Pubdate: Fri, 16 Mar 2007
Source: USA Today (US)
Page: 11A
Copyright: 2007 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc
Contact:  http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/index.htm
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/466
Author: Donna Leinwand, USA TODAY
Referenced: The SAMHSA report http://oas.samhsa.gov/nsduh.htm
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topics/huffing

GIRLS ARE NOW 'HUFFING' MORE THAN BOYS, ABUSE STUDY SAYS

Getting high by inhaling toxic substances is becoming more popular 
among girls than boys, a new federal study says.

Nearly 1 in 20 girls ages 12-17 reported using inhalants to get high 
in 2005, an increase from 1 in 25 in 2002, according to the National 
Survey on Drug Use and Health Report, released Thursday by the 
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

Boys' use of inhalants, also known as "huffing," stayed at about 1 in 
25 from 2002 to2005.

"People tend to associate young girls as not engaging in substance 
abuse. That is simply not the case," said H. Westley Clark, director 
of SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse Treatment.

"I was surprised by it," said Harvey Weiss of the National Inhalant 
Prevention Coalition in Chattanooga, Tenn. "The message needs to be 
communicated to parents and school officials that they need to speak 
to girls, too."

Girls who said they had started huffing during the previous year 
reported that they most often used glue, shoe polish or toluene, a 
common ingredient in some nail polishes. Boys favored "whippets," 
inhaling the nitrous oxide used in, for example, whipped cream 
sprays, the study found.

The use of aerosol sprays, such as air freshener, compressed-air 
computer cleaners and other aerosol products also is increasing, the 
study found.

"These are things that are readily available and easy for girls and 
boys to get from their homes," Clark said. "Parents need to be very 
much aware."

Parents should look for an unusual number of cans of air freshener 
around the house, spray paint and other aerosols in the trash, 
stained clothing, sudden rashes on youths' skin and behavioral 
changes, Clark said.

Huffing can block the flow of oxygen to the brain and other organs, 
he said. The lack of oxygen also may skew judgment, leading teens 
into dangerous behavior, he said.

Weiss said he has found dozens of huffing videos on websites 
frequented by teens, including the video-sharing site YouTube. The 
videos generally portray huffing as a fun way to get high, he said. 
- ---
MAP posted-by: Richard Lake