Have you heard about __caffeine powde__r? I hadn't until I learned Logan Steiner, an 18-year-old from Ohio who died because of it just days before his graduation. This is such a tragedy … he was and excellent student and athlete headed to college on a full academic scholarship. But then he died from a caffeine overdose. A bag of caffeine powder was found in his room and family members think he might have been using it as part of his pre-workout routine, which apparently isn't all that uncommon.
So what is caffeine powder and what do you need to know about it to protect your kids?
Read more ¿Qué más?: 16-year-old charged with child pornography & it can happen to your kids too
We don't tend to think of caffeine as being something that is dangerous__,__ but if you've ever accidentally had too much cofee, you know how potent the stuff is. Caffeine powder is not like your morning cup of coffee; it's much stronger and very dangerous. Here is what you need to know about the dangers of caffeine powder:
- Basically it is powdered caffeine.
- It's cheap and easy to get. You can buy it online for under $20.
- It is super strong. One teaspoon is equal to 30 cups of coffee.
- It can be mixed in a drink or snorted.
- Too much can cause arythmia. In other words, it messes with the timing of your hearbeat.
- It can lead to death. Too much can kill you, no doubt about it.
And as if this weren't scary enough on it's own, here are some other very dangerous teen trends that you need to know about so you can discuss the dangers with your children. –Additional reporting provided by Roxana A. Soto
Image via myfox9.com
ABC Eraser challenge
This crazy challenge involves a kid rubbing their arm with an eraser while reciting the alphabet, which in many cases leads to kids breaking the skin. Aside from infection and scarring issues, if they share erasers issues there is a whole cross-contamination thing to worry about.
NekNomination
This highly dangerous driking dare game has already killed two people. Kieren Hunter could've been one of them because he could've very easily choked in his own vomit.
Snorting Smarties
Believe it or not, kids are crushing Smarties and snorting them. As idiotic as it sounds, this trend is actually dangerous because even though kids don't get a high, they can actually damage their nasal cavities, get lung infections and even nasal maggots.
Condom snorting
Words cannot describe how disgusting this is. Nor can they explain why in the world someone would think snorting a condom this is a good idea! What is wrong with our teens today?
Rainbow parties
If you're thinking rainbows and unicorns for a child's birthday party, think again! Rainbow parties are basically this: girls wear different color lipstick and perform oral sex on one or several guys leaving them with a rainbow of colors.
Salt & ice challenge (graphic image)
Teens are pressing salt and ice against their skin for as long as they can take the burning pain, which is similar to frostbite. Many times, this stupidity leads to severe injuries like the second-degree burns this 12-year-old boy from Pittsburgh sustained on his back last year.
Getting drunk on hand sanitizer
Hard to believe, but since they have a hard time getting their hands on real alcohol, some teens have been known to turn to hand sanitizer to get drunk. Last year, six teenagers ended up in the ER suffering alcohol poisoning after gulping down hand sanitizer in California.
Cinnamon challenge
This stupid and very dangerous trend basically challenges teens to swallow a spoonful of ground cinnamon in 60 second without the help of water or any other liquid. Since the spice is caustic, it can cause choking, burning, throat irritation, trouble breathing and collapsed lungs.
Vodka eyeballing
This one sounds like one of the craziests things I've ever heard. But apparently it's become popular among college students. What they do is tilt their head and allow someone to pour a shot of vodka directly onto their eyes. This gives them a super quick buszz when the alcohol enters the bloodstream via the veins at the back of the eye. WTH?
Trunking
In many states, kids can't drive with passangers when they first get their driver's license. To avoid this, some have come up with the stupid and extremely dangerous idea known as trunking, which means having passangers ride inside the trunk. Two teens died this way back in 2005 and California made trunking ilegal… but kids still do it.
Choking game
In case you haven't heard, YouTube is full of videos that pretty much teach teens to do the most outrageous stunts–such as choking themselves to get high. For more than one teen, imitating what they see on YouTube has ended up killing them.
Butt chugging
Yes, I guess the photo says it all. As weird as it sounds, some college students think the best and quickest way to get drunk is through their anus! ¡Qué anormales! Not only is butt chugging totally stupid, but is extremely dangerous!
Car surfing
Kids simply don't get how quickly their lives can end when they do stupid stunts like this one known as car surfing. I know that the whole point is to get the rush of doing something dangerous, but if only they knew how dangerous it actually is…
Huffing freon
I was shocked to learn that earlier this year a 12-year-old girl died after inhaling freon from her the AC unit in her grandmother's home. I'd never heard of it, but apparently it's called "huffing" or "bagging" because kids put a bag over their heads and the AC unit and inhale the deadly chemical to get high.
Synthetic weed
Late last year, I was in shock when I learned about Emily Bauer, a teen who was left permanently brain damaged after smoking synthetic marijuana known as K2 that she bought at a gas station! Seems harmless, but it obviously isn't!
Vodka-soaked tampons
Although this has been discredited as a hoax, according to several TV news reports it is true and it's an ever-growing trend. Called "slimming" girls can either insert the vodka-soaked tampons into their vaginas or into their rectums, which is the preferred method since it gets them drunk quicker. ¡Qué horror!
