INHALANT SNIFFERS DISREGARD THE DANGER

Dear Abby:
I am a counselor at a residential home for teenage girls. We've
recently had a problem with a few of our girls "huffing" (inhaling)
cleaning chemicals. We've had several discussions with the girls,
separately and in groups, about the dangers of drugs and alcohol. Although
the girls repeat our warnings to us and appear to understand, I doubt that
they fully understand how dangerous it is. I overheard one girl say,
"Plenty of movie stars do it."

I remember a column in which you once printed a list of celebrities
who had died from alcohol or drug-related incidents. If you would
reprint it, I would be most appreciative.

CONCERNED COUNSELOR
Virginia Beach, Va.

Dear Concerned Counselor:
Although I have listed the names of celebrities
who died because of tobacco, I haven't previously published a list of
celebrities whose deaths were substance-abuse related. However, the Center
for Substance Abuse Prevention was able to provide me with one. The amount
of God-given talent lost because of substance abuse is tragic:

Chet Baker, John Belushi, Kurt Cobain, John Coltrane, Dorothy
Dandridge, Miles Davis, Jerry Garcia, Judy Garland, Andy Gibb, Jimi
Hendrix, Billie Holiday, Brian Jones, Janis Joplin, Bela Lugosi, Keith
Moon, Marilyn Monroe, Jim Morrison, Charlie "Bird" Parker, Edith Piaf,
River Phoenix, Elvis Presley, Freddie Prinz Sr., Jean Seberg, Sid
Vicious and Dennis Wilson.

I was shocked to learn that inhalant abuse is the fourth most common
form of substance abuse among high school students, behind alcohol,
tobacco and marijuana. A 1997 national household survey on drug abuse
revealed that almost as many 8th graders have abused inhalants (21
percent) as have used marijuana (22.6 percent).

Last August, a reader named Michael Richardson sent me a copy of a
letter about "huffing" he had sent to his local newspaper. In part, it
read:

"When I was younger, 20 years ago, three schoolmates got a kick from
sniffing Pam, the nonstick food stuff. They are dead because of it. I
understand that Pam and Scotchguard are popular today.

"Many people do not realize that the solvents they get a buzz from are
only carriers of the product in a spray can. The solvents help
distribute the product uniformly on their intended surface.

"Pam uses oil to `seal' and prevent food from bonding to the surface
of a hot frying pan; Scotchguard is a fluorocarbon compound used to
`seal' dirt from cloth.

"When these materials are concentrated into the human lungs they also
`seal' out the transfer of oxygen to the body. So while you're getting
a buzz from the carrier solvent, you're also drowning from lack of
oxygen. There is nothing anyone can do to help you; you're as good as
dead, and that's it."