Nail Polish, Whitener and other Substances of Sniff Abuse on the rise in teens
Substance abuse has assumed another dimension as children and young adults are falling prey to the euphoric effects of substances such a s nail polish removers, whiteners, deodorants and ink. With the number of addiction cases doubling up in a year, sale of whiteners and nail paint removers to children has been restricted to provision on assent from the required authorities. Inhaling substances like dendrite and ink has become a popular practice among teens as young as 14 years as a way to ‘chill and relax’. While some of them report to use it for coping with peer pressure, some call it ‘cool’ to do so. The increasing menace of child substance abuse however is becoming a disturbing pattern with many children suffering from the consequences of these habits.
The scary part is that kids do not realise the adverse effects of these seemingly innocuous habits that hinder their health as much as alcohol and cocaine do. Ask any teen about relaxation, and he will give you a list of readily available goods at home that are substance of choices for many teens who use them to get high and relax. For example, he may tell you how to sniff glue, how to apply excess amounts of deodorant on a towel and smell, how to lace a bread with Iodex and have it, inhale paint, nail polish, gas and petrol and worse, play deadly games like the ‘choking game’ to get that instant high.
Health impacts of substance use in teens
Inhalants are notorious for inducing intoxication and slowing down the body functions in kids. This intoxication usually lasts between 15 minutes to an hour within which the substance of abuse reaches their lungs and gets quickly absorbed into the bloodstream and into the brain which gives them the required high. These chemicals can stay in the brain of the child for longer time than the high lasts. Myelin is a part of the brain which can severely affected by such activities by damaging the nerve fibers that carry messages to and from the brain. Inhalants are also capable of causing death by asphyxiation. Prolonged abuse of these substances can permanently damage the respiratory system, infect the blood stream, damage the mucosal lining of the nose and lungs and damage major organs like kidney and liver.
Dendrite, Erasex, ink and deodorant sprays are common paraphernalia in an average teenager’s room that are used for sniffing. Some other products include glue, nail polish remover, typewriter correction fluid, felt-tip markers, butane lighter fluid, oven cleaners, hair spray, and furniture polish to name a few. According to Dr. Monica Chib, senior consultant psychiatrist, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, “The ingredients in these substances act on the chemical receptors of the brain resulting in a feeling of pleasure. Kids get hooked onto this high feeling”. Also, cleaning liquids and air fresheners contain some chemicals which also purportedly give a high and have a damaging effect on the user’s body.
Doctors blame the excessive amounts of stress, peer pressure, internet and ready availability of these substances for the growing trends of child substance abuse. Doctors worry that the pressure placed on children by parents for ranks and trophies is having a serious impact on their psyche than expected. Off late, schools have become war grounds of academic achievements for children with a huge shift in lifestyle, with competition increasing by leaps and bounds and stress being the keyword in every aspect of life.
Life has become increasingly demanding for teens with expectations of gaining foothold in the daily rat race for excellence. This resulted in stress becoming an intrinsic part of their lives. online, youngsters experiment with substances without realising the consequences. The most alarming situation is the availability of blogs on the internet suggesting teens to dabble in such dangerous activities just if they get bored if they are not stressed. There have been increasing reports of deaths from self-choking in the process of getting high.
Warning signs
To begin with, parents need to acknowledge that strange and dangerous ways of getting high are now available, and that their kids are completely susceptible to trying these out. Parents should be open to talking about these subjects with their children instead of harbouring the idea that discussions will only encourage experimentation. “It’s nave for a parent to assume that they are the prime informers for their kids,” counters Dr Singh. “Children can go to the Internet and YouTube to learn about the choking game or how to ‘huff’ or inhale substances or how to get an easy high by drinking cough syrup,” she says. Parents should realise that children suffer from stress and the need to fit into their peer group adds to this. “Peer pressure is a big thing and it might seem insignificant to an adult but fitting in with a group is very important for impressionable children,” says Dr Chib.
