Mysterious AC Problem
Amy, who lives in Woodland Heights, could not figure out why her brand new AC system had conked out after only a month. When the technician came over and checked it out, he discovered that the refrigerant was gone! He examined the system carefully for leaks, but there were none.
That’s when he informed her that the refrigerant had most likely been stolen… by teens who wanted to get high!
Huffing: More common than you think
National Surveys indicate than as many as 1 in 5 kids will have tried some method of huffing by the time they graduate from high school.
Although Amy had heard of huffing before, she had certainly never heard of this!
Amy asked her teenage son if he had ever heard of kids getting high this way. He said that, unfortunately, he had.
Why do they do it?
Inhalants are easily available to teens, and easy to use.
Many everyday products can be abused in this way too, including glue, shoe polish, gasoline, lighter fluid, spray paint, correction fluid, cleaning fluids and dusting sprays. They give the user and almost instant high. Also, their abuse is hard to detect through standard blood or urine tests.
Unfortunately, most kids are unaware of how dangerous huffing is. Side-effects can include convulsions, coma and sometimes even death.
Prevention
Talk to your kid about inhalant abuse, and warn them that trying it just once can cause them serious harm.
Keep an eye out for potential signs of abuse – such as the computer duster getting used up at an abnormal rate.
Also, get a locking cap for your air conditioning unit, if it doesn’t already have one. Chesterfield SAFE has a list of local companies that will install one for free.
Remember, education and some simple precautions can help keep your kids safe!
Information Resources
CDC Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance
NIDA Research Report Series Inhalant Abuse
Virginia DOE Inhalant Abuse Prevention
