Drug effects

Inhalants are ordinary household products that are inhaled or sniffed by children to get high. There are hundreds of household products on the market today that can be misused as inhalants.

These products are sniffed, snorted, bagged (fumes inhaled from a plastic bag), or “huffed” (inhalant-soaked rag, sock, or roll of toilet paper in the mouth) to achieve a high. Inhalants are also sniffed directly from the container.

Inhalant users tend to be people who are bored or do not have access to other drugs or alcohol, such as children, teenagers, incarcerated or institutionalized people, and marginalized individuals[citation needed]. The most serious inhalant abuse occurs among children and teens who "...live on the streets completely without family ties

Effects on the Body

People inhale chemical vapors in several ways, including sniffing, snorting, or spraying the inhalant directly into the nose or mouth, putting it into a bag or other container and then inhaling from there, putting the vapor onto a rag, or inhaling nitrous oxide from balloons.

Because the high from inhalants only lasts a few minutes, some people may inhale over and over again for long periods of time to maintain the high, increasing the amount of dangerous chemicals entering and damaging the body.

Inhalants can cause many changes in the body. Once the vapors enter the body, some are absorbed by parts of the brain and nervous system. All of the inhalants (except nitrites) slow down the body's functions, similar to the effects of drinking alcohol. At first someone gets excited, but then gets tired, has trouble speaking clearly or walking well, gets dizzy, loses inhibitions, and may get agitated.

Short-term effects

• increased heart rate
• hallucinations or delusions
• losing feeling or consciousness
• nausea and vomiting
• loss of coordination
• slurred speech

Long-term effects

In the long term there are no good side effects. Constant abuse of inhalants can cause severe long term damage to the liver, kidneys, brain and blood. Some inhalants can lead to the body producing fewer of all types of blood cells, resulting in life-threatening aplastic anaemia. Some of these effects disappear after use is discontinued. Others, such as brain damage, are irreversible and some users never recover their full mental ability and concentration.

Other long term effects:

• muscle weakness
• weight loss
• hearing loss
• limb spasms
• bone marrow
• depression
• headaches and nosebleeds
• loss of sense of smell or hearing