A DRUG abuse charity yesterday blasted Liverpool star Raheem Sterling after he
was filmed apparently inhaling from a balloon filled with dangerous legal
high “hippy crack”.
In the video footage giggling Sterling, 20, twice sucks from the balloon
during a late night session with two friends — before demanding another hit.
During the 81-second clip, the England winger seems to pass out and is shown
lying on his side.
The footage is thought to have been shot at his £1.5million home days before Liverpool’s
Premier League clash with Newcastle last night.
Hippy crack is the slang name for the anaesthetic nitrous oxide, sometimes
called laughing gas. It makes users feel light-headed by starving them of
oxygen.
It is widely used by clubbers because it is not illegal, despite having been
linked to 17 deaths since 2006. Stephen Ream of substance abuse charity
Re-Solv said: “It’s highly irresponsible for a footballer of Sterling’s
standing to be seen inhaling nitrous oxide.
Liverpool
boss Rodgers’ fury at Sterling
“His position as a role model for young people is a huge responsibility and we
feel he has really let down those young people who look up to him.”
In the video dad-of-one Sterling is sitting on a sofa in the home he shares
with girlfriend Paige Lee Hansel, 19, in Southport, Merseyside.
After inhaling, Sterling turns to the camera grinning widely. When the camera
pans back to him he appears to be either unconscious or asleep.
A second clip shows Sterling and one friend collapsed as another inhales a
balloon and shakes his head in disappointment. A caption reads: “Last man
standing.” It ends with on a shot of four football boots with “Sterling”
embroidered on the sides.
The footage is likely to further anger fans who are upset with Kop golden boy
Sterling after he rejected a £100,000-a-week contract — triggering fears of
a move from Anfield. A source said: “It is unbelievable to see a
professional sportsman risking his life like this.”
Dave Benett’s son Joe, 17, died in 2012 after buying what he wrongly thought
was nitrous oxide — and inhaling a fatal mix of butane and other gases.
He said: “Joe was influenced by seeing others taking nitrous oxide.
Footballers should set an example.”
Nitrous oxide costs as little as £2 a hit. A Sun investigation last year
discovered it has become the second most common “high” among 16 to
24-year-olds — second only to cannabis.
Dozens of celebrities have been pictured trying it, including boxer Ricky
Hatton, Coronation Street’s Michelle Keegan and even Prince Harry.
Sterling, who says he is a devout Christian, told two years ago how he follows
a strict regime off the field.
He added: “I’ve become a better all-round person, especially in how I live my
life off the pitch these days.”
Last night Sterling’s agent and Liverpool FC refused to comment.
DEATHS
Aspiring chef Jordan Guise, 21, originally from Kidderminster, West Mids, was
found dead in his French flat after taking the drug, two days after learning
he was to be a dad for the first time.
Julian Andoh, 25, of Brixton, South London, drowned at a French music festival
after taking the gas then going swimming – medics spent 45 minutes trying to
revive him.
Russians Daria Kuchuk, 35, and Igor Pavlov, 27, died in their Edinbrugh hotel
room after taking laughing gas in 2013.
NITROUS OXIDE
NITROUS oxide is an anaesthetic and pain reliever, but users enjoy its side
effects including hallucinations, lightheadedness and the giggles.
It starves the brain of oxygen and can cause people to faint, fall unconscious
or die when combined with other drugs or alcohol.
Many users wrongly believe because it is legal and used in medicine, it is
safe, but scores of health experts and specialists have condemned its use
recreationally.
The gas is sold in canisters, which is then transferred into a balloon via a
mechanical dispenser.
Highs last around two minutes and give a powerful, cocaine-like hit.
GREY AREA OF THE LAW
Possessing and inhaling the gas is legal in the UK but it is illegal to sell
it to under 18s wanting to use it recreationally.
Councils are limited to banning the sale of it through street trading laws,
while police are often left powerless as it is still legal to buy and sell.
My View: Carol Cooper, Sun Doctor
Nitrous oxide is often called laughing gas because it can cause the giggles.
But the dangers are no joke, says Carol Cooper.
The risks go up if it’s inhaled from a plastic bag, if other people egg the
person on, or when it’s mixed with alcohol.
The gas works very quickly. It can give a rush or cause intense relaxation.
But it also produces dizziness and disorientation, and can even trigger
hallucinations.
Headache is a side-effect too. Many people also complain of tiredness, a
side-effect no football player would want.
More seriously, the user can lapse into a coma and die. That’s because the
brain is at risk of oxygen starvation when someone inhales a lot of nitrous
oxide.
For regular users, there can be long-term effects too like numbness, pain and
trouble with coordination. That’s because nitrous oxide interferes with
vitamin B12.
It’s irresponsible for anyone to abuse this drug. When it’s someone like a
football icon and role model, it’s even more foolish.