Treatment/Prevention

Inhalant Treatment and Prevention

Inhalant treatment (inhalant-induced disorders) is very difficult to address due to the fact that substance abuse treatment has not progressed for inhalant use as much as it has for alcohol, pharmaceuticals, and other illicit drug use.  Finding doctors and facilities who specialize in inhalants is not an easy task. Although inhalant treatment can be an out-patient format, the easy access to inhalants in our communities makes this option very difficult and often unsuccessful.  Inhalant use is “addicting” and very difficult to stop.  Often inpatient programs are a better solution if they can be afforded. 

A Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (SAMSHA) study reported that more than half of the people who were admitted for treatment of inhalant abuse were 18 years and older.  In the past year of this study (2013), 1.1 million adults used inhalants.  Fifty-two percent of those admitted for inhalant abuse were age 18-29 years, while thirty-two percent were age 30-44 years, and sixteen percent were 45 years and older.  SAMSHA also clarified that there were more adults in treatment for inhalants in 2014, than for Heroin, Cocaine and prescription drugs.  Lastly, most substance abuse treatment practitioners state that inhalant treatment is more difficult than that of other substances due to the fact that inhalant abusers exhibit brain impairments, medical, family, and developmental concerns that are more severe than those of other drug abusers.  Although there have been studies involving different drugs which can be used as deterrents to inhalant use, the success is sporadic and limited.  The best results would be to search for an inhalant specific facility and/or doctor which best meets your resources.