Glue Sniffing & Inhalant Abuse
What Do You Know About Glue Sniffing and Inhalant Abuse?
What do you know about glue sniffing and inhalant abuse? I recently received a message from someone asking if I could post some information on inhalant abuse. Before I received this message, it hadn’t really crossed my mind to write anything about this topic. I know that it’s incredibly dangerous and prevalent, but for whatever reason, it’s not something that crosses my mind very often. I think this is representative of our society as a whole. People are often embarrassed to talk about their addiction, but it seems that some addictions are somehow more taboo than others.
What is Inhalant Abuse?
An inhalant is any kind of chemical/substance that people inhale to feel a rush. Examples of inhalants are paint thinners, paint removers, gas, glue, and markers. People often inhale spray paint and shoe shining spray as well. Just about anything can be inhaled. The effects of them vary, but the goal is to get high, regardless of the substance.
Glue sniffing is probably the one we hear about most, but many other inhalants are abused as well. Nitrous oxide is also considered an inhalant. Nitrous oxide is often used at a dentist’s office to relax the patient. Inhalants are mind-altering substances that activate the brain’s reward/pleasure center, just like any other drug someone might ingest.
Children around the age of 14 are the most common users of inhalants; these are chemicals that children can obtain legally from just about anywhere. Many children don’t even need to buy them because they find these chemicals in their homes.
Huffing
Huffing is one of the ways that inhalants are abused. This involves soaking a towel in the chemical and putting it in your mouth. The idea is that every time the person breathes in, they will be breathing in the chemical and getting high. Inhaling in any form is dangerous, but huffing is particularly dangerous and has a much higher risk of asphyxiation.
Side Effects of Glue Sniffing & Inhalants
Glue sniffing, huffing paint, and any kind of inhalant abuse can have severe side effects. Inhalants cause impaired function and judgment and can cause nausea. Other side effects of glue sniffing and other inhalants are very similar to the effects of any other drug:
- Dizziness
- Drowsiness
- Slurred speech
- Difficulty with coordination
- Increased heart rate
- Seizures
- Loss of consciousness
- Asphyxiation
- coma
- death
Any/all of these side effects can happen after the first use or the 50th use.
What Can You Do?
One of the most important things to do is to educate people about inhalant abuse. Many people don’t even know that it exists, and some of these people are parents who leave these dangerous chemicals around the house. Children have such easy access to these chemicals, and parents need to be more conscientious about this.
Most parents wouldn’t leave alcohol or heroin or cocaine lying around the house, and inhalants aren’t that different. If you or someone you know has a problem with huffing or sniffing glue or anything else, there’s always help available. Some people don’t see inhalants as a real addiction or a real drug, but if you need help and are addicted to inhalants, rehab is always an option.
Inhalant abuse is severe and very dangerous. It is much more common than many people think, and it’s important to keep talking about it. If you have friends who have kids, talk to them and make sure they know how dangerous these chemicals can be. Just because something is okay to use around the house doesn’t mean it is safe.