Abuse of Inhalants

I was twenty-four and divorced when I got started. I met this guy, and he told me that the spray would help take my worries away. You know, I was all depressed and everything, so I tried it. I Kked it and started doing it all the time, but it didn t take my worries away. The spray made it worse. I lost my kids and everything. They are still in foster homes and everything, and Tm aU messed up. .. ° 

Abusers of inhalants were classified into three categories by Getting and colleagues of Colarado State University in 

1988 (1) inhalant-dependent adults, (2) polydrug users, and (3) young inhalant users. Inhalant-dependent adults have the most serious health problems because of their long-term use and dependence on chemicals. These users may also abuse other drugs, but they prefer using inhalants. Some of these abusers 

Alcohol or Drug Abuse Among Adolescent Inhalant Admissions 1999  

Inhalant users interviewed in treatment facilities had high frequencies of use, with 60% reporting daily current use of inhalants and an additional 14% reporting use more than once every week. These statistics reveal that users are dependent on inhalants (dependence is discussed in greater detail later in this chapter). 

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Substance-Induced Dementias. Substances of abuse can also cause dementia. The most common is alcohol-related dementia. Chronic alcoholism leads to dementia in several ways. The poor diet of the alcoholic causes a deficiency of certain essential nutrients such as thiamine. The alcoholic often suffers recurrent head injuries from falls or altercations. Alcohol-induced liver failure can expose the brain to toxic injury. Finally, the direct toxic effects of alcohol itself on the brain can lead to dementia. In addition to alcohol, the abuse of inhalants such as paint thinner and... 

The National Inhalant Prevention Coalition (http //www.inhalants.org/) deals with the persistent problem of abuse of inhalants (such as paint thinner, glue, nail polish, and even correction fluid). Their web site describes inhalant abuse and gives tips for parents on how to spot its presence in children. 

Considering the widespread abuse of inhalants, little scientific research has been done on the subject. Conducting research is complicated because inhalants are not limited to one basic compound but include a wide range of chemicals and products. 

Contents An overview what are inhalants —History of inhalant use— Properties of inhalants — How do inhalants act —Abuse of inhalants— Consequences of inhalant abuse—Trends and use of inhalants—Treatment and prevention. 

Today, the abuse of inhalants is still a major problem. Inhalants are within easy reach, much as they were in the past. Additionally, in many cases they are still used as substitutes for other drugs that are illegal to purchase or too expensive to buy. These ties with the past use of inhalants makes further exploration of today s trends all the more interesting. 

Abuse of gases and solvents can cause severe mood swings and bouts of depression. When an individual is already struggling to cope and unhappy, the pessimistic fatalism may take hold and convince the individual that his life is no longer worth living. Abusers of inhalants are at a higher risk of committing suicide than individuals who do not use inhalants. 

The abuse of inhalants, particularly among youths, has become a health problem for many countries. Inhalant use has been reported in many areas of the world, including the United States, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Sweden, India, England, Nigeria, Australia, Denmark, South Africa, Finland, Poland, Peru, Bulgaria, Hungary, Ireland, Rhodesia, Italy, Columbia, France, Malaysia, Scotland, Brazil, Wales, Germany, Norway, Thailand, Cuba, and New Zealand. The problem of inhalant abuse is not bounded by any local or national border. 

The giggle after inhaling nitrous oxide or the euphoria felt after sniffing gasoline can bring temporary pleasure. The fact remains that the recreational abuse of inhalants is anything but harmless. 

Figure 8.2 Abusers of inhalants often abuse other drugs, such as alcohol and marijuana. Treatment of inhalant abusers is often complicated by the fact that they use multiple varieties of inhalants and drugs.

As most of the harmful effects of inhalant abuse are not felt immediately, chronic abuse of inhalants is associated with a variety of medical problems with a real risk of death. There are a number of solvents that have become the target for abuse. A great number of them are known to be toxic (see Table 1). 

A form of substance abuse of increasing interest is the recreational use of inhalants. Taken literally, this classification is useless, as it may be construed to include use of tobacco, crack cocaine, or marijuana (Sharp 1992). A better designation may be "volatile substance" abuse, a more accurate description of an important drug abuse pattern. Volatile substances that are commonly abused include glues, aerosols, anesthetics, cleaning agents, and solvents (Sharp 1992). Abuse of inhalants has been associated with a variety of toxicologies... 

Chenoweth MB Abuse of inhalation anesthetic drugs, in Review of Inhalants Euphoria to Dysfunction. Edited by Sharp CW, Brehm ML. Washington, DC, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1977, pp 102-111 Clinger OW, Johnson NA Purposeful inhalation of gasoline vapors. Psychiatr Q 25 557-567, 1951... 

Korman M, Matthews RW, Lovitt R Neuropsychological effects of abuse of inhalants. Percept Mot Skills 53 547-553,1981... 

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