Inhalants

HOW MUCH Do You KNOW? For each of the statements below, circle either "True" or "False.“ 1.Inhalants are harmful only if you sniff different products at the same time. True / False 2. Certain inhalant chemicals can stay in your body for up to three weeks. True / False 3.Using inhalants literally dissolves your brain. True / False 4.Inhalants are more dangerous than illegal drugs like marijuana or cocaine. True / False 5.Sudden Sniffing Death (SSD) syndrome cannot occur after a single abuse of inhalants. True / False 6.You cannot tell if a person has been using inhalants just by looking at him or her. True / False 7.Inhalants outrank marijuana as the "drug of choice" among year olds. True / False 8.Inhalant abuse can cause permanent damage to the brain, kidney, liver, lungs, and bone marrow. True / False 9.Sudden Sniffing Death (SSD) syndrome happens when the heart stops after inhalant abuse. True / False 10.The user of inhalants is able to determine how much he or she needs to sniff to get high without risking coma or SSD. True / False 11.Sniffing inhalants can cause a hangover which can last as long as three days. True / False 12.High concentrations of inhalants can cause suffocation by depleting the lungs of the oxygen that is necessary for life.True / False 13.The human brain creates new brain cells to replace the brain cells that die. True / False 14. Sniffing inhalants can paralyze the body's muscles. True / False

Show- “Huffing-Inhalants” DVD

Inhalants: Health Consequences Reduce oxygen absorption Reduce Lung Function Cause irregular heart rhythm Can stop heart entirely Cause painful headaches Destroy brain’s neural coating Affect vision and hearing Affect sense of smell and taste

INHALANTS FACTS What are inhalants? Inhalants are ordinary household products that are inhaled or sniffed to get high. There are hundreds of household products that can be abused as inhalants. What do inhalants look like? Examples of products that kids abuse include model airplane glue, nail polish remover, cleaning fluids, hair spray, gasoline, the propellant in aerosol whipped cream, spray paint, fabric protector, air conditioner fluid (freon), cooking spray, and correction fluid. How are inhalants used? These products are sniffed, snorted, bagged (fumes inhaled from a plastic bag), or "huffed" (inhalant-soaked rag, sock, or roll of toilet paper in the mouth) to achieve a high. Inhalants are also sniffed directly from the container. Abusing inhalants is extremely dangerous. The hazards range from unpleasant side effects to serious damage to your brain, your organs, and your bones—and the effects can be permanent. SHORT-TERM SIDE EFFECTS YOUR ORGANS > Slurred speech > Inflamed, infected, and damaged lungs > Inability to coordinate movements > Liver damage > Dizziness > Kidney stones > Delirium > Paralyzed bowel and bladder function > Nausea and vomiting YOUR BRAIN YOUR MUSCLES > Trouble coordinating movements > Muscle wasting > Trouble planning and solving problems > Reduced tone arid strength > Learning disabilities > Spasms > Trouble recognizing familiar things > Multiple sclerosis-type symptoms: fatigue, vision problems, slurring speech, tremors > Memory loss > Hearing loss > Personality and behavior changes > Uncontrollable shaking YOUR NERVOUS SYSTEM > Damage to the protective tissue around the spinal cord > Numbness in the hands and legs > Paralysis

A FATAL MISTAKE Inhalants have a unique quality: They can kill you even the first time you use them. Sniffing or huffing puts you at risk for these fatal conditions: Sudden Sniffing Death Inhalants are depressants, which means that they slow down the central nervous system. This can make the heartbeat dangerously slow and irregular. If someone who is abusing inhalants gets scared—for example, from a drug induced hallucination or for fear of being discovered by parents—he or she may experience a rush of adrenaline. The adrenaline can make the heartbeat even more irregular and even stop the heart. Sudden Sniffing Death accounts for more than half of all inhalant-related deaths. Suffocation Oxygen is an extremely important gas for human life; without it, someone can only live for a few minutes. Inhaling chemicals can replace all the oxygen in the lungs with toxic fumes—the inhalant abuser can't breathe and suffocates to death. Vagal Inhibition When cold aerosol gases are sprayed directly in the mouth, they can cause a reflex reaction that stops the heart. Frozen Throat In some cases, cold gases sprayed in the mouth have frozen the abuser's throat, making it impossible to breathe and suffocating him or her. Respiratory Arrest Some inhalant abusers sniff or huff toxic fumes over and over, slowing down their nervous systems more every time. The lungs can slow down so much that the abuser goes into respiratory arrest, stops breathing and dies. Choking Inhalants may cause both vomiting and unconsciousness. If both happen at the same time, the abuser can choke on his or her own vomit. Injuries Toxic fumes impair driving ability and judgment, making abusers more likely to die in a car crash or become fatally injured doing something reckless.

Depending how much is taken and physical condition, of the individual, alcohol can cause: ● Slurred speech ●Drowsiness ●Vomiting ●Diarrhea ●Upset stomach ●Headaches ●Breathing difficulties ●Distorted vision and hearing ●Impaired judgment ●Decreased perception and coordination ●Unconsciousness ●Anemia (loss of red blood cell) ●Coma ●Blackouts (memory lapses, where the drinker cannot remember events that occurred while under the influence)

Binge drinking and continued alcohol use in large amounts are associated with many health problems, including: ●Unintentional injuries such as car crash, falls, burns, drowning ●Intentional injuries such as firearm injuries, sexual assault, domestic violence ●Increased on-the-job injuries and loss of productivity ●Increased family problems, broken relationships ●Alcohol poisoning ●High blood pressure, stroke, and other heart-related diseases ●Liver disease ●Nerve damage ●Sexual problems ●Permanent damage to the brain ●Vitamin B, deficiency, which can lean a disorder characterized by amnesia, apathy, and disorientation. ●Ulcers ●Gastritis (inflammation of stomach walls) ●Malnutrition ●Cancer of the mouth and throat

When I was in fourth grade a so-called friend of mine introduced me to inhalants. Being so young and not knowing any better, I started huffing gas every day all the way up to my eighth grade year. My motor function- skills are pretty much shot and I sit for hours on end just staring into space without a single thought ever crossing my mind. It’s like my body is here but I am not. I have a hard time holding down a job and have been living by myself now for twelve years. I look normal from the outside but when I try to show interest and talk to women, it becomes apparent that I am pretty much a vegetable. I am sick of living this way and, I would rather be dead than to live my life like this anymore, because it seems I'm already dead anyway