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Email to a friendInhalant Abuse
Inhalants are breathable chemical vapors that are ingested through the mouth (“huffing”) or inhaled through the nose (“sniffing”) and cause feelings of intoxication. Inhalants encompass a variety of over a thousand legal everyday household products that are inexpensive, easy to obtain, and widely abused by young adults. Types of inhalants include solvents (such as paint thinners, gasoline, and glue), gases (including butane lighters, propane tanks, and whipped cream aerosols), and nitrites or “poppers” (room odorizers and leather cleaners, among others).
Inhalant abuse is on the rise. Inhalants are widely available and do not have to be hidden like illicit substances, so they may be used instead of alcohol or other drugs. The Monitoring the Future Study:
- 12 percent of college students reported using inhalants at least once during their lifetimes
- 2.8 percent of college students reported inhalant use in the past year
- 0.4 percent of college students reported inhalant use in the previous 30 days
Those who abuse inhalants are most often young white males, and inhalant abuse typically begins in early adolescence. While marijuana is often considered a “gateway” drug, leading to future illicit drug abuse, research shows that early experimentation with inhalants is associated with later abuse of alcohol and other drugs.
Despite the fact that inhalants are easily accessible, abusing them is extremely dangerous. Inhalants can cause death through suffocation or heart failure in first-time users who are otherwise healthy. Cronic abuse of inhalants can lead to brain, liver, central nervous system, and kidney damage, as well as hearing loss, peripheral neuropathy, and blood damage depletion. oreover, research shows that chronic abusers of inhalants have more brain abnormalities and cognitive impairments than cocaine abusers.
