary! When do you plan to talk to your kids?

FROM CNN: When their kids turn 12, parents are concerned about peers pressuring them to smoke cigarettes, drink and use drugs, but it turns out 12-year-olds are doing something else: getting high on inhalants.

A new national survey from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration report finds that they're using inhalants more than marijuana, hallucinogens and cocaine combined.

Some young people are sniffing -- inhaling -- a wide variety of products to get high. Inhalants are legal, cheap and everywhere. They can easily be found in most homes: spray paint, shoe polish, glue, air fresheners, hair spray, nail polish, gasoline, aerosols, computer cleaners, even the refrigerant from air conditioners.

"We continue to face the challenge of increasing experimentation and intentional misuse of common household products among the youngest and most vulnerable segments of our population: 12-year-olds," said Harvey Weiss, executive director of the National Inhalant Prevention Coalition.

"The data are ominous, and their implications are frightening because of the toxic, chemical effects of these legal products on growing minds and bodies."

According to the survey, 6.9 percent of 12-year-olds have "huffed," while 1.4 percent have used pot, 0.7 percent hallucinogens and 0.1 percent cocaine. The report found 5.2 percent smoked cigarettes.

Huffing can be fatal, leading to "sudden sniffing death."

Dr. Jennifer Caudle, director of the family medicine section of the Department of Internal Medicine at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, said it's critical to educate adolescents about the dangers of huffing.

"Young people do not always realize the consequences of their actions. However, it is possible to die from trying inhalants even once. 'Sudden sniffing death' causes the heart to beat rapidly, which can result in cardiac arrest."

Kevin Talley and his wife, Deborah, know that all too well. Their 17-year-old daughter, Amber Ann Suri, died after using inhalants in February 2009.

Talley said the teenager apparently had been inhaling for six months, but by the time they began to suspect something was wrong, it was too late.

"Parents must wake up to the reality that their child might try huffing and the consequences could be devastating," said Pamela S. Hyde, administrator for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. "That's why SAMHSA is leading the way to get information out to health care providers, kids, parents and everyone in the community so that our children hear a consistent message about the dangers of huffing."

It's a message 17-year old Ashley Upchurch said she now takes seriously. She said she started huffing when she was 11.

"Inhalants were cheap, legal and an intense high that would also enhance the feeling I would get from other drugs," she said. "These highs nearly destroyed my life." She's been in recovery for two years.

Many experts said 12 is considered a gateway age for inhalant use, but the National Inhalant Prevention Coalition and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration would like to slam that gate shut.

It is kicking off National Inhalants and Poisons Awareness Week, which starts Sunday.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

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Kids huffing household products

This is a scary topic. According to a CNN report, huffing is becoming more common than marijuana in teenage kids.

What exactly is huffing you ask? The National Drug Intelligence Agency describes it this way:

Abusers, primarily adolescents, inhale chemical vapors from a variety of substances, many of which are common household products. These young people abuse inhalants in order to obtain a euphoric effect and are often unaware of the potential risks, which include brain damage and death. Some adults also abuse inhalants, particularly nitrites. Adult abusers often inhale substances in order to enhance their sexual experiences.

Here's the CNN story:

A new study finds U.S. teens are turning more and more to common household items to get high. Inhalants are the drug of choice for adolescents 12 to 17 years old according to a new report by The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

The survey estimates about one million adolescent Americans use inhalants. 12 and 13 year olds use them more often than marijuana. Inhalants are liquids, sprays and gases that are sniffed or inhaled to get high. They include common household products like aerosol air fresheners, hair sprays, paint solvents, and nail polish. according to the study, glue, shoe polish,and spray paints were among the most commonly used by adolescents 12 to 15. Inhalants or "huffing" can cause severe damage to major organs even death.

How do you know if your child has been huffing? Dr. Greene's website says:

Inhalants gradually leave the body for 2 weeks following huffing--mostly through exhaling. The characteristic odor is the biggest clue. Be on the lookout for breath or clothing that smells like chemicals. Look for clothing stains. Watch for spots or sores around the mouth.

Start talking with your child about it now. Although huffing peaks between the ages of 12 and 15 years, it often starts "innocently" in children only 6 to 8 years old (Pediatrics, 1996;97:3).

Wow, There really is no way to get rid of all the household products kids could use. The list is just too long. Has anyone talked to their kids about this and if so, what did you say?

-NewsAnchorMom Jen