News / Education
Inhalant Abuse Alarming Trend of Drug Abuse
Inhalant abusers breathe in a substance's vapors for effects resembling alcohol inebriation
Inhalant abusers breathe in a substance's vapors for effects resembling alcohol inebriation, including mild stimulation, loss of inhibition, and distorted perceptions. This type of drug abuse causes intoxication in addition to nausea, vomiting, slurred speech, and loss of coordination.
Older children and young adolescents may seek out inhalants as an easily obtainable substitute for alcohol. Intoxication occurs quickly and usually lasts only a few minutes, making abuse of inhalants easier to conceal than abuse of alcohol or other drugs.
NIDA is concerned that the latest MTF survey shows that the percentage of eighth-graders who believe it is dangerous to try inhalants once or twice has declined for three years and is now only 38.7 percent. These survey results parallel and may help to explain the current rise in abuse. Evidence shows that the public's perception of the risk involved in drug taking can affect rates of drug abuse.
Parents of teenagers may be unaware of the risks of inhalant abuse. Even those who are watchful for signs of alcohol or drug abuse may not realize the risk associated with products found under the kitchen sink and in the garage.
Parents and children need to know that experimentation with these substances should not be taken lightly. Even a single session of repeated inhalant abuse can disrupt heart rhythms and cause death from cardiac arrest or lower oxygen levels enough to cause suffocation.
Regular abuse of these substances can result in serious harm to vital organs including the brain, heart, kidneys, and liver.
National surveys indicate that more than 22.9 million Americans have abused inhalants at least once in their lives.
Narconon of Georgia provides drug treatment and education for the entire United States. Narconon Drug Rehab of Georgia is a non-traditional drug abuse treatment program.
