Author: Gary Jackson

Everything You Need to Know About Whippets and How to Stay Safe

Whipped cream canister refills, nitrous oxide tanks used to boost a car’s speed and restaurant supplies that power whipped cream machines are all also used for whippets. Like other inhalant drugs, whippets can be easy for young people to get ahold of and abuse. Dr. Carl advises parents to be cognizant of whippets and other household products that can be dangerous when used incorrectly. Despite it being illegal to use, whippits can be obtained legally and are easy to get.

Most inhalants, including whippits, affect the body’s central nervous system (CNS) and slow down brain activity by cutting off oxygen to the brain. Unlike with other forms of substance misuse, abusing whippets does not cause any direct physical withdrawal symptoms when use stops. However, it can cause excessive users to experience cravings for the substance, often needing larger doses of whippets in a single sitting to achieve the same high. At Foundations Wellness Center, our goal is to help clients and their families start on the road to addiction recovery and a healthy, sober life.

Whippets have long-term consequences

About 11.8 million participants in the 2016 survey reported past misuse of nitrous oxide or whippits. That’s nearly double the number of people who reported using the next most common inhalant. Inhalant abuse and experimenting with inhalants is more common than many people realize. An estimated 9.1 percent of Americans have tried inhalants during their lifetime, according to the 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. When inhaled, nitrous oxide causes dizziness, pain relief and a floating sensation.

To use an inhalant drug, a person will breathe in fumes from a closed source. People may cover their face and the canister with a bag or mask to inhale whippets. Or they may put the gas into a balloon and inhale it from there.