You’ve probably seen the discarded silver canisters on the sidewalk. Or maybe you've spotted groups of people outside a club, hunched over colorful latex, inhaling deeply. It looks harmless, almost like a childhood party game gone wrong. But nozzing a balloon—the slang term for inhaling nitrous oxide from a balloon to get high—is a trend that's currently catching the eye of emergency room doctors and lawmakers alike. It’s quick. It’s cheap. And honestly, it’s a lot more complicated than just getting a "giggle" from the gas.
The term itself comes from "noz" or "nos," a shorthand for Nitrous Oxide ($N_{2}O$). People fill a balloon using a dispenser or a "cracker" and then breathe the gas in and out. The high lasts maybe thirty seconds. It’s a dissociative rush that makes your limbs feel like noodles and your brain feel like it’s floating in a warm bath. But behind that fleeting buzz is a physiological process that can, in some cases, lead to permanent neurological damage.
What actually happens when you start nozzing a balloon?
When you inhale nitrous oxide, it displaces the oxygen in your lungs. This is a big deal. Your brain is a glutton for oxygen, and when you starve it, even for a few seconds, things get weird. The gas crosses the blood-brain barrier almost instantly. It works by blocking NMDA receptors while simultaneously stimulating the parasympathetic system.
Basically, it's a massive "stop" signal to your central nervous system.
You feel euphoric because of a surge of dopamine, but the "wobble" or the "nangs" (as they call it in Australia) is actually your body reacting to a lack of oxygen and the rapid depression of your brain’s communication lines. Some people report hearing a rhythmic thumping or seeing "visual strobing." It’s a sensory disconnect.
In a clinical setting, like at a dentist’s office, nitrous oxide is mixed with at least 30% oxygen. That’s the safety net. When someone is nozzing a balloon on the street, they are often huffing 100% pure nitrous. There is no oxygen in that balloon. If you keep the balloon pressed to your face and keep recycling that air, you are essentially flirting with asphyxiation.
The B12 connection and why your legs might stop working
One of the weirdest and most dangerous aspects of regular nitrous use isn’t the immediate "passing out" risk. It’s what happens to your blood.
Nitrous oxide chemically inactivates the vitamin B12 in your body. It doesn't just lower it; it oxidizes the cobalt atom in the B12 molecule, making it completely useless. B12 is the "maintenance crew" for your nerves. It maintains the myelin sheath, which is the protective coating around your spinal cord and nerve fibers.
If you do this once at a festival? Your body probably recovers. But if you make nozzing a balloon a weekly or daily habit, you’re in trouble. Without functional B12, your myelin starts to degrade. This leads to a condition called Subacute Combined Degeneration of the spinal cord (SCD).
Healthcare professionals, like those at the Royal London Hospital, have reported a massive spike in young patients showing up with "pins and needles" that eventually turns into an inability to walk. Some of these kids are 19 years old and using walkers because their spinal cords have literally begun to fray. It's a silent creeping paralysis.
The hardware of the high
The market for this stuff has shifted. A few years ago, you’d see "whippets"—those tiny silver chargers meant for whipped cream dispensers. Now, the trend has moved toward "Gold" or "Exotic" tanks. These are large, 640g or even 2kg cylinders.
They are much more dangerous. Why? Because the gas comes out under incredible pressure and it is freezing.
We aren't talking "ice cube" cold. We are talking $-40°C$ levels of cold. If you try to inhale directly from a tank or a high-pressure dispenser without using a balloon as a buffer, you can literally freeze your vocal cords or cause frostbite inside your lungs. This is why the balloon is used—it allows the gas to expand and warm up slightly before it hits human tissue. But even then, the risk of "lung pop" (pneumothorax) from the sudden pressure change is a very real, very terrifying possibility.
🔗 Read more: How Do I Do a Russian Twist Without Hurting My Lower Back?
Why is it suddenly everywhere?
It's the "legal high" fallacy. For a long time, nitrous oxide sat in a gray area of the law. In the UK, the Psychoactive Substances Act of 2016 tried to ban it, but it was hard to enforce because the gas has "legitimate" uses in catering and cars. However, as of late 2023 and into 2024, many regions have tightened the screws. In the UK, it is now a Class C drug.
Possession with the intent to inhale it can lead to jail time.
Despite the laws, it's accessible. You can buy a tank on certain delivery apps faster than you can get a pizza. It’s "social." You see it in music videos, on TikTok, and at house parties. There’s a certain social permission around nozzing a balloon that doesn't exist for things like cocaine or ketamine. It feels "light."
But the data tells a different story. The Global Drug Survey has consistently ranked nitrous oxide as one of the most commonly used drugs globally, often sitting in the top ten alongside alcohol and cannabis. The sheer volume of use means that the "rare" side effects—like heart attacks or sudden death from hypoxia—are happening more frequently simply because the pool of users is so huge.
Misconceptions that could kill you
People think that because it's used on kids at the dentist, it's totally safe. That’s a mistake. The "dentist gas" is a controlled, regulated mixture. What’s in a commercial canister might have industrial lubricants or metallic "dust" from the manufacturing process. You aren't breathing "medical grade" air.
Another myth? That you can't get addicted.
While nitrous oxide isn't "hooked-on-heroin" addictive in a physical sense, the psychological pull is intense. Because the high is so short, users often engage in "binge" behavior. They'll do one balloon, then another, then another, trying to stay in that floaty headspace. It’s not uncommon for someone to go through an entire large tank in a single sitting. That’s when the B12 depletion hits hard.
Real world impact: Stories from the ward
Neurologists are now trained to ask about "balloons" the moment a young person walks in complaining of numb fingers. Dr. Trevor Cunningham, a specialist who has seen the rise of these cases, notes that the damage is often reversible with high-dose B12 injections, but only if caught early. If the user keeps nozzing a balloon while experiencing symptoms, the damage to the spinal cord can become permanent.
There's also the "sudden death" factor. It’s rare, but it happens. Usually, this is due to "Sudden Sniffing Death Syndrome" or simple asphyxiation. If someone uses a mask or puts a bag over their head to "concentrate" the gas, they can pass out, vomit, and choke, or simply stop breathing because their brain doesn't realize it’s suffocating.
Practical steps for safety and awareness
If you or someone you know is struggling with this, or if you've seen the symptoms of nerve damage, here is the reality of the situation:
- Check the sensations: If you feel persistent tingling in your hands or feet that lasts for days after use, stop immediately. This is your nervous system screaming for help.
- Consult a doctor: Don't lie to them. Tell them about the nitrous use. They need to test for "methylmalonic acid" levels, not just a standard B12 test, because the gas makes your B12 levels look normal on paper even when the vitamin isn't working.
- Understand the pressure: Never, ever inhale directly from a canister or tank. The risk of cryogenic burns to the throat is massive.
- Environmental impact: Those discarded canisters are a nightmare for recycling centers. They can explode in trash compactors. If you see them, they need to be disposed of as hazardous pressurized waste.
- Legal check: Know your local laws. Being caught with "crackers" and a box of chargers in your car is now a criminal offense in many jurisdictions, which can ruin job prospects and travel plans.
The reality of nozzing a balloon is that it’s a high-risk, low-reward gamble. The thirty seconds of giggling isn't worth a lifetime of struggling to walk or permanent nerve pain. If the "wobble" starts staying with you after the party ends, it's time to take it seriously. Your nervous system doesn't have a "reset" button.