Substances used for legal purposes but sniffed or huffed for an immediate high are called inhalants. They can cause severe brain damage with continued use and can even be fatal the first time attempted. Inhalants fall into three categories: volatile solvents such as glue, gasoline, aerosols; anesthetics such as nitrous oxide, and nitrites such as amyl and butyl nitrite. Inhalants are mostly used by youngsters, between 12 and 16 years of age.

Cost

Comes from a variety of products at different price points.

Street Names

Glue, whipped cream, poppers, rush but also freely available as aerosols, lighter fuel, glues, cleaning fluids, (gas) chemical solvents, paints stripper, petrol, marker pen, deodorant, typewriter correction fluid and dry cleaning fluids.

Methods of Consumption

Some people increase the effect by inhaling from a plastic bag, breathing through the nose and mouth; Aerosols are usually put between the teeth with the top off ejecting the spray down the throat.

Consequences & Associated Risks

Inhalants are incredibly dangerous both in their toxicity and their availability. Use may cause a loss of control or unconsciousness, kidney damage, liver damage and even heart failure (occurs in a third of deaths for first time users). It can sometimes cause death by suffocation due to the freezing of air passages. It can also cause severe mood swings, numbness and tingling of the hands and feet, headache, muscle weakness, abdominal pain, decrease or loss of sense of smell, nausea and nose bleeds, irregular heartbeat, involuntary passing of urine and feces, dangerous chemical imbalances in the body, heart palpitations and breathing difficulty.

Inhalants act on the brain by destroying the outer lining of nerve cells, making it impossible for those cells to communicate. Symptoms of use include dilated pupils, blisters or rash around the nose or mouth, chronic cough, nausea and headaches, disorientation, chemical odor on breath. After only six months of use, the brain, central nervous system, lungs, nerves, liver, kidneys and bones may be permanently damaged.

Effects

Vapours cause drunken behavior and hallucinations, stomach cramps, rashes around the nose and mouth and inflamed eyes, light headedness, dizziness and some people feel sick and drowsy.

Benefits

Biologically, none

Once its effects dissipate, how do you feel?

Similar to an alcohol hang over but can be felt throughout the body.