Inhalants are one of the least understood addictive drugs, not least because they hide in plain sight. These unstable substances produce chemical fumes that are inhaled to cause mind-altering effects. They’re frequently found in products that are easy to buy and can be found in schools, homes, or workplaces.
Common products used to achieve an inhalant high include spray paint, correction fluids, felt-tip markers, glues, and cleaning fluids. Many people accidentally smell or breathe in these chemicals during use. People using inhalants as drugs breathe them in through the mouth (via bagging or huffing) or the nose (snorting or sniffing). Abusing inhalants can cause suffocation or cardiac arrest, and regular use can harm vital organs. Inhalant use has declined since the early 2000s. But young adolescents are the most common abusers of inhalants, which sets it apart from other addictive substances.
Types of Inhalants
There are four main categories of inhalants:
- Volatile Solvents: Liquids that vaporize at room temperature, such as degreasers, paint thinners, gasoline, and glues.
- Aerosols: Aerosol substances contain solvents and propellants such as air fresheners, spray paint, and hair spray.
- Nitrites: Chemicals that relax muscles and dilate blood vessels. They’re often found in leather cleaners and room odorizers.
- Gases: This category includes medical anesthetics, such as nitrous oxide (laughing gas), propane from tanks, and butane from lighters.
How Inhalants are Used?
Inhalants are usually inhaled through the nose or mouth in several ways:
- Sniffing: Inhaling the fumes directly from the container
- Huffing: Inhaling the fumes from a soaked cloth or rag held to the face
- Bagging: Inhaling the vapors from a substance that’s been sprayed or placed inside a paper or plastic bag
- Dusting: Inhaling the fumes directly from aerosol cans
Are Inhalants Addictive?
Many individuals who abuse inhalants report a strong drive to continue using them, even when they want to stop. This is especially true of people who have used them for long periods of time or over many days. Regular use of inhalants can result in withdrawal symptoms when the person stops using them, just like more recognizable drugs like alcohol or opioids.
Signs of Inhalant Addiction
- Odor of chemicals on the clothes or in the breath
- Loss of coordination
- Inattentiveness
- Paint or other stains on hands, clothes, or face
- Hidden empty spray paint or solvent containers, and/or chemical-soaked rags or clothes
- Disoriented or dazed appearance
- Slurred speech
- Notable decrease in appetite and/or weight loss
- Behavior changes, such as isolation from family and friends
- Rapid decline in school or work performance
- Unexplained nausea or vomiting
- Anxiety, irritability, and/or depression
- Nosebleeds or runny nose
- Change in personal hygiene and grooming
Effects of Inhalant Addiction
Abuse of inhalants can have a variety of long-term and short-term effects on the body and mind. Short-term effects may include:
- Loss of coordination
- Slurred speech
- Lightheadedness
- Hallucinations
- Delusions
- Nausea and vomiting
- Loss of consciousness
Long-term inhalant abuse can cause a variety of physical and psychological complications, which can vary by person and activities performed while high or in the process of obtaining inhalants. They may include:
- Muscle weakness
- Sudden Sniffing Death Syndrome (SSDS)
- Sexually transmitted infections
- Bronchitis
- Asthma
- Sinusitis
- Nerve damage
- Brain damage
- Loss of hearing
- Kidney and liver damage
- Heart problems
- Bone marrow damage
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Tuberculosis
- HIV/AIDS
What are the Dangers of Inhalant Abuse?
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), even a single episode or intermittent use of inhalants can have severe consequences. The impact of inhalant abuse on the oxygen capacity and heart rate can cause death from suffocation and cardiac arrest.
Some of the most dangerous health issues that may result from inhalant use:
- Addiction: Inhalant abuse can lead to addiction. It may become hard to stop using the substances without professional help.
- Sudden Sniffing Death Syndrome (SSDS): This can happen from just one session of inhalant abuse. SSDS causes the heart to stop suddenly.
- Brain Damage: Inhalants can cause permanent damage to the brain. This can lead to memory loss, cognitive impairment, and personality changes.
- Organ Damage: Long-term inhalant abuse can damage the kidneys, liver, heart, and lungs.
