Solvents
Solvents and aerosols are drugs that were never meant to be drugs.
They are made by the chemical industry to be used in all sorts of products - in gasoline, shoe polish, paint removers, model airplane glue, nail polish remover, spray deodorants, hairsprays, and insecticides. These are only a few of the hundreds of products that contain them.
But people, especially young people, found that a whiff of these chemicals can give them a "buzz". And so, solvents and aerosols also became "drugs". Because they are breathed in (inhaled) - like some other drugs, such as ether, amyl nitrate, and nitrous oxide - scientists call them "inhalants".
How do solvents and aerosols affect you? Fast. In seconds after sniffing, you will feel the effects. That's because the drug floods into your bloodstream directly from your lungs and then quickly goes into the brain and liver, the organs with the largest blood supply.
The result for many users is an immediate "high". They become giddy, outgoing, and full of confidence. They hear and see "things", objects around them take on strange sizes, shapes, and colors, and time and space seem to shrink and expand.
Physically, the effects of sniffing are no fun at all. Sneezing, coughing, vomiting, and diarrhea are common; so are slurred speech, double vision, drowsiness, muscle pain - and a hangover after the effects wear off.
Is solvent and aerosol abuse dangerous? Sniffing solvents and aerosols can kill you or leave you permanently damaged. Here's why: in a typical way of sniffing inhalents, users put a solvent-soaked cloth in a plastic bag, which they hold tightly around their nose and mouth.
Some users have suffocated when they fell asleep or passed out.
Some users suffer heart failure if stress or strenuous exercise follows several deep inhalations ("sudden sniffing death").
Some users have overdosed either accidentally or on purpose.
The feeling of being all-powerful can make users reckless and violent, and they can purposely or accidentally hurt or kill themselves or others.
Some users don't get high; they just get depressed. Some have attempted suicide.
People who use solvents regularly for a long time can damage their liver, kidneys, lungs, heart, brain, and blood. Sometimes this damage heals when drug use is stopped; sometimes it is permanent.
Some users have suffered severe brain damage. Their brains have actually shrunk, and their ability to think and to control their movement has been seriously affected.
Can you become addicted to aerosols and solvents? Yes. Young people especially can become psychologically dependent on these chemicals if they use them often. Solvent use becomes a more and more important part of daily life and very hard to stop. Users also become tolerant to the chemical, and need to keep taking more and more to get high. Although they can become physically dependent, the withdrawal symptoms when they stop are usually quite mild.
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