Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Safety 101: Whippits

Whippits" is a slang term for nitrous oxide whipped cream chargers that are currently being used by teens, tweens and twenty somethings as an inhalant to obtain a high.  Most recently in the news because of the adverse effect that it had on Demi Moore.  I am concerned that having this much attention drawn towards this type of drug use and it's availability, will attract teens to using it that would never have used it otherwise.  The news has basicly been giving a road map to teens about where to obtain this drug and how to use it. 

You need to sit down with your teens today and talk about the dangers of using Whippits as a means of getting high.  It can cause brain damage, paralysis and sometimes even death.  It may be even more important to talk about these drugs than other types because they are so readily available to our teens than other types of drugs.  They can find them all over the internet and even in a grocery store.  One site that I visited that sells whippits has a warning against using them as an inhalant right at the top of their web site.  They claim that they can not be held responsible if someone uses this item in a way other than the intended use.  Until there are more regulations placed on the sale of whippits, it is going to be up to you to warn your children about using them and monitor their behavior if you think that they already are using them. 

Keeping up to date on the current drug fads, and the symptoms to watch for if your child is using, is going to be your best line of defense when keeping your child safe from drug usage.  Don't make the mistake of putting your head in the sand and ignoring what is staring you in the face.  If your child has a drug problem of any kind, stopping it sooner rather than later will aid in their ultimate recovery.

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