Inhalants / Question
Published: September 24, 2002
Dear TeenHealthFX,
I heard that u can get high off of the air in a whip cream bottle. I also heard if u do it 6 times you can die. Is that true? Luv, Curious Signed Curious About Whip Cream Bottle
Signed: Curious About Wipped Cream Bottle
Dear Curious About Wipped Cream Bottle,
While whipped cream bottles do contain a gas that can get you high, it is important to realize that this gas is a type of illegal drug called an inhalant that is very dangerous. It is the same gas that dentists sometimes use to put people to sleep for surgery - but unlike the dentist, you have no control over how much gas you inhale. The chemicals in this gas can speed up your heart or mess up its rhythm and cause it to stop beating. This is called "sudden sniffing death" and can happen the first time that someone tries inhalants, even if he or she is healthy otherwise. Inhalants can also keep you from getting enough oxygen into your lungs and you could suffocate. Regular use of these drugs can seriously damage the heart, kidneys, liver and especially the brain, causing problems in things like thinking, moving, seeing and hearing. So, it is very dangerous to use them, not to mention, against the law.
Signed: TeenHealthFX
Compared with other age groups, teens have the lowest rate of seat belt use, and male high school students are more likely than female students to rarely or never wear seat belts.
