An alarmingly large number of Maine teenagers using inhalants to get high, an activity that is often referred to as huffing. For example, more than 20 percent of eighth graders in a Maine School District have tried huffing at least once.

But in the last few years, parents and school officials have increased their prevention efforts, and a June 24 article in the Republican Journal newspaper indicates that these efforts have garnered national attention:

Of those teens who die each year from inhalants, 40 percent die while trying it for the first time -- a statistic unknown to most teens or parents. Community efforts have brought the proportion of Five Town CSD eighth-graders trying huffing down to 15 percent in 2008, but too many kids are still taking risks.

"Parents usually have no idea that their kids are experimenting with inhalants, nor do they realize their own home is loaded with products that can be abused," said Dalene Dutton, executive director of Five Town Communities That Care. "Parents can quite literally save their children's lives by making a few simple changes in buying habits and becoming aware of the signs and symptoms of inhalant abuse."

Dutton was recently invited to present the work of the Five Town Communities That Care coalition at a National Academy of Sciences event in Washington, D.C. The successful work of the local coalition in using data and research to address youth behavioral problems is gaining the attention of leaders in Washington and prompted the invitation.

Teen inhalant abuse remains a troubling phenomenon throughout the United States, with the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) estimating that more than 22.9 million Americans have "huffed" at least once in their lives.

Labels: prevention, inhalants, huffing

Posted By: Aspen/CRC