Inhalants - Consequences

Consequences

SAMHSA researchers tracked the drug use patterns of Americans age eighteen through forty-nine in 2002 and 2003. They found that more than a third of the individuals who had started using inhalants at age thirteen or younger were hooked on alcohol or some other drug by the time they reached adulthood.

Inhalants affect the judgment of people who use them, so abusers may make poor choices and engage in high-risk behaviors. The side effects of inhalants increase the risks involved in activities such as driving a vehicle or operating machinery. Fire-related injuries may occur among users because inhalants are combustible, meaning they are capable of burning. In addition, inhalant abusers are likely to have trouble learning new information at school or holding onto a job. Their relationships with family and friends may also suffer because of the mood swings associated with inhalant use.

A man visits a makeshift memorial to five girls who died in a car crash in Pennsylvania. Four of the girls had traces of an inhalant in their bloodstreams. AP/Wide World Photos.
A man visits a makeshift memorial to five girls who died in a car crash in Pennsylvania. Four of the girls had traces of an inhalant in their bloodstreams. AP/Wide World Photos.

Inhalant Use and Social Problems

Researchers are studying possible links between inhalant abuse and social problems such as violent behavior and run-ins with the authorities. The authors of NIDA's "Inhalant Abuse" report state that "adverse socioeconomic conditions, a history of childhood abuse, poor grades, and dropping out of school all are associated with inhalant abuse."

Data from the 2003 NSDUH report showed that twelve- and thirteen-year-old inhalant users "were more than twice as likely to have been in a serious fight at school" in the last year than youths their age who did not use inhalants. They were also "six times as likely to have stolen or tried to steal anything worth more than $50." Furthermore, the tendency to abuse illegal drugs was much higher among twelve- and thirteen-year-old inhalant users than it was for nonusers in the same age group.