Nos: A Laughing Matter...? :: Wessex Scene Online

Nos: A Laughing Matter...?

2nd November 2006
Clare Saxon

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If you have been to a dance club in the past year you will have noticed the increasing number of ravers who have been buying colourful balloons of laughing gas, or Nitrous Oxide, on top of the usual drinks to enjoy their night.

Is it really as fun and innocent as it seems? Because its becoming more and more common - its not just dentists who are using the dissasociative anymore. The usual way the gas is taken, is by using small canisters which are designed to charge whipped cream or soda using a dispenser. The gas can then fill a balloon for an average ‘dose’ of the anaesthetic. This is then breathed in until the user feels a sense of dream like euphoria, sound distortion, minor hallucinations, exhileration and of course, giggling. This lasts between one and five minutes,but part of the fun is the short length of distortedness and it results pretty much in a craving for more.

But whats wrong with a couple of balloons even if they are addictive and usually at silly prices of up to Ł2 a go?

Police are warning young people about the dangers of inhaling ‘Nos’, or ‘Hippy Crack’ better known as laughing gas. Officers from Bedfordshire, who have found empty canisters following illegal raves in the county, hope by making young people aware of the facts, they will be less inclined to experiment with the fashionable drug of choice.

There are short-term risks associated with inhaling nitrous oxide include oxygen deprivation, loss of body movement, nausea, especially if combined with alcohol and even frostbite from the cylinders. Taking too much can also result in loss of balance and dexterity, and clubbers have been known to collapse and badly damage themselves. I have once seen a young woman fallover backwards after inhaling straight from the canister, and smash her head on the floor.

But surely these are all just accidents than can happen after a couple of drinks?

Chronic long-term use has so far shown to result in vitamin B12 deficiency, which is known to sometimes cause a neurological condition called myeloneuropathy, of which leads to loss of feeling, incontinence, sexual dysfunction and paralysis.

With big clubs cashing in on the new buzzing craze, how long will it be before companies like ‘Herbal Highs’ start ripping punters off with doubled price balloons filled half with oxygen? Festivals this summer has already seen the popularity of the gas result in long queues at their stalls. Slammin’ Vinyl already sells single balloons for a massive Ł3-Ł4.

And then how long will it be until the law really pays attention to the so called danger of Nos, and make it illegal? It is already hard for clubs to get insurance to cover the sale of it, because if someone falls down stairs whilst high on the gas they would not be able to cover it, and would have to shut down.

Really this is just another example of human beings wanting another cheap and exciting rush of escapism (in moderation) from all the mundane grey of the week, and the negative consequences of the hedonism it seems, are outweighed by the positive. If we are really going to get pedantic about long term effects of heavy usage, then we really are in the same league as alcohol. People take these risks because they are minor.

But is it really worth the gold for a minute long head rush and extra unrecyclable litter for our suffocating planet?

Plus, do we really need any more clumsy half blind fiends, when really we are just on the dance floor to... erm dance?