17 November, 2009

The Consequences of Huffing Inhalants

Earlier this fall Daniel, the 27-year-old son of Ted's cousin Kay, died from huffing. Huffing is the breathing in of  an inhalant, such as the propellant gases found in aerosol cans like hairspray, whipped cream, and cooking sprays. It is a very, very dangerous activity, and of those who die from it, one in three were trying it for the first time. It's estimated that in 2008, more than a million teenagers tried it.

Daniel's family has very bravely shared their experiences with his substance abuse. The links below will take you to two articles, the first has a video. We hope that by sharing this story those who are unfamiliar with the huffing phenomenon might learn to recognize its symptoms:

Death by Duster — this first article has a video link
Mom urges parents who suspect 'huffing' to seek help

4 comments:

Kate R said...

Thank you for sharing. I was especially shocked to hear that over 1/3 die the first time they try it. I have a 12 y/o daughter & this kind of stuff scares the cr@p out of me. It's good to know what to look out for.

Anonymous said...

I am becoming ever aware of the danger of inhalents. I have taken my 15 year old, now 16 to the er room on three occasions for using inhalents. I had warned and talked of drugs their whole life but never talked of "huffing". I thought I was covering it all but in fact I was so wrong. This is something that is so difficult for me, besides huffing he also abusses cough medicines. I can't get away from a "dealer" as this stuff is found EVERYWHERE. I am thankful for anyone that sheds light on this terrible killer. Still trying to get my son help but the road is long and the help is hard to find. I pray and cry often and all I can do is keep stopping him as often as I can. Please watch out for your kids and the neighbors kids and the kids down the block etc.....they are ours and we must look out for eachother. If you see a kid doing this stop them. Expose them to anyone and everyone. Ask for help and don't stay alone in the nighhtmare that is "huffing"!

Joanne said...

Thanks for sharing your story. So many parents still have no idea this is even a problem.

donnaj edwards said...

Your website is very beautiful or Articles. I love it thank you for sharing for everyone. Bathroom Regrouting