It is the worst thing a kid can do. The counselor estimated Cooper to be near the national average for huffers. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, about 17 percent of adolescents nationwide said they have sniffed inhalants. They're wasted, they're toast, they can't think anymore. Cooper officials, and those at other schools, try their best to intervene, McQueen said.
Counseling is available and information on drug abuse and treatments is free at the school.
Huffing isn't new, it isn't a fad and it isn't going away, Buzby warned. She and Darnall nodded before the question of whether huffing is a problem in Abilene was completed. Parents don't need to be paranoid to be aware, he said. The parents shouldn't go through the denial that this is a phase that is going to change. Like schools in Abilene, schools in the Big Country are not immune to inhalant abuse, Buzby said.