Inhalant Abuse by Teens

Inhalant Abuse is the silent killer among teens today.

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How many of you have nail polish remover, hair spray, cleaning fluids, spray paint or fabric protector in your homes? If you were an audience I am sure that you would all raise your hands. The big question is, did any of you know that these are the most common inhalants that teens use today to get high? I am sure that most of you did not.

Don't go throwing everything out, first become informed, then you can figure out if your child is "huffing" or inhaling the chemicals found in every day household products. The use of inhalants is higher amongst teens than that of street drugs and the reason why is because they can be found right in their own homes. They cost very little, can be used with no one noticing and are easy to come by. Inhalant use has become one of the nations top silent killers among teens, and that is because parents are not aware or educated on the dangers. So, I am going to educate some of you parents about inhalants.

Inhalants are sniffed, snorted, bagged (fumes inhaled from a plastic bag), or "huffed" (inhalant-soaked rag, sock, or roll of toilet paper in the mouth) to achieve a high. Inhalants are also sniffed directly from the container. Within seconds of inhalation, the user experiences intoxication along with other effects similar to those produced by alcohol. Alcohol-like effects may include slurred speech, an inability to coordinate movements, dizziness, confusion and delirium. Nausea and vomiting are other common side effects. In addition, users may experience light headedness, hallucinations, and delusions. After heavy use of inhalants, abusers may feel drowsy for several hours and experience a lingering headache. Because intoxication lasts only a few minutes, abusers frequently seek to prolong their high by continuing to inhale repeatedly over the course of several hours. By doing this, abusers can suffer loss of consciousness and death.

Important Statistics about Inhalant Abuse:

Inhalants are the fifth most-abused substance after alcohol, tobacco, marijuana and prescription drug misuse among high school students.

Almost as many 8th graders have ever tried inhalants (16 percent) as have tried marijuana/hashish (18 percent), according to Monitoring the Future 2003.

According to the 2002 Household Survey, 308,000 teens, aged 12-17 used inhalants in the past month.

Fewer than 1 in 20 parents believe their children may have ever abused inhalants.

There are three categories of inhalants. Volatile Solvents, which include industrial or household products, paint thinners and removers, dry cleaning fluids, gasoline and glue and office supply products, which include correction fluid, felt tip markers and electronic contact cleaners. The next type of inhalant is the aerosol. These types of inhalants are spray paints, hair sprays, deodorant sprays, vegetable oil sprays and whipping cream sprays. Aerosols also include medical anesthetic gases, such as ether, chloroform and laughing gas. The third type are nitrites. Nitrites are generally organic which include cyclohexanol, butyl, and amyl nitrites, also known as poppers. Poppers are sold in small brown bottles labeled as video head cleaner, room odorizer, leather cleaner or liquid aroma.

More than 1,000 common products are potential inhalants that can kill, including:

Glue

Freon

Correction fluid

Computer agents

Deodorizers Markers

Paint products

Gases (whippets, butane, propane)

Gasoline

Fire extinguishers

Nail polish remover

Lighter fluid

Hair spray

Cleaning agents

Long term inhalant users can suffer severe and permanent brain damage; some die the first time they experiment. Other possible long term affects include the following:

Hearing loss
Bone marrow damage
Short-term memory loss
Limb spasms
Liver and kidney damage

Sniffing highly concentrated amounts of the chemicals in solvents or aerosol sprays can directly induce heart failure and death within minutes of a session of repeated inhalations. This syndrome, known as �sudden sniffing death,� can result from a single session of inhalant use by an otherwise healthy young person. Sudden sniffing death is particularly associated with the abuse of butane, propane, and chemicals in aerosols.

High concentrations of inhalants also can cause death from suffocation by displacing oxygen in the lungs and then in the central nervous system so that breathing ceases. Deliberately inhaling from a paper or plastic bag or in a closed area greatly increases the chances of suffocation. Even when using aerosols or volatile products for their legitimate purposes (i.e., painting, cleaning), it is wise to do so in a well-ventilated room or outdoors.

The symptoms of inhalant abuse can often go undetected because many of them are associated with the ups and downs of being a teenager. It's important as a parent not to miss what may be important clues regarding actual inhalant use. Some signs are obvious, while others are not. These are the signs to look for if you suspect your teen is using inhalants:

Paint or stains on body, clothing, rags, or bags
Unusual breath odor or chemical odor on clothing
Slurred or disorientated speech
Anxiety, excitability, irritability, or restlessness
Missing household items
Red or runny eyes or nose
Spots or sores around the mouth
Drunk, dazed, or dizzy appearance
Nausea, loss of appetite

How do you prevent your teen from using inhalants? I have provided you with some tips on how to help prevent them from inhalant use.

Be aware of what your children are doing: if they're hanging out with their friends in or around your home, check in on them every so often, whether it is to offer them a snack or just to say hi.
Educate your child about the dangers; however, be careful about educating your child about specific products being used as inhalants.
Don't mention specific substances unless your child brings them up. While many youngsters know kids are sniffing some substances, they may not know the full range of products that can be abused and you don't want to give them suggestions.

If warning signs point to a child using inhalants or drugs, it's time to take action. If you deal with possible substance abuse head-on, there's a very good chance your child can be helped. Don't spend time hiding from the problem. Spend your time helping your child. The faster you act, the faster your child can start to become well again.

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