INHALANTS- Who's Huffing
Now?
Inhalants – What are they?
Inhalants are gases and fumes that are inhaled to
produce a high. These include glue, gasoline,
felt-tipped markers, nail polish, room deodorizers, whipped cream containers, cooking
spray, turpentine, lighter fluid, typewriter correction fluid, and refrigerant gases.
Inhalants are the substances most commonly abused
by children--those aged 11 and younger--and inhalants are deadly.
Inhalants are attractive to juveniles because they are readily accessible, cheap and
legal. Inhaled chemicals are absorbed very quickly through the lungs and produce an almost
instantaneous high. Children usually start sniffing when they see their friends, siblings,
or older children in the neighborhood doing it.
Sometimes a child will get into a household product and discover its psychoactive effects
by accident. Since these products are toxic, parents should take care to keep them safely
out of reach.
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Who Uses Inhalants?
Because of the availability of inhalants, there is
no single “profile” that fits all users. First
and heaviest use seems to be among pre- teen and teens (usually males between the ages
of 13 and 15), with continued use on specific occasions (such as rave parties and
during sexual encounters) by older teens and young adults in their 20s.
Other users include alcoholics attempting to delay
or offset the effects of withdrawal when alcohol is not available; institutionalized
populations (jail and prison populations), and people who live in remote areas with
limited access to alcohol or other drugs (particularly Native Americans on reservations). Both males and females have been known to use
inhalants (especially amyl nitrate) in situations immediately preceding orgasm to achieve
a feeling of prolonged sexual climax.
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Duration of Effects and Symptoms
Effects are felt quickly and pass quickly, usually
in a few minutes, but occasionally last for
up to an hour.
Absorbed by the lungs, inhalant vapors are rapidly
distributed to the blood stream and routed principally to the brain and liver. With slow accumulation in fatty tissues,
metabolization occurs quickly and excretion occurs rapidly through the kidneys. Some of the unaltered vapors are eliminated during
the natural course of breathing. Nitrates
ingested orally are quickly destroyed by stomach and intestinal acids. Small amounts are eliminated in saliva and sweat. Because effects are brief, nitrates are commonly
ingested at a rate of a dozen or more occasions per hour resulting in often-hazardous
physical symptoms.
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Inhalants – Physical Signs
Physical signs of use include:
Inhalant use may be detected by paint and glue
smears on face and hands, tubes of glue or other household product containers, plastic and
paper bags, and chemical odor on breath, skin, and clothes.
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Inhalants – What do they do to you?
Reactions to inhalant use can range from
excitability, giddiness, lowering of inhibitions, restlessness, confusion, disorientation,
and changes in perception, to fright and panic. Or, in some cases, death by suffocation -
otherwise known as “Sudden Sniffing Death”
SSD can occur any time an inhalant is used – event the first time.
Short Term Health Hazards
Nitrate users may experience decreased oxygen flow
to the brain and rapid drop in blood pressure. The
blood vessels enlarge. With prolonged use,
exposure may result in nausea, vomiting, dizziness, pounding headaches, fatigue.
Other reactions from prolonged use of inhalants
include hallucinations, delirium and coma. These
reactions can often lead a user to violent or risky behavior that can result in serious
injuries and death.
Long-Term Health Hazards
If the user survives the short-term health
hazards, continued use can result in permanent brain, liver, or kidney impairment, heart
failure, suffocation and death. Recurring
hallucinations and chronic mental disturbance are possible.
Chronic use of Inhalants often has a gateway effect, leading users to try other
substances.
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What Can You Do?
· Educate
yourself about inhalant abuse.
· Talk
to your child about inhalants.
· Educate
children about the dangers of inhalant abuse.
· Strengthen
your relationship with your child – let them know they can come to you for help.
· Get
help for children with emotional problems. There’s
nothing wrong with counseling.
· Help
build your child’s self esteem.
· Be
an active partner in your child’s life – talk to teachers, guidance counselors
and coaches.
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What Can Educators Do?
As a teacher, you deal with many issues in the
classroom everyday. While you may talk about
drugs like alcohol, marijuana or cocaine, you may not be aware of how serious a problem
inhalants are among pre-teens and teens.
Inhalants are everyday household products whose
fumes are inhaled to produce a high. And they
are all around your school. Take a look at
the following in your school. You’ll
find all contain some form of inhalant.
· General
School Supplies – cements, glues, typewriter correction fluid, permanent and dry
erase markers
· Home
Economics – Cooking spray (shortening), whipped cream (cans and cartridges)
· Automotive
Classes – solvents, coolants, brake fluid, gasoline, lacquers, thinners
If you want to talk about inhalants with your
students, make sure to mention:
· What
inhalants are
· How
inhalants can damage the body
· Why
no one should use them
· The
fact that some children die from inhalant use
You can incorporate discussions about inhalants in
many subjects. Here are just a few ideas.
· Art
(posters, cartoon development, bookmarks, book covers, etc.)
· Language
Arts (Expressing feelings, discussing “bad” things, developing interviewing
skills, phone help line conversations, mime, saying no, writing skills)
· Social
Studies (family structure, expressing opinions, data research and graphing)
· Science
(effects of alcohol in the body, ratio and proportions, impact of drugs on the body)
· Home
Economics (Safety issues, toxic substances, poisons)
· Music
(lyric writing, research on musicians and drugs)
· Physical
Education/Health (exercise and the body - healthy lungs, heart, brain, etc.; athletes
and drugs)
More and more schools are helping to educate
students about the dangers of substance abuse. Along
with knowing what lesson plans to use, techniques that work and what to expect, educators
help students learn about themselves and the world around them. That’s why we designed a Facts for
Educators section on our web site. Here
you’ll find age-appropriate lesson
plans; tips for talking about drugs in the classroom, basic facts about drugs, and more. Click here ACDE
Home to get to the Educators icon.
ACDE is dedicated to helping educators find and have access to
scientifically-based, compelling prevention programs and materials. We invite you to join DrugEd – a
listserv for educators and professionals working with children and youth. To receive periodic up-to-date information and
share resources with educators across the country, simply enter your e-mail address in the
Join Us Box on
the home page to register.
Other resources::
www.inhalants.org - Excellent
site from the National Inhalants Prevention Coalition.
Prevention Kits filled with activities and ideas to launch a campaign to wipe out
inhalant abuse are available for community and schools.
www.drugfreeamerica.org - Keep
up to date on the latest information, movie reviews, press releases. Take your students on a “tour” of the
Memorial Wall a place for testimonials for youth whose lives were claimed by drugs
The Feel Better
Book - Free worksheets for
educators, health professionals and individuals to use in working with children from homes
effected by substance abuse.