March is inhalants-awareness month
They're all over your house. They're in your child's school. In fact, you probably picked some up the last time you went to the grocery store. What are they? Inhalants. Did you know that 1,014 Sussex County students in grades 6-12 tried inhalants in one year? In 2010, we conducted a countywide survey and the results were alarming as sixth-graders reported a significant increase in lifetime use of inhalants with 14 percent reporting having tried them, a 56 percent increase over the previous survey two years earlier and a 100 percent increase from the 2005-06 survey. Recently, a 14-year-old girl in Oregon died after huffing helium straight from the tank. This death, along with the survey information, is cause for concern about inhalant abuse among youth. March is National Inhalants and Poisons Awareness Month and each year the Coalition for Healthy & Safe Communities uses this time to educate parents and community members about the dangers of inhalant use. Inhalant abuse is an area that may be overlooked because people are unaware that more than 1,000 everyday products have the potential to be abused. What can you do to learn more and help spread the word about inhalant abuse? Call us to order some free inhalant awareness brochures Watch a show about inhalants airing March at 4 and 10 p.m. and March 30 at 6 and 10 a.m. on Sussex County Community Colleges Educational TV Channel 20 Stop by our Resource Center at our office in Newton to borrow a video or to browse other resources regarding inhalant abuse Find out about inhalants before your children do and talk to them about the dangers of sniffing and huffing Becky Carlson Assistant Director Center for Prevention and Counseling