Substance abuse inhalants

People who abuse inhalants are found in both urban and rural settings. Adverse socioeconomic conditions, rather than racial or cultural factors per se, account for most reported ethnic differences in rates of inhalant abuse. Native American youths living on reservations typically have higher rates of inhalant abuse than youths both in the general population and among Native Americans who do not live on reservations (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration 1996). 

Fuxe K, Andersson K, Nilsen OG, et al Toluene and telencephalic dopamine selective reduction of amine mrnover in discrete DA nerve terminal systems of the anterior caudate nucleus by low concentrations of toluene. Toxicol Lett 12 115—123,1982 Cause EM, Mendez V, Geller I Exploratory smdies of a rodent model for inhalant abuse. Neurobehav Toxicol Teratol 7 143—148, 1985 Gentry JR, Hill C, Malcolm R New anticonvulsants a review of applications for the management of substance abuse disorders. Ann Clin Psychiatry 14 233—245, 2002 Gerasimov MR, Ferrieri RA, Schiffer WK, et al Smdy of brain uptake and biodistribution of [llCjtoluene in non-human primates and mice. Life Sci 70 2811 — 2828, 2002... 

Stewart RD, Fisher TN, Hosko MJ, et al Experimental human exposure to methylene chloride. Arch Environ Health 25 342-348, 1972 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Preliminary Estimates from the 1995 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse. Rockville, MD, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1996 Tenenbein M, PillayN Sensory evoked potentials in inhalant (volatile solvent) abuse. J Paediatr Child Health 29 206-208, 1993... 

Individuals who subject themselves to substance abuse by inhaling -hexane or vapors from products containing significant levels of 72-hexane would also experience potentially high exposure levels (Altenkirch et al. 1982 Graham et al. 1995). 

Nhongsaeng J, Toskulkao C, Glinsukon T. 1990. Potentiation of the mechanism of carbon tetrachloride induced hepatotoxicity by thinner inhalation. Research Communications in Substance Abuse 11 73- 76. 

Inhaled substances may be associated with practices and equipment that may lead to suffocation. Commonly abused inhalants include model glue, spray paints, cleaning fluids, gasoline, liquid typewriter correction fluid, and aerosol propellants for deodorants or hair sprays. Most inhalants produce a rapid high that resembles alcohol intoxication. If sufficient amounts are inhaled, nearly all solvents and gases produce a loss of sensation, and even unconsciousness. Adverse effects may include severe organ damage. 

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Data Archive, Overall Teen Drug Use Continues Gradual Decline But Use of Inhalants Rises. http //www. monitoringthefuture.org. 

Each year, the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA), conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, collects statistical data on five drug groups, including marijuana/hashish, psychotherapeutic drugs, cocaine/crack, hallucinogens, and inhalants. The med-... 

Hundreds of thousands of Americans experiment with inhalants for the first time each year, according to results of the 2000 National Household Survey from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health Human Services. The survey found that in 1999, one million Americans tried inhalants for the first time—the highest annual number of inhalant initiates since 1965. The 1998 estimate of new inhalant abusers was 918,000 in 1997 it reached 975,000. 

Much inhalant use is confined to early adolescence. But some users become dependent, and they continue abusing inhalants into adulthood. For other users, inhalants may be the first stop on a long path of misusing dangerous substances. 

Toluene, an ingredient in many abused inhalants, possibly works on dopamine, a brain chemical involved in the pleasure-producing effects of other abused substances. More research is needed to understand how inhalants produce their physiological effects. 

How does an overlooked health risk break into the news The National Inhalant Prevention Coalition, with the support of the Mental Health Services Administration Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, publicizes the subject each March, during National Inhalants and Poison Awareness Week. In 1999, the American Academy of Pediatrics commissioned an inhalant abuse survey, which received a great deal of national news coverage. 

Nitrous oxide is difficult to categorize. Technically, it is an inhalant, yet there are several characteristics that set the drug apart from the typical volatile substances that inhalant abusers favor. First, N20 is not as readily accessible as hair spray, glue, household cleaners, and other off-the-shelf huffing chemicals of choice. Secondly, since nitrous oxide is an actual prescription anesthetic, it may have more perceived prestige among users who would look down at most volatile substance abuse as kid s stuff. ... 

In 1999, 7.8 million Americans reported the illicit use of nitrous oxide at least once in the prior 12 months. Yet according to SAMHSA, substance abuse treatment admissions for all inhalants accounted for only slightly over 1,300 of the almost 1.6 million substance abuse treatment admissions that same year. 

