Inhalant Addiction
Inhalants are a diverse group of organic solvents, volatile substances, and propellant gases that are intentionally concentrated and inhaled for their psychoactive effects, which range from an alcohol-like intoxication to hallucinations. Inhalant drugs are often used by children, teenagers, incarcerated or institutionalized people, and impoverished people, because these solvents and gases are ingredients in hundreds of legally-available, inexpensive products, such as aerosol spray cans, adhesives and rubber cements, deodorant sprays, hair spray, air fresheners, gasoline, lighter fluid, paint, and paint thinner.
Inhalant drugs can be harmful for users because they were not intended for human inhalation in a concentrated form. Some inhalant users are injured or killed due to the effects of inhaling these solvents or gases themselves, which can cause hypoxia, pneumonia, cardiac failure or arrest, or aspiration of vomit. Other inhalant users are injured due to the harmful effects of other chemicals used in these products, such as burns from gasoline vapour, or due to dangerous behaviour while they are intoxicated on these drugs.
Most inhalant solvents and gases are not regulated under illegal drug laws such as the United States' Controlled Substances Act. However, many US states and Canadian cities have placed restrictions on the sale of some solvent-containing products to minors, particularly for products widely associated with "sniffing", such as model cement. The practice of inhaling such substances is sometimes colloquially referred to as huffing, sniffing or chroming.
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Inhalant Addiction
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