Hundreds of household products are being misused as inhalants. Some of these products include nail polish remover, hair spray, cleaning fluids, spray paint, and the propellant in aerosol whipped cream (“Inhalants“, 2010). Inhalants are breathable chemical vapors that users intentionally inhale because of the chemical’s mind-altering effects (National Institute on Drug Abuse [NIDA], 2010). The trend in inhalant abuse is growing among the young community throughout the country. Surveys have shown in 2008 2 million Americans of 12 or over reported using inhalants (NIDA, 2010). Young children from the age of 12 to 17 are the primary age group of abusers (National Drug Intelligence Center [NDIC], 2001). The numbers reflect that it is becoming more popular for young America to abuse the various inhalants available to them without realizing the short term and long term effects of the drug.
Inhalants come in many different shapes and sizes. Each inhalant falls into one of four general categories for the substances. Liquids that are vaporized at room temperature if left in unsealed containers are considered volatile solvents.
Gasoline, nail polish remover, felt-tip markers, and glue contain volatile solvents. Sprays that contain propellants and solvents fall under the aerosol category. Paint, deodorant, cooking products, and silver and gold spray paint are familiar aerosols. Substances that lack definite shape or volume such as refrigerants and medical anesthetics are gases. Nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas, is abused more often than any gas. It can be obtained from whipped cream dispensers, products that boost octane levels in racing cars, balloons, or small sealed vials called whippets. Gases found in butane lighters, air c...
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...alize that abusing inhalants causes serious effects. Not only does a person experience the short term effects that attract them to the drug but also experience the long term effects that can leave a critical mark on a person’s health. Abusers of inhalants need to be educated that what is thought to be a satisfying high is actually a deadly high.
References
Inhalants. (2010). Web. 30 Mar. 2015. http://www.drugfree.org/portal/drug_guide/inhalants
Missouri Department of Mental Health. (n.d.). Inhalants. Web. 30 Mar. 2015. http://www.well.com/user/woa/fsinhale.htm
National Drug Intelligence Center. (2001). Intelligence Brief: Huffing The Abuse of Inhalants. Web. 30 Mar. 2015.
http://www.justice.gov/ndic/pubs07/708/index.htm
National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2010). Inhalants. Web. 30 Mar. 2015. http://www.drugabuse.gov/drugpages/inhalants.html
Whipped cream dispensers are the most common used by young adults. The nitrous oxide is then inhaled. Many people use nitrous oxide for the benefit of its psychological effects. Long-term use in large quantities has been associated with symptoms similar to vitamin B12 deficiency: anemia and neuropathy. It can be habit-forming, mainly because of its short-lived effect and ease of access. Its use is thus restricted in many districts such as California. (en.wikipedia.org)
Riley Foster became an inhalant addict or more commonly known as a “huffer.” Riley was only 12 year old and inhalants are the largest amount of drugs used by this age category. Riley would sniff gasoline in his garage for hours at a time. The first time he tried inhalants he blacked out but still wanted more. After using drugs, Riley’s attitude became aggressive and frustrated much more. His mother found him in the garage slurring words and stumbling while he ran out of the garage to the woods and was found by his father. On his way to the hospital, blood ran down his nose and he had overdosed where he now is sober after months of rehabilitation. His mother stated that she did not even know inhaling was an option something that occurred in children. She was scared for his life.
Credibility material: Its intake results in adverse medical conditions that are further exalted by its addiction properties that ensure a continued intake of the substance. The drug can be abused through multiple means and is medically recorded to produce short-term joy, energy , and other effects such as increased heart rate and blood pressure. This ultimately results in numerous psychiatric and social problems; factors that played a major role in its illegalization after multiple and widespread cases of its effects were reported in the country during the 1900s. In addition to this, the drug results in immediate euphoric effect, a property which the National Institute of Drug Abuse (2010) attributes to be the root cause for its increased po...
D.A.R.E. exposed many young people, including me, to the dangers in society today. For example, almost 50,000 deaths per year can be attributed to secondhand smoke, and alcohol is the cause of 75,000 deaths in the U.S. annually. Because of my participation in D.A.R.E., I am now conscious of the health risks and effects tobacco, alcohol, and other hazardous substances cause. Before D.A.R.E., I was not mindful of the extensive damage cigarettes and other tobacco products cause. Cigarette smoke contains over 200 harmful chemicals, including rat poison. Because of nicotine, cigarettes are highly addictive. As a result, smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in the U.S. It causes over 400,000 deaths annually. Smoking causes heart disease, frequent colds, upper respiratory problems, and lung cancer. Chewing tobacco can result in mouth cancer, tooth loss, and other ailments in health. Alcohol is also a major threat to the welfare of U.S. citizens. Alcohol slows the brain and body. Effects include loss of coordination, poor judgment, memory loss, loss of self-control, and slow reflexes. Alcohol also weakens the heart muscle and reduces the amount of circulating blood. An excessive amount of al...
