Inhalant Abuse Prevention

Inhalant abuse is the deliberate sniffing of common household products with the purpose of "getting high." Inhalants are easily accessible everyday products, and when used correctly, have a helpful purpose in our lives, but when intentionally misused, they can be deadly. Inhalants are addictive and considered to be "gateway" drugs because children often progress from inhalants to illegal drug and alcohol abuse. The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that one in five American teens have used Inhalants to get high.

Inhalation can be referred to as huffing, sniffing, bagging, or a number of other slang terms that can be found at http://www.inhalant.org/inhalant/slang.php. All of these methods are potentially harmful or deadly.

-Huffing is when a chemically soaked rag is held to the face or stuffed in the mouth and the substance is inhaled.
-Sniffing can be done directly from containers, plastic bags, clothing or rags saturated with a substance or from the product directly.
-Bagging, substances are sprayed or deposited into a plastic or paper bag and the vapors are inhaled. This method can result in suffocation because a bag is placed over the individual's head, cutting off the supply of oxygen.

Other methods used include placing inhalants on sleeves, collars, or other items of clothing that are sniffed over a period of time.

There are more than a 1,400 products that are potentially dangerous when inhaled, such as typewriter correction fluid, air conditioning coolant, gasoline, propane, felt tip markers, spray paint, air freshener, butane, cooking spray, paint, and glue. Most are common products that can be found in the home, garage, office, school or as close as the local convenience store. The best advice for consumers is to read the labels before using a product to ensure the product is used correctly. It is also recommended that parents discuss the product labels with their children at age-appropriate times.

A complete list of list of products that are commonly abused can be found at, http://www.inhalant.org/inhalant/abusable.php