What is Inhalant Abuse?

Inhalant abuse refers to the intentional inhalation of vapors from commercial products or specific chemical agents to achieve a “high.” Abusers may inhale products directly through the mouth, from a bag which the agent has been sprayed into, or from a rag containing the chemical being placed over the nose and/or mouth. The intoxication or “high” is immediate, yet short-lived. Many inhalers will continually repeat this process in order to maintain this euphoria (American Psychiatric Association (APA) 2000).
More than 22 million Americans age 12 and older have used inhalants and every year, more than 750,000 individuals use inhalants for the first time. While research has identified the toxic dangers of inhalants, its epidemiology, neurobiology, treatment and prevention are still unclear. Most people are unaware of inhalant abuse and how dangerous it is. Inhalants continue to be a severe problem in this country and in some geographic areas, the originally identified “teen” behavior has transitioned into an adult epidemic (Howard, Bowen, Garland, Perron, and Vaughn, 2011).
Inhalants are divided into a variety of groups depending on the organization creating the list. The list below contains the title of the inhalant group along with the chemicals involved. Over 3400 inhalant products have been identified by the National Poison Data System (NPDS).