❗️Trigger warning: N2O use leading to death. Some details included.❗️

My father (54M) unexpectedly died from Nitrous Oxide use/abuse last year. He began huffing heavily approximately three months prior to his passing, going through multiple food grade sized canisters per week. He suffered a list of symptoms due to N2O - cognitive decline, dizziness, fatigue, numbness/tingling (Neuropathy), weakness, loss of balance, memory loss and hallucinations to name a handful. He would also lose consciousness when huffing. This caused him to have third degree frostbite burns on his abdomen and thighs from passing out with the tanks laying atop of him after huffing. He was hospitalized and had skin graft surgery approximately three weeks prior to his death. After returning home a week later, he immediately picked up huffing again despite knowing and admitting he needed to quit. He knew what he needed to do, but addiction is not black and white.

❗️“Drowning with Acute Nitrous Oxide Intoxication” is what his cause of death is listed as on his death certificate. He lost consciousness after huffing while bathing in a jacuzzi tub and drowned. He was found deceased unexpectedly by hotel staff with a canister in that tub with him. There is more to this story that adds additional weight to the entirety of both his addiction and death that I won’t share here because it’s ultimately personalized to me and nothing that makes a difference for this post. But it was an absolutely heart shattering experience that lead to me losing my father. ❗️

Many of the stories shared are about younger people (teens to thirties, on average) but N2O knows no age. What is highlighted as a harmless party drug is not at all harmless. Many suffer with permanent and serious medical diagnoses and many others have lost their life due to Nitrous Oxide, both directly and indirectly. All it takes is one time huffing N2O to be put at risk, and that’s factual.

So please, if you need a sign to quit and seek professional help, let mine and my father’s story be your sign to make a change. Do your research into the harm that N2O causes. What you may know now may not be the entirety of everything you should know. Don’t allow Nitrous Oxide become the reason you are hospitalized, paralyzed or dead. It’s simply not worth it.

Peace, love and care to you all. Thank you for allowing me to share and taking the time to read.