Inhalants Abuse

According to neighborhoodscout.com Kansas City, Missouri has a population of 459,787 and a crime index of 3 – 100 being the safest.  If you lived in Missouri you would have a 1 in 219 chance of becoming a victim of a violent crime and if you lived in Kansas City, Missouri you would have a 1 in 83 chance of becoming a victim of a violent crime.  The FBI collects information from 17,000 local law enforcements agencies and that is where they get the figures for these statements.  In the last year Kansas City has had 102 murders, 234 rapes, 1,625 robberies and 3,544 assaults.  For every one thousand resident there are 71 of them that will be a victim.  Kansas City has one of the highest crime rates in America compared to all communities of all sizes.  Kansas City is number 54 in the top 100 most dangerous cities to live in.

April 28, 2012 kctv.com reported that the Kansas City Police Department was out and about being very active.  They actually set up a sobriety check point.  In this checkpoint they stopped nearly 500 drivers from 11 pm Friday till 4am Saturday.  They were located near 40^th and Main Street in Westport.  This seems to be a very fruitful activity because of the 498 vehicles stopped; police arrested 13 people for Driving under the Influence.  Two people were cited for driving with a suspended license and seven citations were issued for other traffic violations.  Hats off to the Kansas City Police Department.  Alcohol is one of the drugs that cause many problems in our lives.

On a very good note kansascity.com reported that about 100 pounds of unwanted prescription drugs were collected Saturday by Raytown Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration.  This was all part of a “take back drive” that happened all over the country this past weekend.  It looks like Kansas City did their share and collected the expired or otherwise unwanted drugs so they could prevent their potential theft or dumping into public water systems. This is a great initiative — let’s also hope that anyone hooked on these substances gets help from one of the Kansas City drug rehabs.

Drugs, drugs, drugs are all over this nation.  They can be very harmful to all of us in many ways.  You may not see the effect it has on your everyday because you don’t use and abuse.  But if you look at the way your taxes are spent you find out that there a many dollars going to the drug war on drugs.  The law enforcement in your town will be very busy at all times fighting this war.  It may be that when you need one of them they will be too busy with other drug related incidents.  That is one way they can affect your everyday.  If you know someone who wants to get off drugs get them to an inpatient treatment center or one of the inhalant abuse rehabs where they can get safe and natural ways to detox and withdraw.  Something can be done about it.

Philadelphia, PA has a population of 1,526,006 and a crime index of 9 – 100 being the safest.  If you lived in Pennsylvania you would have a 1 in 273 chance of becoming a victim of a violent crime and if you lived in Philadelphia, PA you would have a 1 in 82 chance of becoming a victim of a violent crime.  The FBI collects information from 17,000 local law enforcements agencies and that is where they get the figures for these statements.  Last year Philadelphia had 307 murders, 945 rapes, 8,363 robberies and 8,929 assaults.  For every one thousand resident there are 50 of them that will be a victim.  Philadelphia has one of the highest crime rates in America compared to all communities of all sizes.  According to neighborhoodscout.com Philadelphia is number 52 in the top 100 most dangerous cities to live in.

NBCPhiladelphia.com reported just five days ago that a 70 year old man was accused of smuggling drugs into the Chester County Prison.  The way he tried this was to hide it under labels and postage stamps on envelopes.  Prison officials located four envelopes which contained postage stamps and either return address labels stating “Proud Supporter Paralyzed Veterans of America”

According to Tom Hogan, Chester County District Attorney, this 70 year old did this on four different times.  Hogan said, “Under each postage stamp and label, correctional officers located an orange strip, which prison medical personnel determined was Suboxone, a controlled substance.  Detectives reviewed phone conversations between the 70 year old and his girlfriend in prison and the pair discussed how to obtain, transport and deliver Suboxone into the prison.  If these two criminals spent as much time and creativity on doing something useful as they did on sneaking drugs into a prison, they might be gainfully employed.  Instead, both are looking at felony convictions.” It sounds like some of these prisoners need help from one of the Philadelphia drug rehabs as well as to serve time.

These two are being charged with conspiracy, delivering contraband to a prison inmate, drug delivery and other related charges.

