If you’re asked to name an addictive drug, nitrous oxide is probably not on the tip of your tongue.
Doctors say that the substance – also known as hippie crack – does not have physically addictive properties.
In stark contrast, nicotine provides an immediate mood boost strong enough to entice smokers to crave another cigarette, leaving them hooked for life.
Opioids such as heroin and alcohol work in similar ways.
But when it comes to nitrous oxide, also known as nitrous oxide or NOS, and sold in small silver cans dotting the streets, former users have described it as “more addictive than cocaine.”
When it comes to nitrous oxide, also called nitrous oxide or NOS, and sold in small silver cans dotting the streets, former users have described it as ‘more addictive than cocaine’. Billie Dee, the daughter of TV star Trisha Goddard, remarkably called it ‘more addictive than any other drug’. Pictured is Billie, with her mother, TV presenter Trisha Goddard
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Billie Dee, the daughter of TV star Trisha Goddard, remarkably called it ‘more addictive than any other drug’.
“It would take more and more time to feel that high again,” she said. ‘It’s more addictive than any other drug and I took one after the other, sometimes double with two aerosols in one balloon.
‘I spent the whole weekend in the flat and easily reached 500 in two days.
‘I didn’t take care of myself, didn’t eat well and some days even forgot to drink water. I didn’t even have the cognitive function to answer my phone.”
The tragic death of Ellen Mercer this week put the addictive nature of the drug in the spotlight.
The 24-year-old’s abuse of hippie crack was partly blamed for her death.
The business student from Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, ordered up to three bottles of the substance a day.
Laguna Treatment Hospital, a drug rehab center in California, explains how hippie crack can cause an alcohol-like dependency.
It says: ‘The gases do not have properties that make them physically addictive.
‘People who stop using nitrous oxide will therefore not experience physical withdrawal symptoms, such as nausea, abdominal cramps or diarrhea.
“However, the person may experience psychological dependence.”
This means the individual “will want to use the drug repeatedly to achieve the high,” the addiction clinic adds.
Users seek it out as a ‘cheap’ way to experience a short euphoric high.
Usually inhaled through a balloon can cause a tingling sensation in the arms and legs and even numbness in the body.
Such effects may be desirable in some people.
The Laguna Treatment Hospital adds, “A person may experience anxiety due to the lack of nitrous oxide and may go to great lengths to obtain it.”
Research has shown that users who develop a tolerance to nitrous oxide and become accustomed to its behavioral effects may later need larger amounts of the gas to enjoy the same high.
The tragic death of Ellen Mercer (pictured) this week put the addictive nature of the drug in the spotlight. The 24-year-old’s abuse of hippie crack was partly blamed for her death. The business student from Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, ordered up to three bottles of the substance a day
Users seek out nitrous oxide as a ‘cheap’ way to experience a short euphoric high. Usually inhaled through a balloon, it can cause a tingling sensation in the arms and legs and even numbness in the body. Such effects may be desirable in some people
Experts recommend that nitrous oxide addiction be treated in the same way as other medications that cause psychological dependence.
Some doctors recommend the drug lamotrigine, commonly used to treat epilepsy and stabilize mood in bipolar disorder, to help patients reduce food cravings.
Others suggest drug counseling or a visit to an addiction counselor to help develop healthy coping mechanisms and change behaviors and thoughts related to the drug.
The drug came to modern prominence in the early 2010s when balloon-waving dealers made money on demand, fueled in part by a glamorous series of celebrities and footballers posting photos of themselves apparently using it.
Even Prince Harry was once spotted indulging in laughing gas at a charity fancy dress party in the capital in 2010.
But usage figures have halved in the wake of the pandemic, official figures show. It follows a spate of deaths linked to the substance.
In addition to deaths, serious side effects, including dizziness, weakness in the legs and impaired memory, are believed to have discouraged today’s children from experimenting with nitrous oxide.
Having too much nitrous oxide can also cause users to faint or suffocate due to a lack of oxygen to the brain when they inhale highly concentrated forms of the gas.
Under Rishi Sunak’s ambitious plan to tackle the scourge of anti-social behaviour, nos was made a class C drug last year, alongside the so-called ‘date rape’ drug GHB, anabolic steroids and the stimulant khat.
Under current laws, those found in possession of Class C drugs face an unlimited fine, community service, a warning – which would appear on their criminal record – or a possible prison sentence of two years for serious habitual users.
Nitrous oxide dealers can also face a prison sentence of up to 14 years.
The colorless gas has been used for almost 180 years as pain relief in medical settings such as dentistry and maternity care.