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.