Effects Of Inhalants

Parents who think they are doing everything they can to protect their children against drugs can not be aware of all dangers is right in their own homes. More than 1,400 common household products are being abused by children across the country to take drugs.

Inhalants are easily accessible, legal, everyday products. When used as intended, these products are completely harmless and have a useful role in our lives, but when intentionally misused and abused, they can be fatal. Most parents and educators are in the dark regarding the popularity and dangers of inhalant abuse, and unfortunately, the practice is increasingly common and accepted among children.

According to national surveys, inhalant abuse is increasing, and a great threat to all those who engage in the practice. When a student reaches the 8th grade, one in five Americans abused inhalants and over 2 million children aged 12-17 have used some form of inhaled to get high.

A recent case that illustrates the serious dangers associated with inhalant abuse is that of a police officer Jeff Williams of Cleveland, Ohio. Mr. Williams repeatedly warned her children about the dangers of drug abuse and alcoholism, and despite the possession of a retired police K-9 trained and certified in drug detection, he been misinformed on the issue and was not aware of warning signs. His 14 year old son, Kyle had a bright future and was about as normal and healthy as all parents want their son to be, until he died suddenly after deliberately inhaling a computer keyboard cleaner to get high. What Kyle does not know is that inhalant abuse may be more of a cheap high, it can kill, this is the first time you try, the second or the tenth .

Mars 2 was the first anniversary of my son Kyle's death, said Chief Williams. "I'm a cop I knew to watch when it came to drugs and alcohol, but with this I n 't have to recognize the signs, and that's the problem. Parents should know what to look for if you do not know, you can not stop it. "

The death of Kyle and other similar deaths of many children across the country are the reasons that the National Inhalation Prevention Coalition developed Inhalants and Poisons national Awareness Week (NIPAW). An annual program at the community level that takes place in the third week of March, NIPAW is designed to increase understanding of the use and the risk of inhalation abuse. Program partners included the promoters of government agencies and state associations, medical groups, the Partnership for a Drug Free America, police departments, DARE officers, National Guard, PTO / chapters of the PTA, poison centers, local medical communities and the media.

This year, Jeff Williams pays tribute to the memory of his son by helping to educate people about the dangers and warning signs associated with inhalant abuse. Its goal is to help prevent other families from feeling what he and his family endured.

"I can do nothing can bring Kyle back, but what I can do is help other families avoid suffering the same pain and loss that my family did. Parents must understand that education is the key to help prevent the abuse of inhalants in their household and communication hazards of their relatives, "said Officer Williams.

The campaign NIPAW can be done anywhere there is a need for sensitization by inhalation.