As per the American Heart Association in 2013, an expected 23 percent of grown-up men and 18 percent of grown-up ladies in the United States are smokers. What’s even more troubling is the prevalence of juvenile smoking in our society. juvenile smoking is a very real danger among U.S. youngsters and high schoolers. About 25 percent of U.S. secondary school understudies are smokers, and an extra 8 percent use smokeless tobacco items, for example, snuff and plunge. But what is most disheartening, is that 30 percent of all juvenile smokers will become addicted and suffer health related complications due to prolonged smoking. Numerous components play into a kid's choice to attempt tobacco. A craving to seem "cooler", more advanced, or to
"Marijuana - Drugs of Abuse and Related Topics - NIDA." Web. 12 Dec. 2011. .
Schools have always forbade students from using drugs and alcohol, however, many young adults lately are frequent smokers of electronic cigarettes. “Between 2011 and 2012 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed a sharp spike in e-cig experimentation among U.S. middle and high school students.” Vaping is often the term used for smoking electronic cigarettes. The reason why teens use drugs and alcohol have been thoroughly discussed; but what has not been thoroughly discussed, is why they smoke in the first place? What exactly causes teens to smoke E-cigs and what are the effects of vaping? Numerous explanations can be used to determine why teens smoke. Some of them are the same reason teens drink and do drugs. The main reasons include their desire to fit in with their peers, and their natural curiosity.
"NIDA InfoFacts: Marijuana.” National Institute of Drug Abuse, Nov. 2010. Web. 12 Dec. 2011. .
The effects of inhalant use are many. Almost all the abused products offer effects similar to those of anesthetics, which are slowing down the body functions. Depending upon the dosage, the user may feel a slight stimulation, less inhibition, or lose consciousness altogether. There is also something called Sudden Sniffing Death Syndrome. This means that the user can die after one inhalant use or after many. Immediate effects inhalants offer are nausea, sneezing, coughing, nosebleeds, feeling/looking tired, bad breath, lack of coordination, and loss of appetite. There is considerable damage to ones heart, kidney, brain, liver, bone marrow, and other organs. Mothers who use inhalants during their pregnancy will leave their baby to suffer similar results of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. There are many long terms effects as well. Permanent brain damage can occur. A person doesn’t even have to be doing it for very long before the brain starts to get clogged. Loss of memory is one of the first signs of brain damage.
These types of drugs are mainly used by adolescents and children since they are fairly easy to obtain and give a decent euphoria. The users of inhalants usually inhale the chemicals in through the mouth or nose, either directly or from a soaked rag. The chemicals in inhalants can be toxic or poisonous to the human body which leads to many severe health issues. Inhalants tend to contain a variety of different chemicals and long-term effects depending on its constituents. There are many possible side effects of inhalant abuse such apathy, lethargy, poor judgment, dizziness, nausea and vomiting, hallucinations, blurred vision, garbled speech, impaired coordination, muscle weakness, coma, stupor, delayed reflexes, slower movement and thought, and
Brecher, Edward M. (1972) Licit and Illicit Drugs; The Consumers Union Report on narcotics, stimulants, depressants, inhalants, Hallucinogens, and marijuana- including caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol. New York, 291-390
Mothballs are helpful in the correct circumstances, but if in incorrect circumstances can become harmful. Mothballs contain mostly Naphthalene, but also have traces of Paradichlorobenzene (Matheson TRI.GAS, 2008). Naphthalene is a solid which means the chemical has a definite shape and volume. At normal temperatures and pressures; Naphthalene has a stable reactivity (Matheson TRI.GAS, 2008). This means Naphthalene will not react at normal temperatures and pressure, but if shown to heat or flames Naphthalene will become more reactive. On the fire scale, Naphthalene is ranked 2 out of 4 (Matheson TRI.GAS, 2008). This means Naphthalene is mildly flammable. Naphthal...
you have on your roof, in the streets, and if you smoke in your lungs. These are some other substances
Aerosols; which are sprays that contain propellants and solvents. Aerosol inhalants are some such ...
1. Inhalants are household products that are inhaled or sniffed by children to get high.