Inhaling nitrous oxide gas, commonly known as “whippits”, “whippets”, or “hippie crack”, is a dangerous form of substance abuse that’s growing more popular to alter one’s consciousness.
The gas produces a brief euphoric high, making the practice addictively enticing, especially among youth and party scenes. However, behind the momentary intoxication lies a raft of both acute and chronic health hazards ranging from lack of oxygen to permanent nerve damage.
Whippets may seem harmless fun, but this deceptive practice has been linked to deaths, disabilities, and addiction that destroy lives.
Before anyone contemplates huffing whippets for recreation, they should fully understand, how can whippets harm your body.
This article will delve into everything one needs to know about whippets/nitrous oxide abuse – what whippets are, why people use them, how they affect the mind and body, as well as detail the multitude of short and long-term harms whippets incur. By understanding the dangers, we can make more informed choices to protect our health and future.
The perceived thrill isn’t worth the potential consequences. Forewarned is forearmed when it comes to the hazards of hippie crack. Now let’s explore further…
What are Whippets?
Before diving deep into – how can whippets harm your body? let’s understand what they are. Whippets, sometimes called hippie crack or whippits, refer to the gas nitrous oxide which is used medically as an anesthetic.
The gas is legally sold in small steel cartridges which are used to make whipped cream. People open these cartridges to inhale the gas, usually through a whippet cracker device or a balloon. The nitrous oxide produces a brief high, euphoric feeling, and dreamy state. However, it also carries significant health risks.
How Do Whippets Affect You?
When inhaled, whippets slow down neurological activity, creating intoxicating effects like euphoria, relaxation, tingling sensations, fits of laughter, sound distortions, and dream-like perceptions.
Some also experience hallucinations and out-of-body experiences. The effects occur rapidly within seconds but only last 1-3 minutes per whippet.
Coming down can cause immediate headaches, nausea, fatigue, and lightheadedness. In the long term, heavy use can lead to nerve damage and psychiatric problems.
How Do People Use Whippets?
Whippet drug prices are relatively cheap, making the practice popular. People buy boxes of whippet cartridges either online or at some liquor stores for approximately $20-$30.
They use a whipped cream dispenser, whippets cracker, or simply discharge the cartridge into a balloon from which they inhale the nitrous oxide.
Effects kick in rapidly but only last 1-3 minutes per whippet cartridge. People often continuously inhale whippets to extend a high that lasts around 5-10 minutes.
Are Whippets Bad for You?
Yes, whippets are undoubtedly bad for your health and well-being. The momentary high comes at the cost of significant dangers like oxygen deprivation, frostbite, nerve damage, mental illness, addiction, and sudden death.
The costs simply aren’t worth these few minutes of altered awareness. Those concerned with protecting their health should avoid whippets and nitrous oxide inhalant abuse altogether.
How Can Whippets Harm Your Body?
Inhaling whippets, or whippits, refers to inhaling nitrous oxide gas, usually from whipped cream chargers, to induce a brief high or euphoric feeling.
However, abusing whippets can lead to both acute and long-term health consequences ranging from lack of oxygen to the brain, frostbite, nerve damage, addiction, and even sudden death. How can whippets harm your body? Includes:
➡️ Lack of Oxygen
Inhaling whippets causes a lack of oxygen to the brain, heart, and other organs, which can lead to loss of blood pressure, fainting, heart attack, coma, and sudden death. Even healthy young people have died this way.
➡️ Frostbite & Suffocation Risks
The cold temperature of the gas can cause frostbite to the nose, throat, and mouth. Inhaling from plastic bags or masks also carries a suffocation risk. Over 80 deaths have been linked to suffocation from nitrous oxide inhalants.
➡️ Nerve Damage
Chronic, heavy use of whippets can cause a vitamin B12 deficiency leading to nerve damage, tingling/numbness in hands and feet, muscle weakening, and problems walking. Effects may become permanent over time if B12 levels aren’t restored.
➡️ Mental Health Problems
Regular use of whippets has been associated with psychosis, depression, and dissociative disorders. Quitting can also induce psychiatric withdrawal symptoms like anxiety, tremors, headaches, and agitation lasting for months.
➡️ Impaired Judgement & Accidents
Intoxication from whippets slows reaction times and impairs judgment and coordination similar to alcohol intoxication. This increases the likelihood of accidents or injuries from fainting, falling, burns, or unsafe behavior. Driving under the influence is extremely dangerous.
➡️ Addiction & Dependence
Although whippets themselves don’t contain highly addictive properties, people can develop psychological dependence, continuing to compulsively abuse them despite their negative effects. Withdrawal symptoms include headaches, nausea, shaking, and intense drug craving.
➡️ Reproductive Harm
Some research indicates nitrous oxide abuse during pregnancy may be linked to neurological issues in newborns and premature birth from lack of oxygen. The B12 deficiency may also pose reproduction risks over time.
Some effects of how can whippets harm your body? may leave permanent damage or disability. Multiple deaths have occurred from recreational nitrous oxide abuse. Knowing the alarming risks may help deter decisions to pursue this dangerous habit.
Side Effects Of Whippets
In addition to the already explained, ways of how can whippets harm your body? whippets also cause a variety of unwelcome side effects:
• Headaches, nausea, dizziness
• Fatigue, weakness
• Loss of blood pressure
• Frostbite to nose/throat
• Difficulty thinking, confusion
• Hallucinations
• Severe B12 deficiency over time
• Psychological issues like depression
The combination of fatigue, lack of oxygen, and slowed thinking also increases the likelihood of accidents or injuries from poor coordination and judgment after inhaling whippets. The safety risks simply aren’t worth it.
Are Whippets Addictive?
While less addictive than other hardcore drugs like meth or heroin, people can still develop a problematic psychological dependence on whippets where they compulsively abuse them despite the ways how can whippets harm your body?. Warning signs may include:
• Increasing tolerance, needing more whippets to get high
• Continued use of whippets despite physical/mental harm
• Failed attempts to cut back or quit using whippets
• Spending significant money/time obtaining nitrous chargers
• Strong cravings and withdrawal symptoms if stopping
• Using whippets even when alone or to cope with problems
People underestimate the addictive potential of inhalants like whippets, especially with repeated exposure. Those unable to stop should seek professional help before permanent health damage or disability occurs. Rehabilitation programs can help people overcome inhalant addictions.
Conclusion
In conclusion, inhaling or huffing whippets may provide a very brief high, but poses too many short and long-term health hazards to justify the fleeting effects.
So, how can whippets harm your body? Whippets starve the brain and body of oxygen, slow reflexes, and cognitive function similar to alcohol intoxication, and in high doses can cause sudden death from suffocation, heart attack, or complication.
Neural and reproductive damage, frostbite, mental illness, and addiction may also develop insidiously over time, leaving permanent disability.
Simply put, whippets offer little benefit with far too much risk. The costs outweigh any perceived rewards.
When people understand the alarming dangers of recreational whippets, they can make more educated decisions to protect their health and lives by avoiding hippie crack altogether. Our well-being is too precious to intentionally damage for a quick buzz. Don’t you agree the risks are just too high? I welcome your thoughts below.
