Inhalants are among the most dangerous substances kids abuse today. Almost one in five kids report having used inhalants by the eighth grade. One half of all eighth graders can name at least three inhalants. And inhalants are also the easiest substance for kids to get, since they can find them right in the garage or under the kitchen sink. Kids may not realize the enormous risk they are taking.
Inhalants starve the body of oxygen and can cause severe brain damage and even sudden death.
Prescription drugs, such as Ritalin, can be sold and abused as street drugs. Be sure to monitor the medications taken by everyone in your household. Warn your children of the dangers of taking even legal drugs that have not been prescribed for them by a doctor. Teens live every day with the reality of easily available drugs. Peer pressure and positive images of drug use in the media can push them toward drug abuse.