ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times

DATE: Tuesday, October 29, 1996              TAG: 9610290089
SECTION: VIRGINIA                 PAGE: A-2  EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: MATT CHITTUM

SIGNS YOUR KID MAY BE `HUFFING'

Unlike with many other drugs, it's not easy to recognize the signs of inhalant abuse. Because the high from "huffing" household products like butane, gasoline or just about anything in an aerosol can lasts only a minute or two, users don't come home with a buzz.

And it's only after prolonged use that they begin to exhibit the typical signs of drug use: lethargy, mood changes, suspicious behavior such as withdrawal and irritability, and dilated pupils or red eyes. But drug counselors Pam Melton of the Changes clinic and Mike Chiglinsky of the Appalachian Counseling Center say there are signs for which parents can look.

"These things are not going to smack you in the face," Chiglinsky said, but when found, they should be taken very seriously.

* Aerosol cans that won't spray, even though there seems to be something in them. That means the propellant has been used up before the product has.

* Empty nitrous-oxide cartridges. The small, silver tubes are used to power whipped-cream dispensers.

* The appearance of aerosol cans no adults can remember buying, especially if they are in children's rooms.

* A pattern of household materials that seem to have been used even though no adult can remember using them.

* The disappearance of socks, which often are used as a filter for inhalants.

LENGTH: Short :   34 lines