Is there anything that can be done to help people addicted to huffing paint?

[stephaniesomewhere]

Just wondering this after running into a few people round our park this evening chroming. They were totally wasted and had the metallic paint all over their heads where they had fallen unconcious after taking a hit. One of them was walking/staggerng round near a really busy road and had blood on their face. Whilst it is fairly common to see people doing this I was wondering if anyone had run across any information as to how me as a passerby might be able to help or contribute to them kicking this stuff as it so often leads to death or wheelchairs and brain damage.

Any ideas running along the positive contribution sort would be appreciated.

 

[shn()z]

One of them was walking/staggerng round near a really busy road and had blood on their face

Seems like "calling the police" would be an appropriate response in that particular case.

Your desire to help is commendable, but I suspect you, as a complete stranger who happens to be walking by, are going to have a very difficult time convincing paint-spattered huffers to turn over a new leaf just by telling them how dangerous the stuff is. (Chances are they already know, and don't care.)

 

[egor]

It is sad to see, but you just had a personal lesson on natural selection. People who knowingly huff paint containing toluene(sp??) know they are destroying their brains and do not care. Paint huffing is like the last stop before suicide. I accidently got buzzed off of paint fumes making tackle (ventilation is ESSENTIAL) and it is the most miserable feeling imaginable.
Calling the police is all you could really do

 

[StagnantReaction]

They need some help. Their brains are possibly damaged by now.

 

[theWorldWithin]

yes, possibly.....hahahah

 

[burn out]

introduce them to nitrous?

 

[krazycrow]

They are beyond human help only divine intervention can help huffers.

 

[egor]

They are beyond human help only divine intervention can help huffers.

And I somehow dont see that being very likely

 

[stephaniesomewhere]

thanks for the replies guys...bit depressing that there doesn't seem to be any response apart from calling the police...what do they do with people who are in such a state...cause maybe they are better off lying in the park wasted than in a police lockup. Except of course I understand the safety issue with the roads.

 

[sonic]

I tried seeing what I could find online, I didn't find much other than a bunch of local christian "alcohol and drug" rehab centers. Seems like inhalant abuse is not like opiates or alcohol where you can go to a clinic specifically catered to helping you with your addiction, but I'd imagine a generic rehab center would be able to help.

As far as medication to help these people I guess it's hard to know what would help since not that much is known about exactly how they work on the brain:

The actions of many inhalants are poorly understood. One idea is that the non-polar, "organic", lipid soluble inhalants (benzene, toluene, etc) disrupt cell membrane fluidity and affect neuronal transmission. Another is that the nitr* containing inhalants may affect nitric oxide signalling pathways within the cells (Note: your body uses *extremely* small amounts of nitric oxide naturally as a signalling molecule. Inhaling nitric oxide is *extremely* toxic to your system and has no recreational value whatsoever).

aloha
psilo

http://www.erowid.org/ask/ask.cgi?ID=2950


It's sad, but I don't think much can be done unless these people want to help themselves.

EDIT: Changed thread title removed "chroming" to "huffing paint". I had never heard of this slang before and I'm sure a lot of people hadn't either.

 

[NeverLose]

Im glad they moved on from here though, seriously we had em smash in to and live in a vacant property nearby and they kept running round at 3am screaming stuff like "we da sniffas" (slightly more explict than my example). Cops ran `em outta town about two weeks ago and all that remains is those crappy looking paint stained cola bottles.

 

[stephaniesomewhere]

maybe your old neighbours are my new neighbours neverlose!
8(
I asked the police what they did if someone rang them to report (I wasn't reporting them I just wanted to know what they did) and they said if they weren't hurting anyone they would either take them home or leave them be. If they were hurt in anyway or endangering themselves or others (staggering on roads) then they would either take them to the hospital or take them home. As these people are so wrecked I would be surprised if they did have homes and I suspect that "home" might stand for police lockup which I don't think is going to help them or their situation whatsoever. They did have a suggestion of some people to call who were maybe able to help a bit more specifically. tis a seriously sad situation, particularly how they all end up in wheelchairs or dead. Surely it is worth someone finding out some way to help deal or treat with this addiction. Though a lot of people seem to ascribe by the natural selection theory I just don't feel right taking that approach, just cause someone is dumber than you doesn't necessarily mean they have less rights to a good life...I am turning into a bloodie hippie aren't I.
8)

