{"id":454,"date":"2017-03-07T13:46:17","date_gmt":"2017-03-07T05:46:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/2017\/03\/07\/girls-shocking-laughing-gas-abuse-raises-concern-in-china\/"},"modified":"2017-03-07T13:46:17","modified_gmt":"2017-03-07T05:46:17","slug":"girls-shocking-laughing-gas-abuse-raises-concern-in-china","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/girls-shocking-laughing-gas-abuse-raises-concern-in-china\/","title":{"rendered":"Girl\u2019s Shocking Laughing Gas Abuse Raises Concern in China"},"content":{"rendered":"<blockquote><p>\u201cToday\u2019s Christmas Eve, the outside world is bustling. Then I saw the piss and shit all over my bed, I realized I\u2019ve got problems with incontinence. The air is now filled with the rotten smell of food mixed with a stench,\u201d Lin Na wrote in her diary. Lin i<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<hr>\n<p>\u201cToday\u2019s Christmas Eve, the outside world is bustling. Then I saw the piss and shit all over my bed, I realized I\u2019ve got problems with incontinence. The air is now filled with the rotten smell of food mixed with a stench,\u201d Lin Na wrote in her diary.&nbsp;Lin is the girl who caught the widespread attention of Chinese netizens after publishing her abuse experience with nitrous oxide in Seattle which eventually deprived her of the ability to walk.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"dbd1da1ee36e93a864e91e0ef81cca64-sz_67990.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/media.hiredchina.com\/FpRbhrtKyvosI0hWkeedn7CS3oJ1?imageView2\/0\/format\/webp\/q\/75\" style=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_73 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/girls-shocking-laughing-gas-abuse-raises-concern-in-china\/#Photo_CGTN\" title=\"Photo:CGTN\">Photo:CGTN<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/girls-shocking-laughing-gas-abuse-raises-concern-in-china\/#_Screenshot_of_Lin_Nas_diary_Photo_CGTN\" title=\"&nbsp;Screenshot of Lin Na&#8217;s diary. &nbsp;Photo:CGTN\">&nbsp;Screenshot of Lin Na&#8217;s diary. &nbsp;Photo:CGTN<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/girls-shocking-laughing-gas-abuse-raises-concern-in-china\/#Photo_provided_by_Lin_Na_Photo_CGTN\" title=\"Photo provided by Lin Na. Photo:CGTN\">Photo provided by Lin Na. Photo:CGTN<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/girls-shocking-laughing-gas-abuse-raises-concern-in-china\/#Photo_CGTN-2\" title=\"Photo:CGTN\">Photo:CGTN<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/girls-shocking-laughing-gas-abuse-raises-concern-in-china\/#Photo_Sina\" title=\"Photo:Sina&nbsp;\">Photo:Sina&nbsp;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/girls-shocking-laughing-gas-abuse-raises-concern-in-china\/#Photo_Sina-2\" title=\"Photo:Sina&nbsp;\">Photo:Sina&nbsp;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h5><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Photo_CGTN\"><\/span>Photo:CGTN<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<hr>\n<p>It started off from pure curiosity caused by the buzz amongst Chinese students in America on WeChat, a popular Chinese social network.<\/p>\n<p>Lin decided to give it a try. After all, nitrous oxide was easily available at any corner tobacco stores. The gas-inhaling experience was typical weekend fun for well-heeled young students just like her.<\/p>\n<p>The \u201chigh\u201d that ensued was an intense feeling of euphoria she\u2019d never had before. Lin was immediately enchanted by the gas, without realizing the cheap pleasure would soon turn into a nightmarish addiction.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"f2f32d0385119a9a4bbde3bf977bc8d1-sz_110234.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/media.hiredchina.com\/FnaxbQr6Frc55AD4fv6UlRKo9zUv?imageView2\/0\/format\/webp\/q\/75\" style=\"\" width=\"337\" height=\"600\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<h5><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"_Screenshot_of_Lin_Nas_diary_Photo_CGTN\"><\/span>&nbsp;Screenshot of Lin Na&#8217;s diary. &nbsp;Photo:CGTN<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<hr>\n<p>After days of heavy abuse, she began to suffer from insomnia and an increased heart rate, but that didn\u2019t hold her back from seeking the intoxicating rush.<\/p>\n<p>The addiction then completely enslaved her. Lin stopped going outdoors and instead lived amongst piles of gas canisters. She was light-headed all day long and her fingers and feet went numb, to the extent she couldn\u2019t even hold a glass.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"7ff510aabdf1f673e01a7628a34cc0e1-sz_116177.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/media.hiredchina.com\/FpSjlJ3VA2EsUtCou9YqROkqpdhN?imageView2\/0\/format\/webp\/q\/75\" style=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"533\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<h5><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Photo_provided_by_Lin_Na_Photo_CGTN\"><\/span>Photo provided by Lin Na. Photo:CGTN<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<hr>\n<p>Hallucination swallowed her. Lin became suspicious and scared of the world. She was afraid of being hit by cars, or eaten up by her dog, or even poisoned to death from drinking water.<\/p>\n<p>Indications of her decaying health were alarming: Red patches appeared on her body, and the skin on her hands were peeling, but she paid no attention. \u201cI looked at the body that didn\u2019t seem to belong to me with apathy, as if it wasn&#8217;t important at all,\u201d Lin\u2019s diary read.