codex: involute stream of consciousness

A friend wrote:
> Folks,
>
> I never send email forwards around, but this was an
> eye-opener to me.  So, I decided to send it to those who have
> kids and are likely to have this spray in their households.
>
> I've already known of a friends child sniffing gasoline.  I
> thought it bazarre, but kids talk each other into the
> wierdest things.  Best to just not have any of it on hand for
> them to experiment with.
>
> With love to you all.
>
> Note: forwarded message attached.
>
> Subject: FW: Dust Off- A Serious Fatal Hazard
> Date: Mon, 13 Jun 2005 09:50:04 -0500
>
> To my friends and family with kids..... I confirmed this one
> on www.truthorfiction.com and it is NOT an urban legend.
(Included refence to the letter found here)

Thank you for the informative article. Anyone who has ever
used Dust Off or any of various similar products, and has paid
any attention to the label warnings is surely aware that such
product presents a danger if misused.

The Snopes page (at http://www.snopes.com/toxins/dustoff.asp)
on this issue is much more informative than that cited in the
letter. In response to the admonistion that is 'Best to
just not have any of it on hand for them to experiment with',
I point out this this observation:

"Yet while it might be tempting to regard this threat as one
limited to Dust-Off (and therefore as a danger that can be
averted by banning a specific product from the home), the truth
is a great number of teens and pre-teens routinely attempt to
get high by abusing inhalants and solvents found in common
household products. Dust-Off is just one of a thousand or more
products that can abruptly end the life of someone foolishly
looking for an inhalant high. The list of items that can be
turned to this purpose is almost endless and includes such
innocuous-looking goods as hair spray and aerosol whipped
cream."

I can add, from personal experience as an inexperienced
thrill-seeking adolescent many years ago, that there are
certain techniques for achieving such oxygen-deprivation
"highs" that do not even involve the use of ANY particular
substance, illicit or otherwise, which involve similar risks.

The real take-away here, is that if you are concerned for
your children's well-being and safety, then as parents you
must:

• Teach your kids about the existence of such behaviors and what their real consequences are. Ignorance is no defense.
• Observe theirs and their friends behaviour. It may just be the tip of the iceberg, but at least you can tell which way its going.
• Pay attention. Everything means something. The Snopes article points out that many parents miss the warning signs of huffing due to wishfull thinking. However it is possible to over-scrutininze and read bad things where none are present. Your experience will have to be your guide in deciding where to draw the line.

The last point is the most important, and applies equally
well to much more than just child welfare. Too many people are
content to leave life-changing decisions to others, whether by
believing label warnings, trusting traffic signals, making
consumer product choices, or voting in public elections.

Wake up and live, here, now!