INHALANTS

INHALANTS

• Chemicals products that give off strong fumes
• Not meant to be inhaled
• Evaporated fumes can make people high

CHARACTERISTICS

• Easily converted into vapor at room temp.
• Not in the category of other inhalable drugs
• Deliberately inhaled to get high

TYPES OF INHALANTS

• Volatile Solvents: liquids that vaporize at room temp
• Aerosols: sprays that contain solvents
• Gases: medical anesthetics or fuel gases
• Nitrites: one nitrogen atom joined to two oxygen atoms

EFFECTS

• Dizziness, sleepiness, confusion, excitement
• Out of control as if drunk
• Anxiety, panic, hallucinations
• Effects are felt in seconds
• Brain damage, blindness, lung damage

STATISTICS 2008

• One US State averaged 3800 ER visits
• 450 hospitalizations in one state
• 22% of SSD victims were first time users

HISTORY

• Discovered by Greeks 3500 years ago
• Anesthetics became popular in 1700s & 1800s
• "Ether Parties" were thrown in 1800s

HISTORY CONTINUED

• Glue Sniffing was an appealing method in 1950s
• No cases of glue sniffing before 1959
• Inhaling gasoline was also common in 50s and 60s

SNIFFERS

• Most abusers are between 11 & 16
• There are three main reasons they sniff: