From huffing and pill parties to overdosing on caffeine on the playground, kids today are finding creative – and dangerous – new ways to get high.
Teens and experimentation go together. While it’s natural for kids to explore new things and push boundaries as they journey toward adulthood, some experimentation can be deadly. Teens (and even much younger kids) are experimenting with drugs and turning to dangerous new substances.
Three of the biggest new drug use trends among teens include drinking multiple energy drinks, huffing the computer cleaner “Dust-Off” and hosting or attending “pharma parties.” Parents need to be aware of the new ways kids are exposing themselves to potentially harmful substances.
Energy drinks seem harmless enough, but young kids are drinking these highly caffeinated beverages to catch a buzz. These drinks are becoming a “gateway drug” for elementary school kids. And it’s not just drinks that you need to worry about. New caffeinated gel strips work much the same way as energy drinks but are even easier to abuse. Kids may put five or six strips in their mouths, and it is possible to overdose by taking just three or four. While caffeine seems like a relatively harmless substance, overconsumption, particularly in smaller bodies, can cause seizures, strokes or sudden death according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Kids have been huffing gasoline, glue and shoe polish for years. Inhalant use is not a new trend, but the latest “drug” of choice seems to be a computer cleaner called Dust-Off. It’s readily available at office supply stores and big chains, and it can be inhaled to produce a high lasting anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes. The effects are felt almost immediately, making this substance particularly attractive to teens and pre-teens. With those immediate effects come side effects ranging from nausea and nosebleeds to impaired coordination and, in some cases, death.
While it’s not something parents think to include when they discuss drugs with their kids, according to a 2010 study from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration approximately 2 million kids ages 12 to 17 have tried inhalants.
During “pharma parties” underage kids mix alcohol with a cocktail of drugs including Ecstasy, Xanax, Percocet, Valium and whatever else they can find in their parents’ medicine cabinets. Meds are usually just thrown in a bowl or plastic bag and consumed without question – often by the handful. Also called “Skittles parties” (named for the brightly colored pills), these gatherings are scary for the casual approach they take to serious medication use. The drugs are treated like party favors instead of the highly addictive opioids they are.
A recent report from researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that each year more people die from prescription painkiller overdoses than from heroin and cocaine overdoses combined.
If you are worried about your or your child’s drug use, call La Paloma at the toll-free number on our homepage. We are here 24 hours a day to connect you to the right addiction treatment resources for your unique situation.
