Inhalants are commonly abused by teens and young children, creating a high lethal risk for young children in the home. Keeping these chemicals away from your children and understanding the risks may very well save a life.
Inhalant abuse can be easier to identify than other drugs because many of these inhalants leave chemical smells or stains on the individual. They may leave behind various paint cans or aerosol containers or may leave behind rags with chemicals or bags infused with chemicals.
What does inhalant abuse look like? Oftentimes inhalants will make a person seem like they are drunk and may become nauseous and start vomiting. You will know if they are abusing inhalants because their pupils will be extremely dilated. More severe symptoms include damage to the blood, kidneys and liver, heart, and bone marrow. Having these hazardous chemicals inhaled into the lungs can cause your heart to stop and make you suffocate.
You will also be able to identify inhalant abuse by the individuals:
Identifying inhalant abuse may lead to the individual becoming more agitated or angry. You should try to talk to them about treatment when they are sober and if they don’t accept you will want to stage an intervention.
Yes, inhalants are highly addictive due to their depressant properties on the nervous system. It is not advisable to use inhalants ever, because they are addictive and deadly. Repeated use of inhalants can bring on harsh withdrawal symptoms, causing the individual to want to continue their use so they won’t get sick. This creates an increased tolerance making the individual need more and more to achieve the same high without getting sick from withdrawal.
There are 6 recorded ways that people die form using inhalants.
You may not be able to lock up every single chemical in your home, but what you can do to protect your children and teens is to talk to them about the damage these chemicals can do to the brain and body. Keeping children aware of these dangers increases the likelihood that they will avoid inhalants at all costs.
How can we recognize inhalant abuse? There are some tell tale signs of abuse that you should be aware of. Follow the list below for recognizing inhalant abuse symptoms.
Inhalant Abuse Symptoms
If your child is hiding an inhalant abuse, it is crucial to get them help immediately. Inhalants can kill your child and if you are not aware of the risks of using inhalants you may lose them.
Treatment for inhalant abuse is similar to alcohol addiction treatment. This process includes detox from inhalant use, rehab programs, therapies, and more. One of the most effective treatments for inhalant abuse is a therapy called cognitive behavioral therapy.
This method of therapy helps you recognize and understand your addiction and also helps you get to the root cause of your addiction such as depression, trauma, or abuse going on in the home. When attending this type of therapy, motivational incentives are used to help you gain confidence and learn healthy coping skills and reward systems.
When inhalant dependency and addiction occurs, withdrawal often comes as a reminder that your body is addicted to these chemicals and needs more to function. Withdrawal can make you feel very uncomfortable and angry, causing you to want to use more.
Signs of inhalant withdrawal look like:
Medical assisted detox is your first step towards treatment for your inhalant addiction and during detox you will be given medications to help ease the discomfort of detox and withdrawal symptoms that will occur over the next couple of weeks. After detox, it will be time to discuss what the best treatment program is for you and come up with a long-term treatment plan.