This is a very interesting story and I do agree with Hogan.  That took some creativity on the part of these two.  Drugs are very harmful to many parts of our lives.  Even when some are in prison they continue to do drugs.  That tells me that an addiction is very strong and drives a person to do many irrational things.  I suppose one of things we need to know is that we are all responsible personally for our own lives and if we all took the stand to not do drugs this world would be very different.  If you know someone who wants to get off drugs get them to an inpatient treatment center or one of the inhalant abuse rehabs where they can get safe and natural ways to detox and withdraw.  Something can be done about it.

I own a beauty supply shop outside of Knoxville, TN.  My long-time customer, “Janet”, came to me asking for my help with her daughter “Tabitha.”  Janet wanted me to offer her an after-school job to help her with being more responsible.  The child, an eleventh-grader, had suddenly taken a turn for the worse in life.  Janet said she was hanging out with the wrong crowd, her grades were falling, teachers were sending home notes and Tabitha seemed depressed and withdrawn from the family.  With both of my daughters in college, Janet had always looked up to my parenting skills and thought of me as a good influence.  In truth, I did need some help in the store so I agreed to let Tabitha work with me.

At first, everything seemed fine.  She was good at stocking and doing what I asked her to do.  She would break down the boxes for recycling.  But I noticed that she would usually disappear when a customer came in. Tabitha was not friendly to people.  But I have to say I was quite shocked when another of my long-time customers leaned over the counter and whispered to me, “Your new stock-girl is on drugs.”  I asked her how she could tell, but the customer just said “I just know, that’s all” and left with her purchase.

After this revelation, I started noticing more of Tabitha’s behaviors and worrying about her.   Mainly, I noticed her going into the bathroom with the display can of hairspray.  I was glad to think that she was trying to fix herself up a bit and do something with her hairstyle, but then I noticed no changes in her appearance when she came out.  She would cough a few times and go back outside to cut up boxes.

Having seen a girl talk about “huffing” on a morning show, I thought that that might be what Tabitha was doing in the restroom with the hairspray.  I decided to look it up to see if I could get some facts.  Being from the hippie era, the only drugs I knew about were marijuana and LSD.  So, this was quite an eye-opener!  I found on the health website www.tree.com that “warning signs of inhalant use include:  apparent drunkenness,  chemical odors from breath or clothing or child’s room, clothes soaked with chemicals, hidden empty spray paint or solvent containers, hidden rags soaked with chemicals, irritability, social withdrawal and depression, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting,  paint stains on the hands or face or clothes, red or runny nose and sores and rashes around the mouth and nose.” I had a friend who had told me a bit about her experience at one of the rehabs in Louisiana, but that was “hard” drugs like heroin. This was a shock to me.

After reading this article, I became very frightened.  The consequences of inhalant abuse are terrifying!  According to www.tree.com, the person can experience sudden death!  They call it sudden sniffing death and explain it as such:  “huffing or sniffing inhalants for long periods slowly fills the lungs with the inhalants and prevents the inhalant user from getting sufficient oxygen in the lungs. This results in the sudden onset of heart irregularities, which quickly worsen into heart failure.  Death from sudden sniffing death occurs within minutes. The condition is not confined to chronic inhalant users. People trying huffing or inhalant use for the first time are just as susceptible to sudden sniffing death as are long-term abusers.” If only I’d known before, I would have insisted that her mother get her help at one of the inhalant abuse rehabs.

Unfortunately, the only option I have is to fire Tabitha and tell her mother my reasons.  Having her at the store is too much of a liability and I am just enabling her with free hairspray.  I am glad I tried to help by giving her an opportunity to have a job, but this is too much! I hope that she gets some help in one of the local Tennessee drug rehabs.

Let’s list some information about many drugs of abuse.

One might be Ecstasy commonly called X, E, XTC in the streets.  It is a pill that is often taken at partied and clubs.  People who take it call it the “love pill” the reason they do that is because it makes them feel very friendly and touchy.  Another thing it does is raise body temperature, heat rate, and blood pressure.  Some people report feeling sad for days after its effects wear off.  National Survey on Drug Use and Health stated that in 2009, 2.8 million Americans age 12 and older had abused Ecstasy at least once in the year.  This included 8^th, 10^th and 12^th graders.

