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Part 5 - InhalantsSolvents found in many everyday products in the home or workplace can produce a "high" when inhaled. They also produce sensory distortions and hallucinogenic effects. There are hundreds of these solvents found in cleaning products, gasoline, lighter fluid, glue, paint, etc. The drugs amyl nitrite and isobutyl nitrite are also used as inhalants. Medical anesthetics such as nitrous oxide, chloroform and ether may also be used. Inhalants are popular with young children and adolescents because they are cheap and easy to obtain. They can be found around the house or at the store. Inhalants are extremely dangerous and can cause severe brain and nerve damage. Inhalants create high levels of toxins in the bloodstream, which contribute to liver damage, irregular heart rhythms and heart failure. Inhalants can shut down the functions of the kidneys, rendering them unable to filter out the toxins that have contaminated the bloodstream. Inhalants also cause nose discoloration and bleeding. By replacing the oxygen taken into the lungs, inhalants can lead to suffocation and death. Anyone can die even from the first use of inhalants. Inhalants can kill in ways other than suffocation and brain damage. There have been reports of children accidentally setting themselves on fire, due to the fact that many inhalants are flammable. One example is a group of teenagers who died; the room was filled with inhalant fumes when one teen tried to use his lighter and blew up the room.
Inhalants generally fall into three categories: solvents, gases and nitrites. Solvents include industrial or household solvents such as paint-thinners, degreasers, dry-cleaning fluid, gasoline and glues; art or office solvents are items such as correction fluid or felt-tip markers. Gases can be found in household or commercial products, such as butane lighters, propane tanks, whipping cream aerosols or dispensers (whippets) and refrigerator gases; aerosol propellants, such as spray paint, hair spray, deodorant spray and fabric protector spray; and medical anesthetic gases, such as ether, cloroform and nitrous oxide (laughing gas). Aliphatic nitrites include cyclohexyl nitrite, which is sold to the public; amyl nitrite, available only by prescription; and butyl nitrite, which is now an illegal substance.
Many solvents are poured or sprayed into a plastic bag, paper bag, or balloon (or onto rags), and the fumes are inhaled. The bag may be held over the nose and mouth, putting the user at risk for suffocation. Paint and other products may be sprayed into a soda pop can and the fumes inhaled. Some products are "huffed"--an inhalant-soaked rag, sock or roll of toilet paper is placed directly in the mouth. Amyl nitrite is a yellowish liquid in small glass ampoules that are broken for the fumes to be inhaled. Butyl nitrite comes in small bottles. Nitrous oxide may be seen in small, quarter-ounce metal cylinders or in the pipe from an aerosol spray can. It is used as a propellant for food products such as whipping cream and may be sold under names such as "EZ Whip."
Users of inhalants are creative. They may soak an air freshener with butane and hang it in the car and inhale the fumes. Females may pour a liquid inhalant onto a hair "scrunchie" and wear it around their wrists, and inhale whenever they want. The inhalant may be poured onto a sweater sleeve and inhaled at will. Users may paint their fingernails with "white out" (typewriter correction fluid), lick it to wet it and then inhale the fumes. They may stick two cigarette lighters up their nostrils and release the fumes. They may put a gas, such as nitrous oxide, into a balloon and inhale the fumes. They may stick a garbage bag over their head and inhale the fumes from a propane tank used for cooking on a gas grill. Any way that inhalants are used, they can be fatal.
INHALANTS
- What it is
Names:
Solvents, aerosols, nitrites (poppers), nitrous oxide (giggle gas, whippets), sniff, glue, gas
Type:
Sedative/hypnotic, anesthetic
Forms:
Legal products: spray paint, anti-freeze, gasoline, acetone/nail polish remover, rubber cement, paint remover, household cleaners, permanent magic markers, degreasers. Windshield washer fluid, foam dispensers, acetone. Cleaning fluid, spot remover, shoe polish, gasoline, household cements, lacquer thinners, lighter fluid, model cements. Airplane glue, plastic cements, rubber tire patching cement. Paint and varnish removers, paint brush cleaners, household waxes, typewriter correcting fluids and thinners, general household cleaners. Floor wax removers, suede cleaners, liquid incense, room deodorizer.
Usage:
Inhaling gas or vapor from balloon, paper or plastic bag, or container. Inhaling saturated material placed over mouth. Heating and inhaling higher vapor concentrations. Swallowing solvent mixed with alcoholic beverages. Injecting into bloodstream. Spraying aerosols directly into mouth.
What it feels like
Dizzy rush. Alcohol-like intoxication. Distortion of senses and perceptions. Delusions of grandeur. Dizziness, euphoria, feeling of weightlessness. Dissociation from environment. Silliness, awkward movements, muscle weakness. Altered speech, slowed reactions, altered judgment. Sensitivity to light, double vision, dilated pupils, ringing in ears. Drowsiness, sleep, anesthesia, depression, hallucinations, delirium, disorientation.
What it does
To your mind:
In most cases, depresses central nervous system. Nitrites stimulate. Produces sensory distortions and hallucinations.
To your body:
Interrupts heart rate, alters breathing. May cause permanent damage such as hearing loss, limb spasms, bone marrow damage, central nervous system damage, or brain damage.
Special Characteristics:
Cheap and easily available, solvents are often used by adolescents who risk life-threatening effects to bolster self-esteem or gain peer approval. Nitrite blackout results from combination with other drugs.
Signs of use
Odors from solvents on body, clothes or in the room. Sneezing, coughing, runny nose, nosebleeds, inflamed nose, rashes around nose or mouth. Headaches, nausea, vomiting, stupor. Red, glassy or watery eyes. Slow, thick, slurred speech. Disorientation, drunken appearance, staggering, lack of coordination. Loss of appetite. Paint on hands or around mouth. Aerosol products in the home that are no longer working may be a sign that a household member is abusing inhalants.
How it can hurt you
Small amounts can be instantly fatal. Toxic effects if inhaling combined substances. Bizarre behavior. Severe depression, toxic psychosis. Pains in chest, muscles and joints, hangover, amnesia. Coma, seizures, brain damage, paranoia, nerve damage, accumulation of lead levels in the body. Bone marrow deterioration, blood abnormalities, tremors, sleep disorders. Fatigue, loss of appetite, bronchial tube spasm, "glue sniffer's rash" (sores on nose and mouth). Nosebleeds, nausea, diarrhea, eye/nose irritation, glaucoma, blood cell damage. Violent behavior, disorientation, unconsciousness. Weight loss, muscle fatigue, blood oxygen depletion. Liver, lung, and kidney damage. Death can come from "SSD" (Sudden Sniffing Death), heart failure, plastic bag suffocation, bizarre and reckless behavior, driving under the influence, poisoning of users and small children, suicide, or respiratory depression. With fluorocarbons, death may be caused by "airway freezing" suffocation.
Addiction and Withdrawal
Inhalants may be addicting in that they can produce psychological dependence, cravings, and compulsive drug-seeking behavior. Withdrawal is usually mild. It may include anxiety, depression, loss of appetite, irritability, nausea, and tremors.
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