Inhalants

It is hard for many people to understand why someone can develop a chemical dependency similar to alcoholism by sniffing gasoline or deodorant sprays. Nevertheless, abuse of these and other inhalants can become a stubborn drug habit. Many people need to undergo drug treatment and counseling to break their dependencies on these substances.

About Inhalant Abuse

Why do people do abuse inhalants? Often the habit begins at a very young age – even third graders have been known to experiment with sniffing common household products such as glue, paint thinner, gasoline, cleaning fluids, and all kinds of sprays.

The fumes from these materials make some people sick, especially if they use them where there is poor ventilation. However, others enjoy these smells and the feelings of dizziness and lightheadedness that they produce. The effect begins immediately after sniffing an inhalant, because the chemicals quickly enter the bloodstream and brain, and can last as long as one half hour.

If a child inhales these fumes deeply for several minutes or more, he can experience visual hallucinations and a waking state of dreamlike images. This is often the child’s first experience of an altered state of consciousness. For this reason, inhalants can serve gateway drugs to stronger hallucinogens like LSD and Ketamine.

Popularity Among Young People

Inhalants are most popular among children, who have trouble obtaining marijuana, alcohol and other substances. The majority of “sniffers” are between the ages of 12 and 17 years old. Some who abuse inhalants develop dependencies that are characterized by repeatedly sniffing of glue or other fumes and remaining in a semi-drugged state most of the day.

One urban boy described how he walked from gas station to gas station to “get his supply” when he could not carry his usual gasoline-soaked rag with him. Sniffers often give up their habit when they get old enough to move into stronger drugs.

While the percentage of teenagers who use illegal drugs has declined steadily over the past five years, the percentage of those who use inhalants has removed the same. According to the latest figures from the Office of National Drug Control Policy, about four percent (nearly one million adolescents) of those between the ages of 12 and 17 years old used inhalants in 2007.

Types of Inhalants

The type of inhalants that teenagers and children use remained constant: gasoline, lighter fluid, correction fluid, cleaning fluids, and nitrate inhalants are among the most popular. Recently, more young people have also been experimenting with asthma inhalers.

Other popular products for sniffing are volatile solvents such as paint thinner, dry cleaning and correction fluids, felt tip markers; and gases such as those found in butane lighters and propane tanks.

Cans with aerosol propellants are the easiest to obtain for sniffing. Adolescents use all types, including paint spray, hair spray, and vegetable oil. Some children put filters over the cans to separate the product from the propellant. Because of concerns about the propellant Freon’s effect on the environment, most manufacturers switched to organic compounds to use as propellants about twenty years ago, but these are just as potent when abused

Amyl nitrate “poppers” are considered the best inhalants. Amyl nitrate comes in capsules that heart patients crush in the hands. The capsule makes a popping sound when crushed – hence, the nickname. Heart patients breathe the fumes of amyl nitrate to relieve pain and dilate the arteries of their bodies, but the drug also produces an altered state of consciousness. Amyl nitrate was once an over-the-counter drug, but because of widespread abuse, it is now available by prescription only.

Negative Effects of Inhalant Abuse

One of the biggest dangers of inhalants is their potential for addiction and chemical dependency.

All types of inhalants produce states of intoxication, which increases the likelihood that users will get into accidents, especially while driving. Also, these substances are highly flammable.

Many children have died by putting their inhalants into bags, placing the bags over their heads, and then suffocating. Others have suffered severe reactions. Every year, between 1,500 and 2,000 people show up in emergency rooms for treatment of inhalant-related damage.

Drug officials and doctors are most concerned about the long-term health effects of inhalant abuse. Scientific research has found that long-term exposure to inhalants among factory workers can cause blindness; brain, heart, and liver damage; and bone marrow destruction.

Also, amyl nitrate is known to damage the corneas of the eyes. People with anemia, glaucoma, high blood pressure, or head injuries should never use this substance.