<\/p>\n<p>Worried friends persuaded her to go outdoors for a while, but it wasn&#8217;t long before she fell at her feet and realized she couldn&#8217;t walk. In the following days, Lin started to lead a life \u201clike an animal\u201d. She wrote, \u201cI crawled to the toilet and crawled to get my takeout, I know I\u2019m destitute of dignity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"adb2c35d9e6dbb55d3e39f4de36b8616-sz_278071.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/media.hiredchina.com\/FjXedBWOpIF28Kd7VwYuNVAuh6mo?imageView2\/0\/format\/webp\/q\/75\" style=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"336\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<h5><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Photo_CGTN-2\"><\/span>Photo:CGTN<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<hr>\n<p>A visiting friend was astonished to find her living in her dump-like bedroom. She was then taken away by an ambulance, with feces and urine all over her clothes.<\/p>\n<p>Lin was finally sent back home, in wheels, met by her heart-struck parents at the airport, who blamed themselves for neglecting their daughter who was living overseas for years.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI&#8217;m also sad. How I wish I had never touched the balloons (of gas),\u201d Lin said.<\/p>\n<p>Lin\u2019s diary was an instant hit, garnering over 100,000 clicks within 24 hours after it was posted on Wechat. Her story shed light on a new popular \u201clegal\u201d drug with ignored lethal risks that has secretly gone viral among young teenagers in Western countries, and also eventually Chinese students studying abroad.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"f8a6ec646328b499c52d62d8af0aa64a-sz_28862.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/media.hiredchina.com\/FrmC-h1WGJFMog_zklJyQAxFO7_3?imageView2\/0\/format\/webp\/q\/75\" style=\"\" width=\"229\" height=\"220\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<h5><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Photo_Sina\"><\/span>Photo:Sina&nbsp;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<hr>\n<p>Nitrous oxide, otherwise known as laughing gas, is more commonly known as \u201chippy crack\u201d. It\u2019s the second most popular recreational drug after cannabis among party goers. The drug is usually used as an anesthetic and painkiller to reduce patients\u2019 anxiety at the dentist\u2019s office, but it is also sold in small cartridges that are intended for use in making whipped cream, which are widely available on the internet, as well as on the street.<\/p>\n<p>Long-term and heavy-use of nitrous oxide is highly detrimental. It can lead to vitamin deficiency and anaemia as a result of the inactivation of vitamin B12 in the body, which may cause serious and irreversible nerve damage, affect the spinal cord, and cause numbness and pains in the fingers and feet and other affected areas. In worse cases like Lin\u2019s, one could lose the ability to walk.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"15627ca511794ccd92d3bcca9f323ec9-sz_118635.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/media.hiredchina.com\/FjP6OFQE9cHPlDhNgwBr97M6chPi?imageView2\/0\/format\/webp\/q\/75\" style=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<h5><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Photo_Sina-2\"><\/span>Photo:Sina&nbsp;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<hr>\n<p>Lin\u2019s story also brought the issue of underage Chinese students studying abroad to public view once again.<\/p>\n<p>Lin, who has been studying in the US for 10 years since secondary school, belongs to a growing population of Chinese teens who head overseas without their parents to continue their education. In the US, the population of Chinese students enrolled in American high schools approached 40,000 in 2014, a 60-fold increase compared to 2005, which was 641, according to the US Institute of International Education.<\/p>\n<p>The kids, often called &#8220;parachute kids&#8221;, however face the risks of a hard landing. While some flourish and move on to excel in their respective colleges and jobs, others struggle to fit in and go down a bumpier road. Behavior problems with the kids free from parental restraints have become an increasingly severe cause of concern for both parents and educators, in light of the recent headlines of violent bullying incidents and cheating scandals, or shocking self-indulging cases such as Lin\u2019s.<\/p>\n<p>Lin is grateful that her loving parents are now at her side, encouraging her all the way to her recovery.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLying in the hospital, I realized I\u2019m still young\u2026there are so many things on my bucket list awaiting me,\u201d Lin wrote at the end of her diary, \u201cI wish there&#8217;s still time to finish them all.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">S<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"640-11.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/media.hiredchina.com\/FlXXlKXBxtykYAuKbjvAxKMwIbVH?imageView2\/0\/format\/webp\/q\/75\" style=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"640\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cToday\u2019s Christmas Eve, the outside world is bustling. Then I saw the piss and shit all over my bed, I realized I\u2019ve got problems with incontinence. The air is now &#8230;","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-454","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-funny"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/454","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=454"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/454\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=454"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=454"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=454"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}