Watch out for money disappearing from around the house, not necessarily large amounts, but small change as well. Keep track of the quantities of cough syrup and other medications that are stocked in the house and avoid stockpiling such medicines. Physical symptoms of substance abuse and deadly games include blood shot eyes, marks around the neck and severe headaches and nausea. “The child may become withdrawn and spend more time alone. Sudden disregard for hygiene, fatigue and weight loss are other signs to watch out for,” says Dr Singh. Unusual numbers of tubes of glue or paint, ink and empty deo-spray containers and knotted ties and scarves stashed away in drawers or under the bed are also signs of suspicious behaviour.
“Above all, talk to your kids about drug abuse and explain that even though taking lots of a cough or cold medicine or sniffing glue and ink seems harmless, it’s not,” says Dr Chib. “A dialogue between children and parents is very important in the present day scenario where there is enough scope for impressionable minds to be corrupted,” says Dr Singh. Even if you don’t think your teens are doing it, chances are they know kids who are. Of course don’t jump to conclusions and don’t conclude your child is involved in such activities. But it is imperative to know how children feel, and for parents to get more involved in their kid’s lives and concerns. This could be the only way to protect them from the risks of substance abuse.
Reports of this practice are rare, and awareness amongst parents, negligible. “Our society is wary of discussing such topics and any such issues are hushed up for fear of social stigma. Thus documentation on this subject is sparse-any deaths can be easily mislabelled as suicide,” says Dr Singh. Doctors say this is a disturbing trend and parents should be extra vigilant of their children if they sense anything is amiss. “Children don’t perceive any risk in playing such games because they see these videos or hear accounts of people enjoying themselves during such activities. That’s why doctors as well as parents should be aware so that they can recognize the symptoms of any such activity,” says Dr Singh. And that’s not all. There are even deadlier methods of getting high: Those involving snakes. “I don’t know anyone who has done this but I have heard that you can roll your tongue back and let a baby snake bite you under the tongue. It’s scary stuff because you can die but talk of innovation!” says Rohan.
Inhalants such as nail polish removers, whiteners, have now become a menace for children with kids under the age of 12 years are now getting addicted to this stuff within a month of coming across them. Psychiatrist Dr M S Jagadeesan also head of the psychiatry department at Coimbatore Medical College said he has noticed this new addiction issues in atleast three to four new children all aged below 12 years, TOI reports. While some kids are addicted to Inhalants, others are addicted to mobile phone games. “Gone are the days when we assumed drug and alcohol addictions happened in college. Today we get boys from classes III and IV being dragged to us with complaints of addiction, and how it induces changes in behaviour like fights with parents and distraction,” he said. “Teachers and counsellors should notice even the initial small changes in behaviour like change in academic performance, change in friend circles and behaviour,” said Jagadeesan. He also cautioned the listeners from cutting out drugs at the “experimental stage” rather than waiting for it to become an “addiction”.
What can parents do?
Parents in the first place need to know and acknowledge that the teen substance abuse epidemic is on the rise and be observant of your children for any signs. Having an open talk with your teens about this inhalant abuse and the consequences thereof would be a right start to address the issue.
Looking out for deviations in sleep patterns, disappearing money from the home, extended periods of lone time spent by the teens and changing moods in them can come a long way in analysing whether you had already taken to these habits. Buying the above-mentioned goodies, yourself upon the assent of the teachers in writing can help avoid excess availability of inhalants to teens. Also, having healthy bonding with them by involving them in conversations and spending quality time with them keeps teens away from many damaging trends.
However, if you find that your child had already fallen prey to these practices, help is available in just a click away. Contact a quality rehab to help your child overcome this menace and lead him/her to the sunshine once again.
Phoenix Rehab Services is a leading Rehabilitation Centre in India for Substance Abuse and Behavioural Addiction. At Phoenix, we can help provide the right tools to you or your loved ones on the journey to lead a healthy life free from addiction. Our reliable & effective Drug and Alcohol Addiction Recovery Program is headed and supported by experienced & dedicated de-addiction therapists and is driven by motivated staff that is equipped to handle the various needs of patients and has years of experience in treating addiction.
