Whippets: Easy to Buy, Dangerous to Use — 7 Investigates

The addiction hooked Kevin Quigley fast The things I would do to get just one more hit This is a terribly addictive thing Quigley disclosed Nitrous oxide known as whippets or guffawing gas was supposed to calm and numb him Instead the high took over his life It really takes you away from reality he announced Something just clicked for me like oh this is the high I ve been waiting for my whole life Quigley couldn t get enough Soon his car was filled with empty canisters The habit cost him tens of thousands of dollars and left his body covered in scars They authentically become freezing cold I was using in the car and not realizing that this freezing cold object was against my body he declared explaining how the canister burned him I definitely in the peak of use had a lot of sensations like itching and burning and even spasms to a certain degree Quigley remembered The danger wasn t only physical That relaxing effect briskly turns into paranoia and psychosis I ve definitely ruined so multiple relationships lashing out on people he reported There were a great number of times Quigley thought his addiction would kill him I sort of thought that I was going to die and because of the mental state that the drug put me in I was okay with that which is a very very dark place that I would never want to go back to he revealed Quigley reported escaping that darkness was hard because buying nitrous oxide was so easy More or less every town has a insufficient of these shops where you can buy it he explained It is illegal in Massachusetts to inhale nitrous oxide However it is legal to buy and sell the gas because it has legitimate curative and culinary purposes However the gas isn t just sold at healthcare or culinary supply stores it is also revealed at convenience stores and smoke shops Every single thing in that shop is designed to be inhaled and then they think someone who makes whip cream is coming to the smoke and vape shop to buy this tank Quigley stated Investigates revealed nitrous oxide was widely available at convenience and smoke shops across Boston Selected stores sold the gas right next to vape products One clerk even handed us a mouthpiece with the purchase Another clerk explained the tank gets you high Purchasing nitrous oxide online is even easier Numerous popular online retailers sell the gas Investigates was even able to use a food-delivery app to deliver whippets in less than an hour No ID was required at any of the places we purchased nitrous oxide from Because it is so easy to buy it hasn t been highly regulated It makes it so people have this false sense that it is safe and okay revealed Dr Michelle DiBlasi a psychiatrist at Tufts Healthcare Center She explained that inhaling nitrous oxide isn t safe and can cause long-term impacts to a person s brain and nervous system These can be really devastating causing people to have difficulty walking causing them to have blood clots causing them to have permanent tingling in their fingers and toes she commented Fortunately Quigley recognized the danger before it was too late I realized I was kind of giving my life away he noted Quigley has gone to rehab multiple times over the last minimal years While he is sober now he admits every day is a battle I have thoughts of using again pretty often sometimes daily he revealed I think I ve just learned at this point and this is something I have to remind myself of every day that this is a syndrome The FDA issued a warning this year against inhaling nitrous oxide citing serious robustness risks Particular states and towns have taken action to ban or regulate the sale of nitrous oxide including Northampton Massachusetts Boston city councilors raised the issue of the sale of nitrous oxide and its enforcement in August but no action has been taken yet The Boston Inhabitants Robustness Commission BPHC informed Investigates it is gathering information on the topic to understand the availability of the gas in the city Misuse of nitrous oxide has increased in modern years and the Boston Residents Vitality Commission strongly discourages inhaling nitrous oxide particularly by our young people a BPHC spokesperson announced in a comment While leaders and law enforcement determine how to limit access to the gas Quigley hopes users recognize the danger associated with it I think it is fundamental that people know this is a real thing it impacts real humans there are a lot of us out there and help is viable Quigley noted