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Common household items have a long history of being used by people for a purpose other than what they were intended for. Things like spray paint, glue, contact cement, nail polish, and paint thinner are inhaled through the nose or mouth for the quick and inexpensive “high” they give. Even medicinal gases and compounds, such as nitrous oxide and chloroform, can be abused when inhaled in greater doses than recommended and for purposes not set out by the maker.
Using these substances or types of inhalants for intoxication rather than the uses they were created for can have extreme health implications and can easily lead to addiction or sudden sniffing death. Here’s what you should know about inhalants, or household items used to get high.
What Are Inhalants?
The term “inhalant” refers to a large class of vaporized or pressurized household, medical, or industrial chemicals that are inhaled to achieve intoxication. These chemicals include but aren’t limited to, nitrous oxide, butane, certain types of glue, toluene, benzene, and amyl nitrate. Some of these substances are inhaled at room temperature; others are heated and then inhaled or sniffed. Inhalants are also sometimes inhaled through a saturated rag.
Are Inhalants Stimulants?
Known as depressants, inhalants slow down the workings of the central nervous system and cognitive processes. This makes them the direct opposite of stimulants, which speed up bodily functions.
Identifying Household Items Used to Get High
Hundreds of products fall under the inhalant drug category, many of which are likely present in your home. This includes a variety of cleaning supplies, air fresheners, office supplies, and even food packaging. Some examples of household items used to get high include:
- Dusting spray
- Permanent markers
- Whipped cream in aerosol cans
- Gasoline
- Paint thinner
- Spray paint
- Nail polish remover
- Lighter fluid
- Disinfectant
- Rubber cement
Commonly used names for household inhalants include poppers, highballs, whippits, whiteout, and aimies. The act of getting high on inhalants is often called huffing, sniffing, or bagging, depending on the method used.
While most types of inhalant drugs are legal, several states have enacted legislation to restrict access to them by minors. Thirty-eight U.S. states have laws against selling inhalants to minors or using inhalants for intoxication.
It’s important to note that marijuana and tobacco, while inhaled, are not considered “inhalants” when talking about substance abuse and addiction. The DEA draws this distinction for chemicals that are rarely if ever, used in any other route except inhaled. In 2023, over 3 million Americans aged 12 and older reported having used inhalants to get high at least once in the previous year. Young people are often drawn to this drug class because of its affordability and easy access when compared to other recreational drugs.
What Inhalants Do to the Human Body
Inhalants, as a class, are among the least studied recreational drugs in use today. Each substance reacts somewhat differently when introduced to the human body. Because they’re inhaled, these substances produce an almost immediate high that’s generally short-lived. The short-term nature of the high leads users to repeatedly use these substances in an effort to extend their state of intoxication. Short-term use of inhaling these drugs involves effects including:
- Agitation
- Loss of coordination
- Headaches
- Impaired judgment
- Delusions
- Rapid heart rate
- Unconsciousness
- Death
Some of the most commonly abused inhalants are central nervous system depressants, which create effects similar to alcohol or opioid abuse over time. Research has shown that this level of use can lead to breathing difficulties, limb spasms, heart attacks, and loss of consciousness. Long-term use of inhalants has also been associated with brain damage, memory loss, and neurological diseases, such as multiple sclerosis. Common effects among long-term inhalant users include:
- Apathy
- Muscle spasms
- Irritability
- Anxiety and depression
- Organ damage (lungs, liver, kidney, heart, etc.)
- Brain damage
- Amnesia
- Loss of senses
- Heart failure
- Damage to bone marrow
- Diminished intelligence
- Coma
- Addiction
- Death
Chronic use of inhalants can also harm organs, such as the kidneys and liver, which work to rid the body of toxic substances. Some of this damage may be partially reversible once the person ceases their drug use. However, much of the damage can end up being permanent.
Traces of inhalants and their metabolites can be detected in a person’s system for just a few hours after the last use. It may take chronic users somewhat longer for the drug to be undetectable in their system.
What Does Addiction to Inhalants Look Like?
Unlike alcohol use or even marijuana use, there’s no acceptable level of inhalant use. Any amount of inhalant use should be considered dangerous to a person’s health and a problem. Treatment is indicated if this use interferes with a person’s work, family life, and other responsibilities.
Although this is a broad category with many variables, it’s possible to create a chemical dependency on certain chemicals being inhaled. Certain chemicals create physical dependency more readily than others. It’s possible that an inhalant addiction is a largely habitual and compulsory function of the user chasing a euphoric high.
If there’s a chemical dependency, it will create a unique withdrawal process when usage is ceased. However, as with most addictions, sudden cessation will bring about a period of withdrawal symptoms caused by the psychological stress and physical absence of the chemical. The signs of active inhalant abuse, regardless of specific drug type, include loss of appetite and, in turn, weight; disorientation and confusion; dilated pupils (when high); shakiness; and extreme mood swings.
Add to these the classic behavioral signs of any drug addiction that include withdrawal from family and friends, lack of money despite an adequate income, borrowing and stealing money, having friends who aren’t introduced to family and old friends, getting phone calls and visitors at all hours of the day and night and getting caught in fibs or outright lies.
Dangers of inhalant abuse include depression, isolation, and loss of job or family members. Inhalants are often considered a stepping stone to other addictive drugs, such as cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin. Inhalant use by pregnant women has been shown to affect the cognitive and learning abilities of the baby and the child’s birth weight.
What Are Treatment Options for Addiction to Inhalants?
The good news for anyone hooked on inhalants is that you can find freedom from addiction. Many rehab facilities offer residential treatment programs that can help you recover your health in a nurturing, therapeutic environment away from the stresses and people that enabled your addiction.
Residential treatment begins with a period of medically supervised detox, followed by intensive group and individual therapies, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), that address the roots of your addiction. CBT helps patients develop greater emotional self-awareness and change destructive behavioral responses to various emotions, such as anger and sadness. (Often, substance abuse is one of these “destructive behavioral responses” that needs to be replaced with healthier coping mechanisms.)
After residential treatment, many patients transition into aftercare and/or outpatient programs that help them build on what they learned in rehab, strengthening their long-term resilience to addiction.
The Next Step
Please don’t ever hesitate to reach out for help if you or someone you love is struggling with addiction to inhalants. Contact FHE Health today. Our experienced and caring team of recovery counselors is waiting to take your call any time of day or night. Let today be the first day of your new life in recovery.
