Download INHALANTS

Mr. Prall
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSWt8UM
RsdY&feature=related
Put yourself in the narrators shoes. How
would you feel if you were him?
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Inhalants – Are substances that are sniffed or
huffed to give the user an immediate rush, or
high.
Glues
Paint thinners
Dry cleaning
Gasoline
Felt-tip marker fluid
Hair sprays
Spray-paint
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Inhalants might seem like an alternative to
other mood-altering drugs because they are
cheap, can be purchased legally, and are easy
to obtain. But that doesn't make them safer.
Household products are safe for cleaning,
painting, and the other things they're meant
to do. But as inhalants, they can be deadlier
than street drugs.
Are they more popular among youths or
adults?
YOUTHS!
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A 2006 study shows how often teenagers
aged 12-17 use inhalants.
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Inhalants produce a quick feeling of being
drunk — followed by sleepiness, staggering,
dizziness, and confusion. Long-time users
get headaches, nosebleeds, and sometimes
lose their sense of smell. Inhalants decrease
oxygen to the brain and can cause brain
damage.
Although inhalants can be found around the
house, they're so bad for you that using
them, even one time, can kill you.
*Hypoxia - Displacing the air in the lungs
with inhalant sprays, depriving the body of
oxygen.
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Use of inhalants has continually increased for
the past six years among 10th graders.
According to the most recent Monitoring the
Future Study, relatively low proportions of 8th
and 10th graders think that there is a "great
risk" in using inhalants.
The National Survey on Drug Use and Health
indicates a correlation between early inhalant
use and delinquent behaviors, substance
abuse and other problems later in life.
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Volatile Solvents
Gases
Aerosol Sprays
Nitrites
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Volatile solvents -are liquids that become a
gas at room temperature.
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Paint thinners and removers
Gasoline
Glues
Felt-tip marker fluid
Art and office supplies
Degreasers
Dry cleaning fluids
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Gases – Include medical gases and household
or commercial products.
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Ether
Nitrous Oxide
Butane lighters
Propane tanks
Whipped cream dispensers
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Aerosol Sprays – Aerosol spray is a type of
dispensing system which creates an aerosol
mist of liquid particles. This is used with a
can or bottle that contains a liquid under
pressure.
They are some of the most prevalent
inhalants in the home.
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Spray paint
Deodorant
Hair Spray
Static cling sprays
Vegetable oil cooking sprays
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Nitrites – Are called either “poppers” or
“snappers” on the street.
*They are used medically to relieve attacks of
angina chest pain caused by insufficient
blood flow in the vessels serving the heart.
They also tend to depress the activity of the
central nervous system, producing the
giddiness and euphoria of a high.
Used as sexual enhancers.
Butyl Nitrates (Poppers) are illegal.
Poppers – Small bottles filled with liquid
chemicals called alkyl nitrites.
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Found in some room deodorizers and
capsules that release vapors when opened.
Cyclohexyl nitrite
Amyl Nitrite
◦ Used for heart pain
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Absorbed by the brain and then nervous
system.
*All inhalants (except nitrites) slows down the
body. (Similar to alcohol)
People can become easily addicted to the
chemicals that are in inhalants. Because of
this people can easily become long-term
users.
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Phases:
◦ First someone will get excited
◦ After the excitement wear’s off the user will get
tired.
◦ Once the user gets tired they have difficulty
speaking and walking.
◦ The user then gets dizzy, loses inhibitions, and
then becomes agitated.
◦ The user is put on a roller coaster ride.
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Short-term effects:
 Increased heart rate
 Hallucinations or delusions
 Losing feeling or consciousness
 Nausea and vomiting
 Loss of coordination
 Slurred speech
 Rapid or irregular heart rhythm within
minutes.
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Long-term effects:
◦ Brain damage (toxic chemicals may make
people become slow or clumsy, have trouble
solving problems or planning ahead, suffer
from memory loss, or become unable to
learn new things)
◦ Muscle weakness
◦ Depression
◦ Headaches and nosebleeds
◦ Loss of sense of smell or hearing
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Nitrites:
◦ They work much differently than the others. Instead
of slowing down the brain and the spinal cord, they
increase the size of blood vessels and relax the
muscles.
◦ This could lead to blood clots (thrombus), blocked
blood vessels, and even arteriosclerosis.
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Inhalants are highly toxic.
The effects of inhalant use can be permanent,
and ever lasting.
What parts of the body are effected?
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Brain
Spinal Cord
Lungs
Liver
Kidneys
Heart
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Like most street drugs, inhalants can be
deadly. Someone can die from abusing
inhalants after trying it only once. Causes of
death include:
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"Sudden Sniffing Death" — This is the most
common cause of death from inhalant use. The
heart beats quickly and irregularly, and then
suddenly stops (cardiac arrest).
◦ Usually occurs from butane, propane, aerosols.
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Asphyxia — Toxic fumes replace oxygen in the
lungs so that a person stops breathing.
Choking — A user can choke on his or her vomit.
Suffocation — When vapors are inhaled from a
plastic bag placed over the head, the bag can
block air
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Injuries — Since people high on inhalants often
make poor decisions, they might try to drive
under the influence or do something irrational,
such as jump off a roof. They could also get
burned or start explosions if a spark ignites
flammable inhalants.
Suicide — Some people become depressed when
their high wears off.
Chemicals can displace oxygen in the
lungs…thus making a person basically suffocate
to death.
Will also displace oxygen in the central nervous
system, which can lead to brain damage and
failure.
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Inhalants, like other drugs, have noticeable
effects on those using them. Someone on
inhalants may suffer from a number of
different ill effects, including:
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Mood swings
Extreme anger and agitation
Exhaustion
Loss of appetite
Frequent vomiting
Hallucinations and illusions
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Facial rashes and blisters
Frequent nose running and coughing
Dilated pupils
Extremely bad breath
Keep in mind some of these are signs of
other Health concerns, and may not be
necessarily be inhalant abuse.