HLH 265

Chapter 12 Activity (10 points)

Healthy Children.org
https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/teen/substance-abuse/Pages/
Inhalants.aspx

Assignment:
1. Click on the link above and read the page about inhalant use.

2. In a 1-page reflection, discuss what a teacher should be presenting in a lesson

about inhalants and why students should refrain from usage. In addition, based on
what you have learned so far in this course, what innovative approach would you
take in teaching elementary or middle school students about inhalants?

The teacher should first present in a lesson about inhalants, specifically what

inhalants are and that they are breathed in through the nose or mouth. Further, the

teacher should discuss the different types of inhalants that are used and their

common street names, which are solvents, nitrous oxide, volatile oxides, and the

street names include laughing gas, poppers, snappers, or whippets. I will

specifically highlight how each one is harmful in their own ways. Demonstrating

the short- and long-term health implications of all the different inhalants, while

also highlighting many have similar negative health implications including, but

limited to for short term effects, Excitement, no inhibition, impulsive behavior,

double vision, dizziness, unsteady walking, sneezing, coughing, runny nose, red

eyes, slurred speech, nausea, vomiting, sleepiness, headache, passing out, and

death. For long-term effects I would highlight trouble with attention, poor

problem-solving, muscle weakness and tremor, balance problems, poor memory,

mood changes, and dementia. Further, when highlighting the negative health

implications, it is important to highlight inhalant abuse and demonstrate when

someone may have a serious problem, and I would present possible solutions on

how to deal with the problem by teaching about professional health options such

as inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation facilities, NA Narcotics Anonymous, and

other support systems. When I talk about the rehabilitation facilities, I will

personally share some stores I have heard from individuals, while I was working

in a rehabilitation facility. Lastly, I will get into how using inhalants can lead to

and be a gateway to usage of harder drugs because eventually the inhalant high

may not be “good” enough for an individual. I will then have my next unit

afterwards be about hard drugs after using this as a gateway to a new topic.