Another drug that is on the streets is K2 or Spice which is fake marijuana or skunk.  This drug is made from shredded dried plant materials and chemicals.  A person who smokes it gets a high about the same as marijuana.  Users of this drug end up in the emergency room with rapid heartbeat, vomiting and other side effects.  It is very illegal even though you can find it at many convenient stores.

LSD is called acid and I really thought you could’nt find much of that but I am wrong.  It comes in a pill or on small pieces of paper that has been soaked in liquid LSD.  So if you want to see, hear, and feel things that aren’t there then just take LSD.  The colors you see are bright and pretty or you may see things that scare you.  National Survey on Drug Use and Health reports in 2009, 779,000 Americans age 12 and older had abused LSD at least once in the year.  These include high school students.  Our youngsters are really doing something besides studying.

PCP is called angel dust and it comes in pill or powder and it is eaten, smoked, or snorted up the nose.  When people take it they feel far away from the world around them.  They may feel angry and violent, not happy, and dreamy.  In 2009, 122,000 Americans age 12 and older had abused PCP at least once in a year.

Inhalants very dangerous chemicals.  Can’t figure out why anyone would want to do this drug because even though they can make you feel high when you breathe them it is very harmful to your body in quick ways.  It is called Huffing or sniffing.  High school children will find it household cleaners, spray cans, glue and permanent markers.  When they use these chemicals they can pass out, their heart can stop and your breathing can stop and kill you.  In 2009, 2.1 million Americans age 12 and older had abused inhalants.  That my friend is a very scary statistic.  Our young people are looking for a high and finding it in our cabinets. Whether you’re on the east or west coast, in New Mexico or New York, if you know a kid hooked on this stuff you need to get him or her into one of the Ohio drug rehabs or one wherever you are.

All of this information is scary to me.  Drug abuse is rampant and when someone is addicted they have a hard time asking for help and sometimes they don’t even think they need help.  These drugs can destroy our families and harm these young adults future.  If you know anyone who needs help to get off drug get them to an inpatient treatment center or inhalant abuse rehab where they ca n get safe and natural ways to detox and withdraw.

The Controlled Substance Act does not regulate inhalants.  However, 38 states in the US have placed restrictions on the sale and distribution to minors of certain products that are commonly abused as inhalants.  Some of the products used are shoe polish, glue, Toluene a colorless liquid used as a solvent and a fuel.  You will also find gasoline, lighter fluid, nitrous oxide, or “whippets,” spray paint, correction fluid, cleaning fluids, locker room deodorizers and lacquer thinner or other paint solvents.

As a parent did you know that children were doing this kind of thing?  As a parent I did not know any of this information.  I had no idea our children or anyone for that matter was getting into inhalants and getting high.  This must have been going on for a long time now for these laws to be put in place.  Where have I been for not know this.

The Alliance for Consumer Education had reported just this week that a 15 year old boy died after a night inhaling dust cleaner, smoking marijuana and drinking bourbon along with prescription drugs.  He and another friend had parties that night beginning at 5pm in his friend’s backyard.  His friend went inside his house by 10P thinking he would walk home.  The next morning he found him still in his backyard not breathing and non responsive.

In the last week in November a 13 year old boy was found unresponsive, lying next to an air conditioning unit in his neighbor’s yard.  The father called the police and they said that it looked like the boy was inhaling refrigerant before his death.  When they spoke to the father he said that his son learned how to inhale refrigerant from a friend and that friend got it from a video on the internet.

In Missouri a church was broken into by a 41 year old man who had vented the church’s propane tank and inhaled the outgoing propane.  The man was reported to have been intoxicated the night before and when the police got to the church they found him dead.

The Substance Abuse and Mental health Services Administration is reporting that inhalant abuse is now a multi generational problem.  It use to be thought of as a life threaten risk for children but now 54 percent of treatment admissions having to do with inhalant abuse is involving adults age 18 and over.

With this research I know that there is a huge problem with these inhalants.  Why would they do this?  Is it because they cannot afford other drugs and this is more accessible.  As a parent I would like to know what drives these children and now adults to do this behavior.  Some would say this is the behavior of an addict.  Educating the public is one way to start this downward spiral going in another direction.  What do you do if you know someone that is doing this?  By all means take action because these inhalants are deadly sometimes.  If you or someone you love needs help from an inhalant abuse rehab, call us now at 1-877-340-3602.