Is there some drug thing involving balloons?

[CurryInAHurry]

I have now seen 2 Facebook photos in 2 different settings of Dc's friends, and Dc holding inflated but not knotted / sealed balloons.

What is this?

[qwertyuiop1234]

I THINK I've heard of people having laughing gas in balloons before, I'm clearly no drugs expert through

[Elledouble]

Is it nitrous oxide?

[Monstersincq]

Laughing gas

[RatRolyPoly]

Laughing gas I imagine (entonox?). It was legal in nightclubs out in Ibiza back in the days when that was my scene.

[MadisonAvenue]

Not sure what they do but there's something involving those tiny gas canisters which chefs use and balloons. There are areas in the woods where I walk my dog where the floor is covered with both!

[JustDanceAddict]

Yes it's nitrous oxide and can cause suffocation as can overwhelm the lungs

[SparklingBollox]

Yeah, laughing gas. Never seen the appeal personally. They used to sell them in clubs when I was a youngen.

[RatRolyPoly]

...unless they're all just making their voices go squeaky with a bit of helium

[rebelnotaslave]

Or just helium? Me and my friends used to do that for the funny voice?

[CurryInAHurry]

Shit.

Thank you.

FFS!

[CurryInAHurry]

They are not helium balloons, just ordinary.

[RatRolyPoly]

Whilst it's extremely unlikely to be what they're doing, you can inhale helium from normal balloons I think.

[CurryInAHurry]

Is there anything to be done with 16 year olds using a legal substance other than a serious talk about health?

I cannot 100% police a 16 year old sixth former, I can't threaten sanctions against something I can't police, and I don't want the upshot to be that I am simply locked out of all possible forms of communication.

[BarbaraOcumbungles]

We used to sell balloons in clubs back in the day when it was legal - we made an absolute bomb - it was £4 per balloon 10 years ago and the canisters were only 20p or something daft. Balloons were all the rage in my clubbing days.

A friend of a friend died because he put a bag over his head and suffocated. It's illegal for recreational purposes now.

[CurryInAHurry]

Eek, I didn't realise it was illegal.

That gives loads more traction to how I address this.

How idiotic are they, putting pics up on Facebook?

[CurryInAHurry]

Just to clarify, I am angry about the gas use per se, not just plastering the evidence all over social media for future employers etc to find.

[BarbaraOcumbungles]

Nox use is pretty widespread in teenagers tbh. If I were in your position I'd be finding out the reasons it was criminalised and then have a chat about it. And the ramifications of putting the evidence on social media! I'm incredibly thankful that social media wasn't around when I was up to no good in my teens and early twenties tbh

[monkey42]

I realise this thread is a few weeks old.
Not many people seem to know that nitrous oxide can be very damaging to the nervous system- spinal cord and nerves- and sadly it can be irreversible. Making themselves disabled might be enough to put them off it.. you would think...

[TerracottaPreservationSociety]

I hadn’t seen this when it was originally posted. You’ve probably already dealt with this OP, but just FYI, there is useful information on the Talk to Frank website.

m.talktofrank.com/drug/nitrous-oxide?detail=risks

Your description of the photos indicate it is this that they are using. Have done it myself in my more idiotic hedonistic days and it is good fun, but clearly risky, more so than many realise as it is quite easily available and has such an innocuous name.

[user1487175389]

I didn't realing it could cause suffocation.

It's gas and air, isn't it? The stuff I was glued to throughout my labours? All the baby books say it has no negative side effects? Or did when I was reading them a decade ago. Confused.

[mintich]

Yes but you have a medical professional with you when you're in labour. People pass out from balloons all the time as it's not controlled

[user1487175389]

It's strange that they didn't explain the risk though. With pethidine, epidurals etc youre encouraged to read up on the pros and cons. Given that I was going a bit bananas with the entonox, and refusing to stop, you'd think they would have said something. Or maybe at one of my antenatal appointment or nct classes? I didn't realise I was endangering my self and the baby.

[SparklyUnicornPoo]

user1487175389 You'd think they'd mention it wouldn't you? I actually passed out briefly in labour because I was sucking away at the gas and air and apparently forgot how to breathe out, I was completely fine after but the midwife had taken it away from me as soon as I started to go dizzy, presumably the few people that have died didn't have anyone to take it away from them, a lot of the other risks are from heavy regular use and mixing it with alcohol, which obviously isn't going to be an issue in labour either so maybe the books meant there are no side effects if used properly?

[tabulahrasa]

The risks aren't really there in a medically supervised situation, they're all from either the method of taking it, taking way too much or from regular use.

[Didntcomeheretofuckspiders]

Entonox is also a mix of nitrous oxide and oxygen (hence the name ‘gas and air’) , so is virtually 100% safe. You can’t suffocate on oxygen.

Nitrous oxide is still very unlikely to cause any damage. The minute you start breathing in normal air, the effects start to wear off.