By the way Neverlose they love those gold coke bottles (coke zero I think it is, great ad for coke...8) they hide from people what substance is inside at first glance, obviously this doesn't hide the smell.
Chroming is quite a common term here for huffing paint as they tend to use the metallic ones...the chrome like ones, suppose like any slang it changes from place to place. Would be nice if you could include chroming as well in the title cause thats what I know it as and I am sure others do too? celebrate the rich variety of our language!!:D

 

[TheodoreRoosevelt]

I've met alot of drug users in my life and alot of drugs.

But I have never met a huffer, of any sort, nor ever heard about it.

I saw something about it on TV once. And like we all know, TV is extremely reliable. The impression given was that these people are extremely depressed in most cases. Then again, most drug users are portrayed that way, true or not, but it seemed this one segment made is seem like those that huff have lost everything.

Whatever. Doesn't mean anything, but that's all I can really offer to this thread.

 

[Sandbag]

C. Darwin says...

Whilst it is fairly common to see people doing this I was wondering if anyone had run across any information as to how me as a passerby might be able to help or contribute to them kicking this stuff as it so often leads to death or wheelchairs and brain damage.

Any ideas running along the positive contribution sort would be appreciated.

Sorry; I'm in a very cynical mood so I'm pretty much going to disregard the "positive contribution" part of your post. Honestly, I would like to find a blunt object and continue to strike them over the head with it until they promise they will at least switch to a real drug. Personally, I habitually injected crystal meth...which is damned near the bottom of society's "druggie-totem-pole"; and even I find the concept of habitually huffing paint to be utterly retarded. If they won't at least switch to a real drug that offers something more than dizziness and brain-damage then I feel compelled to side with C. Darwin on this one and support survival of the fittest...

 

[plug in baby]

^^^^A lot of homeless poeple and street kids use paint...simply because it is cheap and easily accessible.

Chromers...I think I have heard that term before...are you in Australia?

I think it's very nice of you to want to help these stangers, but I'm not sure if you will just be wasting your time. I tried very hard to help someone I love dearly to get off drugs...but they have to want to do it themselves before they are willing to accept help from anyone else.

 

[shake]

only huffers i knoew would go around stealing freon out of air conditioners and hiffing that. these are also the same kids that would mix modeling glue and tea leaves together and smoke it

i have no idea what ever happen to these idiots

 

[krazycrow]

Huffing glue is very popular in Central and South America with the street kids. They buy jars of it about the size of a baby food jar for about 50.cents and huff it all day. A lot of the kids get so bad it eventually kills them; they stop even trying to get food and just wander around in various stages of starvation with a jar of glue under their nose. They look like skeleton zombies. A lot of the nunneries help the street kids and feed them sometimes but they wont help the glue huffers, maybe they think it prolongs the suffering? I’m not sure, but they make them stop the glue before they will help them.

 

[stephaniesomewhere]

chromers would be those people who sniff metallic based paints for the effects of toluene (scuse my spelling) and yea it is probably aussie slang but it differentiates those who are "huffing" other substances. Same action, different substance, maybe different effect, have to be honest here and say I don't know.
I would love to help them but am realistic that my opinion as to their actions means shite. It is just an increasing problem that is becoming more and more visible (in your face) as time passes. I just wonder what sort of action people take successfully (if at all) to help these people as I have observed loads of the abuse and stories but never heard of any treatment or help.

The slow form of suicide or the Darwinism argument I understand but don't neccesarily agree with, it judt doesn't fit with how I approach things thus my questions.

 

[edarrin]

I am turning into a bloodie hippie aren't I.

And what's wrong with that? .

I have never seen anyone huff paint here in Canada. Some glue huffers aroiund though. Who knows what else they huff really. Only them.


But it is pretty much considered the bottom of the barrel by societies standards here. Personally I could never understand why anyone would want to do that. I huffed gas once and it was an unpleasant enough experience that I have never done it since.

One of societies puzzling segments.

 

[egor]

Ive seen it on 2 episodes of cops.