Substance abusers become preoccupied with when and where they will be able to get their next dose. As drug use takes center stage in an abuse s life, relationships with family and friends frequently deteriorate. Although nitrous oxide and other inhalants are known for their relatively low cost, an NzO abuser may suffer financial hardships as a result of unemployment, automobile accidents, or poor performance at school. 

Substance abuse in general is a far-reaching societal problem, impacting not only personal relationships and health but also contributing to crime, domestic violence, sexual assault, drop-out rates, unemployment, and homelessness. It is also a factor in public health problems, like the spread of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and unwanted pregnancy. Chronic inhalant abuse can lead to serious birth defects. 

National Inhalant Prevention Coalition www.inhalants.org National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) www.nida.nih.gov National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws www.norml.org Slang Terms from Drug-Free Resource Net www.drugfreeamerica.org/slang.html Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration www.samhsa.gov... 

Their easy accessibility, low cost, and ease of concealment make inhalants, for many, one of the first substances abused. ... 

Inhalants have a very serious abuse potential that is often overlooked or downplayed. In 1998, estimates generated from the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse calculated that every 46 seconds someone in the United States abuses an inhalant for the first time. This number is very near the estimate for cocaine (43 seconds). Though inhalant abuse is often less recognized, as Chapter 7 describes, it is no less dangerous than other forms of substance abuse. 

Most inhalant users are initiated at a young age. In 2000, the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse found that of youths aged 12 to 15, over 2 million had used inhalants in their lifetime. Of an estimated 23 million youths, 9% had tried sniffing. Additionally, the Drug and Alcohol Services Information System Report in 2002 collected data from adolescents admitted for substance abuse treatment in 1999. Of those treated, 19% of these individuals first tried inhalants before the age of 12. Another 36% were 12 or 13, and 35% were 14 or 15. 

Most inhalant abusers are also abusing other drugs. According to the Drug and Alcohol Services Information System Report (March 2002), out of 2,091 adolescents admitted to substance-abuse programs in 1999 reporting use of inhalants, only 569 reported inhalant abuse as their primary problem. More than half of the inhalant abusers reported use of both alcohol and marijuana. Primary inhalant abusers were 0.4% of the total reported admissions for any type of substance abuse. This makes the interactions between drugs an important area for further study. 

Treatment facilities have taken note that inhalant abusers most often do not solely abuse inhalants. In the 1999 Treatment Episode Data Set study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), 1,321 individuals were admitted for treatment of inhalant abuse. These cases, where inhalants were the primary abused drug, accounted for only 0.1% of admittances in the treatment facilities. Often patients reported inhalant use in addition to their primary substance of abuse. One-third of the inhalant users admitted that they began using inhalants by age 12, and an additional 24% began using inhalants between age 12 and 14. 

The treatment of inhalant abuse faces some serious problems. Some substance abuse clinics often do not even know how to treat inhalant abusers. It is shocking that in spite of the fact that inhalant abuse is a widespread problem, inhalant abusers are often faced with having nowhere to turn to for help. Since inhalant abuse often arises in episodic events in communities, towns facing major problems with youth abuse often find that there is nowhere to accommodate the abusers for treatment and no nearby treatment facilities that can handle detoxification specific to inhalant abuse. Some communities have faced these problems by setting up their own treatment facilities, but this takes time and money. Indeed, with time being critical for treatment of abusers who need it, the lack of adequate treatment... 

Beyond the ABCs Solvents/lnhalants, 1998 Brodsky, 1985 Inhalants. Substance Abuse Treatment Advisory Breaking News from the Treatment Field, 2003. Layzer, 1985. National Institute on Drug Abuse Research Report Series Inhalant Abuse, 2000. Rosenberg and Sharp, 1992. Sharp and Rosenberg, 1997. 

Inhalants. Substance Abuse Treatment Advisory Breaking News from the Treatment Field, 2003. 

Bennett, M.E., S.T. Walters, J.H. Miller, and WG. Woodall. Relationship of Early Inhalant Use to Substance Abuse in College Students. Journal of Substance Abuse 12 (2000) 227-240. 

The BASIS Report Adolescent Admissions Involving Inhalants. Rockville, MD. Office of Applied Studies, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, 2002. 

Under 16 years volatile inhalants, e.g. solvents of glues, aerosol sprays, vaporised (by heat) paints, solvent or substance abuse, gluesniffing. ... 

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