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A recent demographical opinion has seen a surge in the supply and wrongful recreational use of nitrous oxide also known as ‘laughing gas.’ According to one report
After conducting numerous surveys, one conclusion was drawn that the young people of our societies wrongfully use nitrous oxide without having any knowledge of the consequences it can cause, whereas another conclusion shows that many adults and parents are not aware of nitrous oxide and the immense wrongful usage of it in their own societies.
Many neuron specialists who have voiced their concerns over the wrongful usage of nitrous oxide and say there are many people visiting hospitals and surgeries with symptoms of bad health due to the wrongful use of laughing gas.
Dawat-e-Islami regularly raises awareness about the core issues in our community and to highlight this issue, launched an awareness campaign at the end of December.
What is Nitrous Oxide
Nitrous oxide which is also known as Laughing gas, is a colourless gas sold in canisters, usually inhaled using a balloon.
People open the canister, transfer the gas into a container (usually a balloon), then inhale from the balloon.
Effects on the body
When someone inhales nitrous oxide, the gas rapidly dissolves into the bloodstream, and reaches the brain within seconds.
The gas will slow down your brain and your body’s responses.
A rush of dizziness and euphoria is commonly reported, and people often burst into laughter. Sound distortion also occurs.
Risk
“Regular heavy use of the drug can lead to vitamin B12 deficiency. As vitamin B12 is essential for maintaining the nervous system, abuse of nitrous oxide can lead to nerve damage. Symptoms of nerve damage include tingling and numbness in fingers and toes and weakness of the arms and legs. Treatment with high doses of B12 is effective, but some damage can be irreversible. It is likely that less severe vitamin B12 deficiencies caused by nitrous oxide overuse can go undiagnosed, but cause other symptoms, such as depression, forgetfulness, and tiredness.”
Awareness Campaign
Dawat-e-Islami is using various ways to raise awareness about this issue. Some are mentioned below:
With thousands of people visiting Dawat-e-Islami’s centres for Jummah Prayers. At all the centres, all the imams focussed on the issue of laughing gas.
The Imams discussed many points including what this gas is, what are the harms of taking this gas, the effects of this gas on the body, the reasons as to why people use it, real life examples of people who have suffered after taking this gas and many more.
Work Shops
Exhibitions and informative workshops highlighting using nitrous oxide wrongfully as a serious issue within local societies. Within these events, young people were and are taught by qualified youth workers about the negative impacts and issues of taking nitrous oxide as well as hearing about real-life cases of individuals who have been negatively affected by laughing gas. During these events, delegations from the local West Midlands police, council officials, medical experts, community respected youth mentors and the police and crime commissioners’ team have attended and presented their first-hand experiences of young people abusively taking in nitrous oxide.
This campaign has been covered by various media platforms
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