Victory Over Addiction

Inhalents
FACTS:
CHEMICALS USED:
Paint thinners, adhesives, petrol, deodorants,
butane gas, poppers, acetone,
PARAPHERNALIA:
Chemical containers. Cloths with chemicals
on. Plastic bags.
SMELL:
Strong chemical smell depending on the
substance used.
METHOD OF USE:
Sniffed directly from containers or huffed from
a cloth saturated with the chemical. Sniffing
chemical from a bag.
EFFECTS:
Dizziness, vomiting, loss of sensation and/or
consciousness, intoxication, suffocation.
LONG TERM EFFECTS:
Can kill unpredictably. Damage to the brain,
liver, kidneys and central nervous system.
Blackouts, and/or heart failure.
“Inhalants” refers to the vapors from
toxic substances which are inhaled to
reach a quick high. Of more than 1,000
household and other common products
that could be abused as inhalants, most
often used are glue, toluene, petrol,
lighter fluid, nitrous oxide or “whippets”,
spray paint, nail polish remover,
correction fluid, cleaning fluid, amyl
nitrite or “poppers”, locker room
deodorizers or “rush”, lacquer thinner
and other paint solvents.
“bagging,” the user may inhale fumes
from substances inside a paper or
plastic bag. Bagging in a closed area
greatly increases the chances of
suffocation.
“Poppers” and “whippets,” sold at
concerts and dance clubs, are
composed of poisonous chemicals that
can permanently damage the body
and brain.
Most of these produce effects similar to Inhalants can cause damage to the
anesthetics, which slow down the body's heart, kidneys, brain, liver, bone marrow
functions. Most inhalants act directly on and other organs. It starves the body of
the nervous system to produce a mind oxygen and force the heart to beat
altering effect. After an initial high and irregularly and more rapidly. An inhaler
loss of inhibition comes drowsiness, light- user risks “ Sudden Sniffing Death
headedness and agitation. Syndrome” where oxygen in the lungs is
The chemicals are rapidly absorbed replaced by the deadly chemical which
through the lungs into the
directly effects the central nervous
bloodstream and quickly reach the system causing breathing to cease.
brain and other organs, sometimes Death can occur the first time or the
causing irreversible physical and hundredth time an inhalant is used.
mental damage.
Inhalants can be physically and
psychologically addictive. Habitual users
Users inhale the chemical vapors directly
coming off inhalants suffer from
from open containers (“sniffing”) or
withdrawal symptoms which can include
breathe the fumes from rags soaked in
nausea, excessive sweating, muscle
chemicals (“huffing”). Some spray the
cramps, headaches, chills, agitation with
substance directly into the nose or
shaking and hallucinations. Severe cases
mouth, or pour it onto their collar, sleeves
of withdrawals can cause convulsions.
or cuffs and sniff them periodically. In
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