Smoke and vape shops have been booming in Northeast Ohio, and many sell more than just tobacco products.
Another available drug at some stores is nitrous oxide, which is used in anesthesia and food preparation. It's also known as laughing gas and is often sold on the street in whipped cream canisters.
The drug brings feelings of euphoria, but can be addictive and cause long-term neurological damage, including difficulty walking and maintaining balance. About 2 million Americans use nitrous oxide, and one of them until recently was Christopher Booth, a 36-year-old Lorain resident. He recently sat down with his mother, Linda Booth, to talk about his addiction and recovery.
Christopher Booth: Where I first was introduced to nitrous was at Kent. I was at a party and a friend of a friend had given it to me in a balloon. It was a little weird, profound experience, trying new things because you're in college. And I got addicted to having that feeling, and then just continued to chase. I was pretty bad.
Linda Booth: Yes, you were.
Christopher Booth …Because I was taking bottles every day, you know, four or five bottles every day, if not more. They're huge.
Linda Booth: …And that concerned me because you had them hidden all over your house.
Christopher Booth: They were all over the place, since I would get like a thousand canisters and go through them in a day, which is a lot for somebody and I would do them by myself. And then I moved on to like, big tanks and then I would be like, four or five tanks by myself.
Linda Booth: When did you go out to the big tanks?
Christopher Booth: I don't know, a few months ago.
Linda Booth: Oh yeah, because I remember your garbage can being full of them. And I guess the very first time that I knew that you were on the nitrous oxide was there were all these canisters in the car. And then your brother was really upset, I think. He said to you, 'I'm talking to an addict. I'm not talking to my real brother.' Didn't that get to you?
Christopher Booth: Seeing my brother very concerned about me, and then friends reaching out to me... that, and then finally just getting pushed to go to the ER, and then not being able to really walk. I mean, not being able to walk was probably one of the scariest things that's ever happened to me, not being able cook for myself.
Linda Booth: Well, you couldn't even peel eggs.
Christopher Booth: Yeah, I couldn't peel eggs, I can't do anything four or five weeks ago.
Linda Booth: I guess what really bothered me the most, Chris, was that when I was supposed to take you back to work that day, you said you were afraid that you would fall. And I've never heard you express those feelings.
Christopher Booth: Yeah, I was afraid that I was going to, I was going to have an issue with my work and falling into a cargo hold, you know and dying.
Linda Booth: So, do you think that you reached bottom then?
Christopher Booth: Oh yeah, I hit rock bottom for sure.
Linda Booth: Yeah, I think you did, too. Sometimes I think, you know, you reach a dramatic point in your life where it really makes you go another way. And I think that's what happened to you.
Christopher Booth: It was a tipping point. Yeah, I needed something like this to happen, because otherwise I would have never made the change.
Linda Booth: You have really surprised me, Christopher, by going through all this. And I'm just so proud of you, and I think I told you that before, that I'm proud that you're making these strides and that you are concerned about the rest of your life. You're concerned about your family. You are almost like a changed person.
Christopher Booth: Yeah, I didn't want to continue to let you guys down. I think that was my biggest struggle, too.
Linda Booth: Well, you don't want to let yourself down as well. You got to love yourself before you love anybody else. That's just the way it is. We all have problems and we all have issues, and there is a way that you can deal with it. It's so important to be talking to people, back and forth, good conversations with people.
Christopher Booth: Call your friends, call your family. I've been trying to do that way more often. And checking on people.
If you or someone you know is suffering from nitrous oxide addiction, call 988 or visit treatmentconnection.com.
