Sponsored by the Aroostook Substance Abuse Prevention Collaborative
Substance of the week: Inhalants.
Statistic of the week: Data from the 2006 Maine Youth Drug and Alcohol Use Survey, inhalants are the fourth most frequently used substance by youth (following alcohol, marijuana and prescription drugs) in Aroostook County; 4.2 percent of Aroostook County MYDAUS respondents reported using inhalants at least once in the past 30 days. County youth inhalant use is higher than national levels and lower than state levels (2.6 percent and 4.7 percent). Inhalant abuse is most common among sixth- to eighth-graders.
What is inhalant abuse? According to the Alliance for Consumer Education, inhalant abuse is “the deliberate inhalation or sniffing of common products found in homes and communities with the purpose of ‘getting high’. Inhalants are easily accessible, legal, everyday products … [which] have a useful purpose in our lives” but can be deadly when intentionally misused.
What are the dangers? Inhalant abuse is no less dangerous than other forms of substance abuse. In fact, children can die the first time, or any time, they try an inhalant. Although Sudden Sniffing Death Syndrome (SSDS) occurs with many types of inhalants, it is particularly associated with the abuse of air conditioning coolant, butane, propane, and the chemicals in some aerosol products. In SSDS, the inhalant causes the heart to beat rapidly and erratically, resulting in cardiac arrest. Contrary to popular belief, inhalants are addictive and, because they are easily accessible, they are considered “gateway” drugs — children often progress from inhalants to illegal drug and alcohol abuse.
What you can do (research based strategies that can prevent substance abuse):
• Parents and adults can regularly talk to children about the risks of inhalant abuse;
• Parents can monitor their children by knowing where their children are at all times, especially after school, and knowing their child’s friends. If you find your child unconscious, or you suspect your child is under the influence of an Inhalant, call 9-1-1 immediately.
Weekly resource: Web site – Inhalant.org (http://www.inhalant.org/index.html)
Upcoming event: The next ASAP meeting will be held Tuesday, Dec. 18 from 1-2:30 p.m. on-site at Cary Medical Center, Chan Center and via ITV at (1) Houlton Regional Hospital Center for Community Health Education and (2) Northern Maine Medical Center.
This article was brought to you by Aroostook Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP), a countywide substance abuse prevention collaborative. For additional resources about the risks of marijuana abuse contact Clare Desrosiers at 521-2408 or go to the Maine Office of Substance Abuse Information Resource Center website and type in keyword “marijuana” (web address – http://osairc.informe.org/).
