Inhalant Abuse: Risks and Trends
Inhalants include substances that produce chemical vapors such as glue, solvents, or aerosols. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) reports that, when individuals breathe in these substances, they produce a “high” or “mind-altering” effect. Inhalants affect an individual quickly because the vapors go directly to the lungs and then are absorbed into the bloodstream. From there, they affect other organs such as the brain. The immediate effects are similar to those of alcohol, including a feeling of euphoria, lightheadedness, slurred speech, and difficulty with coordination. While available in household products, inhaling these substances can result in serious risks to health including rapid or irregular heart rhythm, delirium, or death due to heart failure or asphyxiation.
According to the NIDA report,there are four types of inhalants:
1)Volatile solvents: This group includes chemical substances that are found in many household products such as paint thinner, glue, dry-cleaning fluids, gasoline, or correction fluids.
2)Gases: This category includes gases found in household products and in medical anesthetics. They include chemicals used in refrigeration, butane lighters, or propane tanks. Nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas, is a medical anesthetic that has been abused as an inhalant.
3)Aerosols: These products can be sprayed to be used legitimately and contain solvents and propellants. Deodorants, hair spray, spray paint, and cooking sprays are examples of some aerosols abused through inhaling.
4)Nitrites: According to NIDA, this category of inhalants acts on the central nervous system directly; they are used mainly to enhance sexual experience. Examples include amyl nitrite and butyl nitrite and are also known as poppers.
NIDA reports that use of inhalants peaked in the mid-1990’s, but has declined since that point in time. They are still being used, however, by a considerable number of young people. The results of the Monitoring the Future Survey for 2012 (Johnston et al., 2013)showed that 6.2% of 8th graders, 4.1% of 10th graders, and 2.9% of 12th graders reported use of inhalants in the past year. This drug group is one of the few that is more frequently used by younger adolescents than older ones. According to Dr. Nora Volkow, Director of NIDA, it is important for clinical professionals, parents, and educators to be aware of the signs of inhalant use and risks involved so it can be identified and treated appropriately.
References:
Johnston, L.D., O’Malley, P.M., Bachman, J.G., & Schulenberg, J.E. (2013). Monitoring the Future National Results on Drug Use: 2012 Overview, Key Findings on Adolescent Drug Use. Ann Arbor: Institute for Social Research, The University of Michigan.
NIDA: National Institute on Drug Abuse (Revised July, 2012). Research Report Series: Inhalant Abuse. NIH Publication Number 12-3818. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health. Downloaded 8/29/2013.
For further information regarding this article, please contact Mary Ellen Lynch, Ph.D., at the Maternal Substance Abuse and Child Development Project, Emory University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, 1256 Briarcliff Road, N.E.,320W, Atlanta, Georgia, 30306. You can also phone us at 404-712-9800 or visit our website at
The Maternal Substance Abuse and Child Development Project is funded in part by the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD).