Inhalant Addiction

Inhalant addiction can be even more difficult to deal with than other kinds of addictions because of the availability of the inhalants. Inhalants are plentiful and are easy to find simply laying around in basements and garages. These products include many household products such as paint thinners, gasoline, glues, butane lighters, propane, whipped cream dispensers, spray paint, deodorants, hairsprays, cooking sprays, and various nitrates. These products are inhaled and provide a high for the person.

Very often a person suffering from inhalant addiction will mirror an alcoholic in many ways. They will have an increased heart rate, distorted perception, lethargy, nausea and/or vomiting, a lack of coordination, and slurred speech. Another serious problem with inhalant addiction is that it causes a tolerance very quickly and causes withdrawal symptoms just as fast. Withdrawal symptoms from inhalant addiction include intense sweating, insomnia, tremors, nausea or vomiting, extreme agitation, anxiety, hallucinations, and grand mal seizures.

It is important to be able to spot the signs of inhalant addiction that include unexplained paint on the face, body or clothing, open sores around the mouth, runny nose, bloodshot eyes, chemical smelling breath, drunk in appearance, irritable, and lack of appetite. When inhalant addiction does not cause death there is a list of other severe health problems that it can cause and likely will including deafness from destroyed brain cells, impairing oxygen flow to the blood, certain chemicals cause leukemia, brain damage that includes permanent loss of memory, personality changes, and problems with speech, fatal cardiac arrhythmia, kidney failure, liver damage, lung damage, reduced muscle tone and strength, nerve damage, and skin problems.

Adolescents, ages 13-15 make up the biggest group of those with an inhalant addiction. The reason for this particular age group partaking in inhalants is for peer acceptance and because these products are so cheap and easy to obtain. Many times inhalants are initially just experimented with but because they are so highly addictive prolonged use shortly follows. Unfortunately, just one dance with inhalants can cause irreversible brain damage or death. Inhalant addiction is also particularly a problem since they affect the brain so quickly. Neurologically, these solvents just eat away at the brain. The high that comes from using inhalants is very short lived which means that the user will continue to inhale quite frequently over a short period of time crippling the brain and the central nervous system. Many times inhalant addiction actually causes problems that are very similar to dementia. 

Treatment for inhalant addiction usually requires admission into a treatment center that has a focus on treating inhalant addiction as well as treating adolescents. Medications are used to manage withdrawal symptoms and prevent seizures and possible convulsions. Psychiatric treatment is also used to treat any underlying problems. Once detox is complete the main form of treatment for inhalant addiction is changing behaviors and learning how to live and function without being high and using inhalants, avoiding high pressure situations, preventing relapse, and handling relapse if it occurs.

It is almost impossible to stop using inhalants without professional help and support. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, a survey conducted in 2009 indicated that nearly 15% of US 8th graders have tried some form of inhalant during their lifetime and nearly 4% had within a month of being asked. These numbers are staggering and reveal that this is an epidemic.

Relapse is a real possibility with inhalant addiction because the cravings for the inhalants are so intense. Treatment can teach inhalant addicts that life is much better when they are not abusing inhalants and have broken free from addiction. In a sense, inhalant addiction is no different from other kinds of addiction. The user is caught up in the world of addiction and often cannot see what it is doing to them, family, and friends. In addition, the chemicals have changed the brain and altered their way of thinking so any chance at clear rational thinking is usually impossible.

Help is here and there is real hope. You just have to make the call. If the help is for you then you have taken the biggest step forward but if it is for a loved one then do what you have to do to get them some help. Interventions work well with the adolescent and teen group, which is something to consider. This cannot be tackled alone and your phone call will remain confidential. Don't let inhalant addiction take your life or the life of someone that you love.

Call Genesis House at 1-800-737-0933 to begin your journey in recovery. Our client-centered approach is based on the recognition that every client is an expert on his or her self, and by encouraging him or her to participate in treatment planning and the creation of goals, we are addressing each client's individual needs.