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Inhalants Effects

When recreational drugs are mentioned to the public, people will immediately think of common substances, such as cocaine or heroin. However, there are numerous drugs available today that are starkly different than these traditional stimulants. Inhalants are slowly growing in popularity among kids, teens, and even adults. Consider the various types of inhalants today and their impact on the mind and body.

What are Inhalants?

Inhalants are any substances that have noxious fumes. These fumes are byproducts of chemicals within a product, such as paint or cleaning agents. Some of the top inhalants include shoe polish, glue, pens and spray paints. These inhalants are often found around the home, so they’re easily used by almost any age group. Other substances, such as nitrous oxide, are also popular inhalants, but they’re often difficult to find.

What are the Consequences of Using Inhalants?

Users might say that they’re only breathing in a benign substance, but inhalants slowly damage the body on several levels. It’s possible to damage the kidneys, liver and bone marrow with regular inhalant use. The long-term hearing loss is also a concern, depending on the inhalants’ types. When you breathe in substance, it enters the lungs and filters out to the rest of the body by moving through the blood vessels. Over time, it’s possible to damage many other organ areas with inhalants because of their widespread travels across body membranes.

Signs and Symptoms of Inhalant Abuse

There are marked differences in a person when they’re addicted to inhalants. Users will display a lack of caring for either work or school. Grades and work performances might drop in quality. The person will usually have a poor attitude with angry feelings toward almost everyone. In some cases, users could have delusions as they go about their day.

Effects of Inhalant Abuse

If a person is currently under the influence of inhalants, you’ll notice several effects. When the person speaks, they’ll seem to be drunk because of slurred words and sounds. The user will be uncoordinated and might complain of dizziness. Nausea and sleepiness are other effects that you’ll see in an inhalant user. Over time, these effects will increase in frequency and strength unless the person can kick the habit.

What are the Withdrawal Symptoms of Inhalants?

Users may not think that they have an inhalant problem, but they’ll notice exact withdrawal symptoms when they stop taking the substance. They’ll feel muscle cramps, chills, and sweating. Headaches are common too. In severe withdrawal cases, users might have convulsions. The withdrawal period varies widely for every user because it depends on the inhaled substance and the length of time it’s been used as a drug.

It’s important for kids to know about possible inhalant dangers so that they can avoid any issues with use during social interactions. If they see friends trying an inhalant, they can walk away before it’s even offered to them. Preventing drug use and addiction is the best way to deal with this emerging drug culture.

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