Co-Occurring Disorders
Inhalant abuse can mask negative emotions through the rapid increase in chemicals that produce a feeling of artificial euphoria during use. An individual who is inhalant-dependent may also have co-occurring mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety, with symptoms that are relieved by the use of inhalants. A co-occurring mental health and addiction disorder is referred to as a dual diagnosis.
It’s not surprising that when the use of inhalants stops, pre-existing mood disorders reappear in force. This can frequently trap people into a cycle of substance use where they self-medicate their mental illnesses using addictive substances. Dual diagnosis treatment for addiction is designed to help people with a mental illness diagnosis cope with their symptoms with healthier coping mechanisms.
Withdrawal Symptoms of Inhalant Addiction
Similar to many drugs of abuse, the intensity and length of time a person has been using inhalants will determine the level of severity of inhalant withdrawal. The longer and larger the amount of inhalant usage, the harder and more dangerous withdrawal becomes. People who have become dependent on inhalants can even experience life-threatening symptoms, like convulsions.
When inhalant use is stopped, physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms will be experienced until internal chemical levels are adjusted back to normal levels. Unpleasant psychological and physical symptoms of inhalant withdrawal may include:
- Cravings
- Body pains
- Depression
- Hallucinations
- Headaches
- Nervousness
- Insomnia
- Tremors
- Sweating
- Psychosis
- Panic attacks
Treatment for Inhalant Withdrawal
Inhalant withdrawal management can be treated with medication-assisted treatment (MAT) and non-pharmacologically, such as with support groups and therapies. Usually, a combination is used. An individually tailored treatment plan can increase abstinence and long-term recovery.
Treatment for Inhalant Addiction
Because inhalants can directly and intensely stimulate the reward and reinforcement systems of the brain, treatment methods are similar to those used to treat other addictive behaviors and include:
As mentioned previously, withdrawal from inhalant addiction can be life-threatening. Withdrawal symptoms usually present within the first 24 to 48 hours after the last use. The worst of the symptoms typically pass in about a week. However, the psychological symptoms can last substantially longer.
There aren’t any medications designed specifically for inhalant detox, but doctors may prescribe medications to relieve the symptoms of nausea, depression, anxiety, and insomnia. Since inhalants have such adverse short-and long-term effects on the body, the detox method of tapering off is not likely used. Patients will likely need to quit inhalants immediately when they enter a detox program.
Behavioral therapies are treatment methods that help individuals change learned behaviors. Behavioral therapy can help people identify and work to change self-destructive or unhealthy behavior. Two common evidence-based behavioral therapies for addiction treatment are Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT).
Group therapy is typically led by one or two qualified therapists, depending on the size of the group. Group therapy allows peers to discuss their difficulties and successes while offering insights and holding each other accountable. Support groups and twelve-step groups offer support for individuals going through the same experience. They offer structured guidelines for lasting recovery by reducing the risk of relapse.
People with a substance use disorder can also have a mental illness that works in an interlinked manner with their addiction. One-to-one therapy with a counselor can help an individual discover underlying reasons for their inhalant abuse.
Because addiction is a disorder that affects the whole family dynamic and not just the person with the disorder, family therapy helps family members learn about addiction and how to support their child, sibling, or parent with the disease. It’s also a good way to help family members heal from the trauma of having a member with substance use disorder.
Heal From Addiction at Magnolia City Detox
Help is available at Magnolia City Detox. We’re not just a detox center. We provide high quality medical detox to help you begin your recovery journey as healthily as possible. It can fully prepare you for stabilization, where we provide personalized services to help you rebuild your physical, emotional, and mental health.
When you’re ready for residential treatment, you’ll receive 24-hour care and monitoring. Residential treatment is for people with severe addiction, need to step away from their lives to focus on recovery, or who want to recover in a stable, drug-free environment. Magnolia offers 30, 60, and 90-day programs to help everyone need a program that fits their needs. In addition, our outpatient program is available to help individuals with mild to moderate addiction who have drug-free housing to return to each day. Outpatient treatment is also a good option for those who want to continue treatment after completing a more intense level of care.
Whatever your needs, we’re here to help you. Inhalant addiction can be extremely dangerous. If you or your loved one need help recovering from inhalant addiction, contact us today.
