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By Soenke Pietsch and Joshua Prabhu

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Part of religious ceremonies, dates back to ancient times in Egypt, Babylonia (present-day Iraq), India and China. They were inhaling fumes from chemicals such as incense, oils, resins, spices, and perfumes to change their consciousness or for religious ceremonies.

In the 1940s, recreational use of solvents, primarily gasoline, became popular. Abuse of inhalants in the United States increased in the 1950s and is now widespread among adolescents. By the 1960s, the practice of solvent sniffing had spread across a wide variety of commercial products including paint and lacquer thinners, nail polish remover, shoe polish, lighter fluid, spray paint and others.

In more recent years, glue and gas sniffing has become a widespread problem among homeless street children in South Asia, Mexico, Eastern Europe, Kenya and other areas around the world. Street kids use these inhalants to numb the pain of hunger, cold and desperation. Gas and spray paint sniffing is also common in remote regions in Canada, America, Australia, New Zealand and some Pacific Islands.

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The intended purposes of many of the products that are used as inhalants are all legal. (Glue is used to glue, graffiti is used for spray painting)

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Based on this, most studies on inhalants conclude that initial use of inhalants before the age 12 is common. Additionally, the incidence of inhalants abuse is higher in "dry" communities, where alcohol access is restricted when compared to those in "wet" communities with easier access to alcohol.

The smell of a drug is usually the strongest indicator of use but inhalant odors are a part of everyday life, thus making use very easy to conceal. Further, inhalants evaporate quickly so compared to other drugs there is no residue or sign of use. Additionally, there is little or no cleaning up to be done, except to return the used whipped cream container to the fridge, next to the empty milk carton!

Inhalants are often preferred over other drugs because they are not easily detected in randomized drug screens. This lowers the possibility of being disciplined in school or arrested by police if a drug test is administered.

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People who use inhalants breathe in the fumes through their nose or mouth, usually by “sniffing,” “snorting,” “bagging,” or “huffing.” It’s called different names depending on the substance and equipment they use. Although the high that inhalants produce usually lasts just a few minutes, people often try to make it last by continuing to inhale again and again over several hours.

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Take a moment to learn about the real life implications of inhalants from this man who nearly lost everything:

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Air blast.

Bang.

Bullet Bolt.

Climax.

Discorama.

Heart-on.

Highball.

Hippie crack.

Laughing Gas.

Snappers.

Spray Paint.

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Classifications (Depends on type of inhalant)

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Classifications (Depends on type of inhalant)

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1. Depressant
2. Stimulant
3. Hallucinogens

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Desired Effects When Taking (Greatly depends from user to user)

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Desired Effects When Taking (Greatly depends from user to user)

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People feel exhilarated

They feel confused

Loss of inhibitions

Hallucinations

Psychotic reactions

Dizziness

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Do you really want this to be you?

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Muscle weakness

Disorientation

Lack of coordination

Irritability

Depression

Serious and sometimes irreversible damage to the heart, liver, kidneys, lungs and brain

Memory impairment, diminished intelligence

Hearing loss

Bone marrow damage

Deaths from heart failure or asphyxiation (loss of oxygen)

The chronic use of inhalants has been associated with a number of serious health problems. Sniffing glue and paint thinner causes kidney problems. Sniffing toluene and other solvents causes liver damage. Inhalant abuse has also resulted in memory impairment and diminished intelligence.

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-  Veeder, Mary Harris. "Inhalents." Booklist, 15 Feb. 1995, p. 1070. Biography in Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A16610619/GPS?u=lom_inac&sid=GPS&xid=8684fc5b. Accessed 2 Apr. 2019.
- Tucker, Miriam E. "Drug use increase. (Pediatric Briefs)." Pediatric News, Oct. 2002, p. 3. Academic OneFile, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A93532901/GPS?u=lom_inac&sid=GPS&xid=01824aba. Accessed 2 Apr. 2019.
- Filips, Janet D. "Inhalants." Drugs and Controlled Substances: Information for Students, edited by Stacey L. Blachford and Kristine Krapp, Gale, 2003, pp. 231-242. Gale Virtual Reference Library, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX3402000115/GPS?u=lom_inac&sid=GPS&xid=c88fedf6. Accessed 2 Apr. 2019.

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Different Scientific Names (Great variations with what is missued)

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Different Scientific Names (Great variations with what is missued)

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1. Amphetamine
2. Isobutyl Nitrite

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Most inhalants act directly on the nervous system to produce mind-altering effects. Within seconds, the user experiences intoxication and other effects similar to those from alcohol. There are a variety of effects that may be experienced during or shortly after use, including:

Slurred speech

Drunk, dizzy or dazed appearance

Inability to coordinate movement

Hallucinations and delusions

Hostility

Apathy

Impaired judgment

Unconsciousness

Severe headaches

Rashes around the nose and mouth

Prolonged sniffing of these chemicals can induce irregular and rapid heartbeat and lead to heart failure and death within minutes.

Death from suffocation can occur by replacing oxygen in the lungs with the chemical, and then in the central nervous system, so that breathing ceases.