Inhalents
-They have been used by more teens than any other illegal drug except marijuana.
-They can kill you the first time they are used.
-One out of every 5 TEENS in America has used inhalents to get high-and inhalent abuse can begin at a very young age.
WHAT ARE INHALENTS?
Inhalents are ORDINARY HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS that are inhaled or sniffed by children to get high. There are HUNDREDS OF HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS on the market today that can be misused as inhalents.
WHAT DO THEY LOOK LIKE?
Examples of products YOUTH ABUSE to get high include MODEL AIRPLANE GLUE, NAIL POLISH REMOVER, CLEANING FLUIDS, HAIR SPRAY, GASOLINE, THE PROPELLANT IN AEROSOL WHIPPED CREAM, SPRAY PAINT, FABRIC PROTECTOR, AIR CONDITIONER FLUID(freon), COOKING SPRAY, CORRECTION FLUID, and even "Air in a can" the stuff used to clean computers(due to the propellant in the can).
HOW ARE THEY USED?
These prodcts are sniffed, snorted, bagged(fumes inhaled from a plastic bag), or "huffed"(inhalent-soaked rap, sock, or roll of toilet paper in the mouth)to achieve a high. inhalents are also sniffed directly from the container.
WHO USES INHALENTS?
National surveys indicated that inhalent abuse is particularly prevalent among young people. Some young people may abuse inhalents as a substitute for alcohol because they can be obtained easily. Data suggested that abuse reaches its peak at some point during the seventh through ninth grades.
-Eigth-graders regularly report the highest rates of inhalent abuse. In fact, data for 2004 shows a significant increase in lifetime use amoth eigth-graders.
SHORT TERM EFFECTS
When inhaled via the nose or mouth into the lungs in sufficient concentrations, inhalents can cause intoxicating effects. Intoxication can last a few minutes or several hours if inhalents are taken repeatedly. Initially, users may feel slightly stimulated; with successive inhalations, they may feel less inhibited and less in control; finally, a user can lose consciousness.
Other effects include headache, muscle weakness, abdominal pain, severe mood swings, & violent behavior, numbness & tingling of the hands & feet, nausea, hearing loss, limb spams, fatigue, & lack of coordination.
LONG TERM EFFECTS
Inhalents can directly induce heart failure and DEATH. This is especially common from the abuse of fluorocarbons and butane-type gases. High concentrations of inhalents can also cause death from suffocation-by displacing oxygen in the lungs & then in the central nervous system so that breathing ceases.
Other irreversible effects caused by inhaling specific solvents are HEARING LOSS, limb spasms, and central nervous system or brain damage. Serious but potentially reversible effects include liver & kidney damage & blood depletion. Deth from inhalents is usually casued by a VERY HIGH CONCENTRATION OF FUMES. Deliberately inhaling from an attached paper/plastic bag/in a closed area GREATLY INCREASES THE CHANCES OF SUFFOCATION.
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