Review of Inhalants - ARCHIVES - National Institute on Drug Abuse

inhalant users among those Indian youth who belong to the Native
American Church than those who belong to Protestant or Catholic
Churches. However, it may not necessarily have been the Indian
culture and tradition that limited the number <strong>of</strong> solvent abusers.
Different types <strong>of</strong> personalities may have skewed the subject
populations by a preselection process such that fewer <strong>of</strong> those
who joined the Native American Church would have inhaled under
any circumstances. The influence <strong>of</strong> cultures or religions on
solvent abuse has not yet been adequately assessed.
Some characteristic needs <strong>of</strong> solvent abusers which should be
considered uppermost in any treatment paradigm include the
following: improvement <strong>of</strong> peer relationships, development <strong>of</strong>
suitable alternative activities, improvement <strong>of</strong> family interaction,
development <strong>of</strong> self-esteem, reinforcement <strong>of</strong> appropriate behavior,
ability to overcome moods <strong>of</strong> helplessness, increased verbal ability
(intellectual capacity appears comparable to their peers), as well
as improvement <strong>of</strong> interrelationships within the basic family and
educational systems.
Maintenance
This method is utilized primarily in the treatment <strong>of</strong> opiate addiction
by substituting one drug for another (usually both have
opiate-like effects). However, in the broader concept, one can
visualize the need for maintaining the patient’s physiological and
psychological equilibrium. This may be necessary for some subjects.
Types <strong>of</strong> drug which have been used with inhalant abusers
have included the psychotropics and tranquilizers. A word <strong>of</strong>
caution in the use <strong>of</strong> depressants is apropos. Any patient who is
taking such medication and then inhales a solvent would be enhancing
those depressant effects since these solvents belong to
the general class <strong>of</strong> depressants (along with alcohol). They also
may be deposited in lipids and residual amounts may exert additive
effects when other sedatives are subsequently administered. A
typical example <strong>of</strong> this is “degreaser’s flush.” That is, people
who work around degreasing vats using trichloroethylene all day
become flushed after a few drinks after work.
Any state <strong>of</strong> drug maintenance should not be a major focus or
long-term step in the rehabilitation effort but should probably be
only supportive until more suitable approaches can be deployed.
Also, it does not presently seem necessary or rational to substitute
one solvent for another (e.g. , such as when ether use was
substituted for alcohol in Ireland) even though the patient may so
desire.
Other Approaches
Numerous communities have made efforts to resolve the problem <strong>of</strong>
inhalant drug abuse. For example, efforts in Mexican-American
communities (barrios) where concilios were formed involved par-
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