Inhalants

What makes inhalants a particular problem is the fact that they are readily available in your home: aerosols, paint thinners, glues, and other household chemical are all substances used to "get high." The user sprays the substance into a paper bag or pours it onto a piece of cloth, then breath in the chemical. The tragic thing is that these readily available substances are often the most deadly. Users can suffocate, have a stroke, choke to death, and damage their lung, livers, kidney, and other organs.

What to Look for:

Strong chemical odor (in room, on clothing, on breath)
Chemicals missing in the home or going down too quickly
Extremely drowsy appearance, possibly fainting
Paper bags or rags used to sniff the chemicals
Strange aerosolized or other chemicals hidden in child's room or in school locker
Discarded containers of whipped cream or spray paint
Unusually large supply of white out or other office chemicals that have a strong odor.

NIDA's Monitoring the Future study reveals that approximately 20 percent of eighth-graders have abused inhalants. Parents and children need to know that experimentation with these substances should not be taken lightly. Even a single session of repeated inhalant abuse can disrupt heart rhythms and cause death from cardiac arrest or lower oxygen levels enough to cause suffocation. Regular abuse of these substances can result in serious harm to vital organs including the brain, heart, kidneys, and liver.

Types of inhalants: Amyl nitrate, butyl nitrate, isobutyl nitrate, isosorbide dinitrate, nitroglycerin, isobutylnitrite, poppers

Slang: Amy, army, bolt, climax, lockerroom, nitrates, oz, snappers, thrust, whippets

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