Huffing Intervention

Without Huffing Intervention Help, Their Next Breath Might Be Their Last

Huffing addiction is a dangerous activity that typically attracts youngsters looking for an inexpensive high. The dangerous activity called huffing involves the inhalation of common household and automotive products for the purpose of obtaining a rush of euphoria. Since the items used are easy to find in most homes, children and teenagers are particularly vulnerable to experimentation with this method for achieving a high. Common substances that are inhaled include butane, glue, gasoline, spray paint, and hair spray, to name a few. Conducting a huffing intervention may help.

What is Huffing? Is Huffing Dangerous?

Huffing is the Inhaling of volatile substances because of their intoxicating effect. Users inhale vapors or aerosol gases using plastic bags held over the mouth or by breathing from an open container of chemicals. The effects of huffing can vary greatly depending on the dose and what type of chemical is inhaled. Statistics on death caused by huffing are hard to determine. They may be greatly under-reported as deaths may be attributed to stroke or heart attack as symptoms of huffing.

Information about interventions for other types of drugs.

Why Do A Huffing Intervention?

Huffing represents one of the most dangerous of substance abuse activities since a single incident can lead to death. A frightening reality about this type of substance abuse is that young people often start experimenting as early as 12 or 13 years old without realizing how dangerous these substances are. For this reason, it is imperative that family members and friends do everything they can to identify the problem as soon as they recognize it and try to get the person into treatment. Huffing intervention offers a critical first step to be taken to encourage an addict into treatment to prevent a possible crisis.

Signs that indicate a possible huffing addiction include skin discoloration around the nose or mouth, slurred speech, inhalants hidden or stored in the bedroom or some other unlikely place, impaired coordination, bad breath, paint specks on clothing or on skin around the mouth. Due to the possibility of death from huffing, this addiction must be stopped as soon as possible when there is any evidence that a loved one is abusing inhalants. Hiring a professional interventionist to stage a huffing intervention is a great way to get a substance abuser into treatment. Interventions save many lives each year by strongly encouraging addicts to get the help they need.

The way a huffing intervention works is that the people important to the addict are assembled for a surprise meeting to express their concern for the substance abuser. There is typically a preparation meeting before the actual huffing intervention where the professional interventionist reviews possible scenarios that can take place during the intervention. Participants often rehearse what they will say to the addict. The purpose of the intervention is to
explain how concerned they are for the addict and how inhalant abuse is impacting them. A successful huffing intervention is done out of love and care, and ultimately gets the addict to go to treatment and recovery.

Recovery after the Huffing Intervention

After the huffing intervention and treatment, recovery can be the best tool to help the addict regain their life. Through twelve step, faith-based or other programs, the addict can build a world of support away from the people and things that triggered the urge to use.

With enough time and the right tools, the addict can have a life free of using and the emotional and psychological roller-coaster that has been their life up to the huffing intervention.