...we're here to help you, Harry. "I thought it was my fault that my Mom drinks." http://www.bettyfordcenter.org/programs/programs/meditation/index.html# Betty Ford Center considers spirituality vital for recovery. In the 12 Step program, each person's spirituality is treated with dignity and respect. We invite each person to consider spirituality as an important part of a healthy, hopeful and vibrant recovery. Danger Right Under Your Nose It's been used by more teens than any other illegal drug except marijuana. It can kill the first time it's used. Kids can get it without any problem. "It" is the class of drugs collectively known as inhalants, and as a current ad campaign from the Partnership for a Drug-Free America notes, the chemicals used in this deadly form of substance abuse aren't only found on the street - they're right under your sink. "It's all the stuff we worried about when they were toddlers," said Anne Rickards, whose 14-year-old son was found dead in an Essington, Pennsylvania park with a butane canister in his hand. "We would say, 'No, get away from that,' stuff we thought they would swallow. Well, the spray can also kill them as teenagers." That's what happened early this year on a road outside Philadelphia, where a coroner says an honors student inhaled aerosol fumes and lost consciousness while driving. Her car plowed into a tree, killing her nearly two years to the day after five other girls from the same region were killed in a car crash blamed on inhalants. "I'm afraid that huffing has become more of an in-thing for kids to do," said Chester County coroner Rodger Rothenberger. The numbers suggest he's right: according to the 2000 Partnership Attitude Tracking Study, 21 percent of all teens in America - one in five - have tried inhalants. Only alcohol, tobacco and marijuana have been tried by more kids. "Young people think inhaling a gas is harmless," said Chattanooga, Tennessee, addictions counselor Pat Fitzpatrick. "It doesn't look like a drug." But the reality is that inhalants can kill, and they have also been linked to brain damage, liver and kidney problems, hearing loss and limb spasms - all risks linked to chasing a high that often lasts just a matter of minutes. Inhalants can be found in hundreds of common products, including nail polish remover, cleaning fluids, hair spray, gasoline, the propellant in aerosol whipped cream, spray paint, fabric protector, modeling glue, air conditioner fluid (freon), cooking spray and correction fluid. The fumes be sniffed, snorted, inhaled from a plastic bag or "huffed" from an inhalant-soaked rag, sock, or roll of toilet paper or sniffed directly from the container - and access to products kids can abuse is easy. "A person doesn't have to go somewhere seedy to get this stuff," said Harvey Weiss, executive director of the National Inhalant Prevention Coalition. "Kids have died from inhalants in schools and in church. It can happen anywhere." However, many parents are unaware of the risks inhalants pose. Nearly four out of ten don't think it's extremely dangerous to sniff things like spray paint or gasoline once or twice. Further, just three percent of all parents think their child has tried inhalants. "I looked under my own kitchen sink and found 15 chemicals that my children could abuse," said Sandra Hampton, a substance abuse counselor outside Atlanta. "We need to be honest with our kids and warn them about the risks." http://www.drugfreeamerica.org/Temp...Under+Your+Nose+#Danger Right Under Your Nose
http://www.drugfreeamerica.org/Temp...de&top=Articles&tit=Inhalant+Abuse+Fact+Sheet Inhalant Abuse Fact Sheet DEFINITION Commonly known among kids as "huffing," "bagging," or "sniffing," inhalant abuse is the deliberate concentration and inhalation of common products found in homes, offices, and schools to get high. STATISTICS National surveys of young people and U.S. households indicate that: Inhalants are the fourth most-abused substance after alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana among high school students. Almost as many 8th graders have abused inhalants (18 percent) as have used marijuana/hashish (20 percent). (2000 Monitoring the Future) Almost half a million young people use inhalants in any month. According to the Household Survey, past month inhalant abusers equals 209,000 9 out of 10 parents are unaware or are in denial that their children may have ever abused inhalants. More than 1,000 common products are potential inhalants that can kill, including: Glue Freon Correction fluid Computer agents Deodorizers Markers Paint products Gases (whippets, butane, propane) Gasoline Fire extinguishers Nail polish remover Lighter fluid Hair spray Cleaning agents HARMFUL EFFECTS Chronic inhalant users can suffer severe and permanent brain damage; some die the first time they experiment. Other possible risks include the following: Intoxication Hearing loss Bone marrow damage Short-term memory loss Limb spasms Liver and kidney damage SIGNS OF USE There is a common link between inhalant abuse and problems in school - failing grades, chronic absences, and general apathy. Other signs include the following: Paint or stains on body, clothing, rags, or bags Unusual breath odor or chemical odor on clothing Slurred or disorientated speech Anxiety, excitability, irritability, or restlessness Missing household items Red or runny eyes or nose Spots or sores around the mouth Drunk, dazed, or dizzy appearance Nausea, loss of appetite For more information, contact the National Inhalant Prevention Coalition at (800) 269-4237, or visit http://www.inhalants.org/. Source: The National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information (NCADI) http://www.inhalants.org/