Has anybody had any experience with a family member or friend that's been known to huff?

My 16 year old nephew was arrested over the Thanksgiving weekend for public intoxication. He'd been huffing.

I've never known anyone who huffed. He's supposed to go to court this month and the cops told his mom that he'd most likely get probation with A&D counseling.

I've never made a secret about my using and recovery, but I'm at a loss as to helping him. He swears he's only done it a few times and he's finished. Overall, he's an excellent kid and I just don't want him making the same terrible mistakes I've made.

I was a huffer in high school...I ended up in the hospital mre than once because of it... I also had a dear freind as an adult, who during his navy years became a huffer, pretty common i hear, because of the cleaning chemicals and paint used on the boats. the last time I spend with this friend was after he had been huffing kerosene...we laid on the beach, me trying to get him to drink water to flush his system...It was so bad...the chemicals poured out his pores while we sweat it out on the beack...I swear, if someone had lit a match 20 feet away the fumes would have exploded...that was the last day i spent with my friend, he didnt make it thru the night...he held my hand so tightly as if in an effort to stay, here on earth.

There is help out there for huffing, the native populations all over the united states, fight this battle with their young...really really young. Huffing is addictive, also...I would start with a community resource center. Huffing, doesnt often get the headlines because its pretty easy for the kids to hide, they dont need money...everything they need is in the garage. I will look on the web and see what i find.

I havent had these memories for a long time. Your nephew and your family are in my prayers.

When I was in high school, a very dear friend of mine died because he was huffing paint and gasoline. It is such a dangerous "drug" because kids can get their hands on things to huff easily and there isn't much "fear" attached to it because the emphasis is on heavier drugs. Help him to see how dangerous it really is and encourage him to really apply what he learns in the counseling and programs. In order to "scare" another friend clean, a few of us arranged for the ER doc who took care of our friend to talk to the other friend. In detail. It scared him straight because in reality, he didn't think it was dangerous.
Since you have been there and done that, with your using and recovery, you just need to show him you are there for him and really understand what happens and how. Support.
Good luck.
Jenn

When I used to work in the ER, there was an 8-yr-old kid brought in after huffing silver paint. He was trying to be like his big brother. Needless to say, he didn't make it. That was 15 years ago, and I still remember his face.
Huffing can kill. Worse is living with a fried brain. Tell your nephew that should he return to huffing, you'll refuse to change his diapers.

It's so hard to get through to teenagers the dangers these drugs can cause!

Huffing...is it worth it? No, not at all!
I do hope your nephew is able to find a different path and let this stay in his past! With speaking to you about your own road to recovery, it may very well help him!

Positive thoughts sent your way!

I used to huff all the time, a few years ago.

What do you need to know? I used to huff spray paint, propane and Nitrous.

Nasty stuff, now that I think about it.

EDIT: Well, Nitrous isn't really huffing I guess. You don't do it the same way, as let's say.... spray paint or gasoline. Nitrous, you just inhale the entire contents.
Sorry about that.

I had a friend that use to huff. He did it alot everyday, I use to remember his gf cleaning the blood from the nose bleeds of his face and rushing him to the hospital when he would od on something. I cant believe someone would want to kill themselves just to fry there brain and feel good for a couple of mins. Sit hi down and explain to him that he cant keep doing this, becuase he will end up brainless and or dead. If you love him you'll do anything for him, let him know you care. Kelly

This is so very scary, legal- I mean, the substances are- and deadlier than many other bad things. To me it is on some level the ultimate proof of the failure of the war on drugs. Soory to be just depressing and not helpful but I feel for you:( and him...I guess like any self-medicating it is either about pain or curiosity or both. But he needs to understand he might as well just put a gun to his head, as continue this.

I haven't heard about huffing since junior high school, back in the day. Kids are still doing this?

Nothing changes, I guess. Just gets deadlier.

(((((((((((((((((((( hugs )))))))))))))))))

JJT

Huffing is deadly. I agree with the others, print some things out on the net. Scare the crap out of him. Counseling may help but I doubt it he needs to see real stories of death from huffing.


ONE

Thanks so much for your responses. I've read each one with both a sense of fear and panic. I didn't really realize how addictive the huffing could be. I didn't realize how deadly either.

This has truly been a learning experience.

His mom (my sister) has faith that the punishment of his crime will turn him around. Geez...my husband is living proof that rarely works. She is also chosing to blame the kid that was arrested with him and not my nephew.

He is an excellent kid, but is going through that teenage hormonal thing, "Nobody loves me. Nobody cares. It's me against the world." Right now he seems to be on a destructive course and I can't stand watching him do this to himself. It's heart-breaking to say the least.

It's hard to talk to him. Not because I don't love him or care, because I do. It's just that my using and recovery are such deeply personal issues. It's hard for me to see past him being my little toe-headed nephew and see him as a young man that potentially on the edge of ruining or even ending his life. I'm somewhere between shaking him and hugging him.

Thanks again for the education. It's time for me to take action.

My only experience with huffing comes from serving on a jury for a murder. The defense was that he was high from huffing and didn't know what he was doing. There was an expert witness who said that huffing causes brain cells to die and that he was at a low IQ because of the huffing. It is one of the scariest addictions that I have heard of.

I did a google search
Google Search: huffing resources (http://www.intheknowzone.com/inhalants/resources.htm)

theres tons of information and resources here...i picked some that looked good, but theres a ton more...hope you can find your nephew (and his mother) some help. keep me posted, please!!!
Inhalant Abuse: It's Deadly

In The Know Zone - Inhalants

Inhalants Week - Media Campaign (http://www.focusas.com/Inhalants.html)

http://www.abundantlifeacademy.com/hufdesc.php < a christian resource (http://www.intheknowzone.com/inhalants/resources.htm)

i totally feel for you..
if i knew my neice or nephew was doing this i would want to kidnap them and put them under lock and key..it breaks my heart...because i can tell how much you love your nephew...i know that feeling...

you've been given great info, and as a recovering addict you are going to be of great use to him...you will hold him accountable with love...addicts understand each other...especially, because we think no one does, no one cares...until we get into recovery...

one addict helping another addict....you know the deal...

maybe, find some na meetings to go to with him..one for teenagers...

i have you all in my prayers
much peace and healing
francis

One of my best girlfriends from high schools older sister married a huffer. He was pretty much brain damaged by 12th grade. He died at age 22 of lung problems brought on by huffing. He was into spraypaint and it eventually killed all of air sacs in his lungs. His death was long and painful.

You might print out this thread for him to read. I had a trick for getting people in my house to read stuff I wanted them to . I'd put it in the bathroom and take away all other reading material!! lol But seriously, it worked!

My ex boyfriend of 6 years is an alcaholic. When he was trying to quit drinking he fell into huffing for a while, as a substitute I guess. He thought no one could tell. He always spent alot of time in the shed tinkering so I didn't think anything of it and I still didn't think he was when I smelled paint on him. What finally made me realize it is when I went out in the shed looking for spray paint for one of my projects (hey, I'm an artist! :-) and found all kinds of empty gold spray cans. I was like "Hey, whet is he using all that paint for?" Duh!! I found a huge pile of paint coated rags in the corner behind some wood. I was shocked. And of course, when I asked him about it he always denied it! When I would kiss him I always inhaled to see if I smelled alcahol and now it was chemical smell!! He finally went back to drinking and quit huffing!! Now he can't believe he ever did.