What are Inhalants?

Given the media attention to illicit drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, and LSD, it's easy for parents to ignore the dangers facing their kids from common household products that contain volatile solvents or aerosols. As a group, they are known as 'inhalants' - volatile substances producing chemical vapors that can be inhaled to induce a psychoactive, or mind-altering, effect. (Although other abused substances can be inhaled, 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 list of inhalants is an eye-opening one: glues, nail polish remover, lighter fluid, spray paints, felt tip markers, electronic contact cleaners,, paint thinners, deodorant, hair sprays, video head cleaners, and whipped cream (in aerosol cans). All have been targeted by young people, who inhale the vapors in search of quick intoxication without any understanding of the serious health consequences that can result.  Common street names are whippets, poppers, and snappers.

According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, national surveys indicate that nearly 23 million Americans have abused inhalants at least once in their lives. This includes approximately 17.1% of 8th graders, 13.1% of 10th graders, and 11.4% of 12th graders, although inhalant use has been known to begin as early as the fourth grade - a reflection of the problem well understood by the staff at Sunrise Recovery Ranch.

It's important for parents and kids to understand that experimentation with these substances should not be taken lightly. Indicators of inhalant use may include:

Even a single session of repeated inhalant abuse, however, can disrupt heart rhythms and cause death from cardiac arrest. It can even lower oxygen levels enough to cause suffocation. Regular, ongoing abuse of inhalants can result in serious harm to vital organs including the brain, heart, kidneys, and liver.

For those reasons, it's important for parents to be alert to possible inhalant use by young people. One sign of use may be traces of inhalants on their body or clothing, or paint and solvent stains. Chemical-smelling breath is another possible sign, as are the discovery of hidden spray paint containers, rags and clothing soaked in chemicals, and an unreasonable number of used markers and correction fluid bottles.

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