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Epidemiology of Inhalant Abuse - Archives - National Institute on ...

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always are combined with alcohol. Alcohol is the most abused legal drug<br />

in Hungary. Beside prescripti<strong>on</strong> drugs, youngsters use poppy tea or<br />

homemade preparati<strong>on</strong>s <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> poppy straw, mainly administered<br />

intravenously. The age <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> drug abusers ranges from 18 to 30 years.<br />

From the middle to late 1960s, glue was the most comm<strong>on</strong>ly abused<br />

substance am<strong>on</strong>g youngsters (Cseme 1991; Farkasinszky et al. 1976;<br />

Forgacs 1990; Racz 1992). The first drug-related deaths and police cases<br />

were reported in 1969 (Levai 1991). Volatile substances were easily<br />

accessible, although several products were withdrawn from the market<br />

because <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> either overdose or sudden deaths occurring am<strong>on</strong>g adolescents<br />

following their use.<br />

By 1990, within a 10-year-period, 55 drug-related deaths due to volatile<br />

substance abuse were registered.<br />

By the end <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the 1970s, young people became addicted to polydrugs,<br />

including glue, prescripti<strong>on</strong> drugs, and alcohol; this c<strong>on</strong>tinues even today<br />

(Gryneusz and Pressing 1986). There always are new prescripti<strong>on</strong> drugs<br />

being discovered by abusers for their narcotic effects. In the 1970s, a<br />

specific antiparkins<strong>on</strong>ian prescripti<strong>on</strong> drug, trihexyphenidyl hydrocholoride,<br />

was abused and c<strong>on</strong>sequently taken <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>f the market because <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

its hallucinogenic effects (Kisszekelyi 1973). Today’s most popular<br />

hypnotic prescripti<strong>on</strong> drug is glutethimide, which has severe withdrawal<br />

effects when abused.<br />

Since the 1980s, homemade preparati<strong>on</strong>s <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> poppy straw have become<br />

very popular al<strong>on</strong>g with stimulants, and the trend <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> abuse certainly is <strong>on</strong><br />

the rise. Meanwhile, volatile substance abuse has decreased, almost<br />

vanishing in certain areas, while in other regi<strong>on</strong>s it has been maintained.<br />

HUNGARIAN RESEARCH ON DRUGS<br />

While the drug problem was noticed in the early 1970s in Hungary, it<br />

took a l<strong>on</strong>g time for policymakers to support research to better understand<br />

the nature <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> deviant behaviors and social maladaptati<strong>on</strong> (Andorka 1985).<br />

A few studies were c<strong>on</strong>ducted <strong>on</strong> a sporadic basis at that time. These<br />

studies were descriptive in nature and were based <strong>on</strong> clinical observati<strong>on</strong>.<br />

These few descriptive studies showed that a problem existed, but the<br />

informati<strong>on</strong> was limited and could not lead to a deep understanding <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

why and how inhalant abuse emerged and spread and who got involved.<br />

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