Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Who's Really Using Inhalants?
3.6% of 8th graders, 2.4% of 10th graders, and 1.8% of 12th graders reported using an inhalant within the last year.
What are Inhalants?
Inhalants are substances that produce chemical vapors that can be inhaled to induce a psychoactive, or mind-altering, effect.
Although other abused substances can be inhaled (like cocaine), the term "inhalants" is used to describe a variety of substances whose main common characteristic is that they are rarely, if ever, taken by any route other than inhalation. The three types of vapor substances that are commonly abused are described below. Notably, the household items that may be easier to obtain are also the inhalants that can cause the most damage.
The High
Most inhalants act directly on the nervous system to produce mind-altering effects. Within seconds, the user experiences intoxication and other effects similar to those from alcohol with more distortion of senses, including sight, time, and space. Dizziness, light-headedness, and agitation can occur and innate physical sensations, such as hunger/thirst, go away almost immediately. This quick effect of euphoria dissipates within 5-15 seconds. In some cases, inhalants may cause slight hallucinations. Repetitive users can build up a tolerance and feel less of a high with each use.
Inhalants + the Body & Brain
Short Term Effects
- Slurred speech
- Drunk, dizzy, or dazed appearance
- Inability to coordinate movement
- Tremors and seizures
- Hallucinations and delusions
- Hostility
- Apathy
- Impaired judgment
- Unconsciousness
- Severe headaches
- Rashes around the nose and mouth
- Irregular and rapid heartbeat that can lead to heart failure and even sudden death
Long Term Effects
- Muscle weakness
- Disorientation
- Lack of coordination
- Irritability
- Depression
- Serious and sometimes irreversible damage to the heart, liver, kidneys, lungs, and brain
- Memory impairment, diminished intelligence
- Hearing loss
- Bone marrow, kidney, and liver damage
- Irritation of eyes, mouth, and nose
- Death can occur from heart failure, loss of oxygen, or from mixing inhalants with other substances, particularly alcohol.
- Death from suffocation can occur by replacing oxygen in the lungs with the chemical so that breathing ceases. Death also occurs from mixing inhalants with other substances, particularly alcohol.
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Solvents
(aka Snotballs, Nangs, Bulbs, Glue, Gas, Sniff, Huff)- When “huffed,” household items, such as paint removers and thinners, ink, spray paints, nail polish, and nail polish remover, can produce a gas that depresses the central nervous system in a manner similar to alcohol. The fumes go straight to your brain, increasing blood flow and interfering with the communication between nerve cells, causing lack of coordination and disorientation. The most toxic of all the inhalants, solvents, are extremely damaging to the heart and can cause “sudden sniffing death syndrome (SSDS).” SSDS is heart failure resulting from an irregular heartbeat usually caused by stress or strenuous activity after using inhalants.
Nitrates
(aka Aimies, Bolt, Bullet, Poppers, Quicksilver)- Nitrates are tiny pills that are meant to be inhaled in order to provide immediate pain relief to people who have heart spasms caused by blocked blood vessels. They thin the blood and relax muscle tissue that controls blood vessels, pupils, urination, and bowel movements. When nitrates are swallowed, they interfere with the body’s ability to transport oxygen to the rest of the body, which increases the risk of death.
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Gas Anesthetics
(Nitrous Oxide, aka Whippets, Buzz Bomb, Shoot the Breeze, Laughing Gas, Air Blast)- Colorless, sweet-smelling gases that are an essential part of medical care - many surgeries could not be conducted without them. They were developed to relieve pain, relax muscles, and induce unconsciousness by suppressing blood pressure, respiration, and the heart. Nitrous oxide, a.k.a. "laughing gas," is the most commonly misused but possesses serious risks if not utilized by a trained medical professional. Inhaling nitrous oxide can lead to oxygen deprivation if in a confined space, like a car, or inhaling and exhaling into a balloon or bag. Lack of oxygen kills brain cells and can lead to death.
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