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Inhalant Addiction Help & Treatment
Inhalant abuse and addiction aren’t often given much attention. There are those who think that it simply fell out of popularity when the 1980s passed, while others simply don’t associate particular substances as inhalants or as having serious risks.
It’s reported that there are 164,000 solvent users in England.[1] Around 796,000 people were reported to have used nitrous oxide in 2019/20.[2]
Inhalant use is a problem. It can lead to death, it can lead to addiction, and as with all addictive substances, it can have devastating effects on a person’s health as well as in their familial and social lives.
Knowing what the treatment options are for inhalant addiction is the first step to becoming open and willing to change and healing.
Treatment for inhalant addiction
If you have developed problematic or addictive inhalant use, then it’s important to find out what your rehabilitation options are. There are free NHS services and private rehab clinics.
If you experience withdrawal, have a moderate to severe addiction, or practise polysubstance use then entering a clinic for professional treatment offers the most beneficial way of recovering.
Rehab Recovery can advise you on local clinics and which would be more suitable for your particular needs.
The rates of recovery are highest for people who go to rehab. This is largely linked to the physical separation from usual triggers as well as the comprehensive package of treatments and therapies you receive. It’s these that equip you to heal from inhalation addiction.
At Rehab Recovery, we offer free advice from a team of non-judgemental professionals, many of whom are in recovery and understand how hard it can be to change your relationship with addiction.
For more help and advice about inhalant addiction, simply reach out to our 24/7, confidential hotline on 0800 088 66 86.
What are inhalants?
Inhalants are substances that contain toxic chemicals. They have a psychoactive effect when abused.
The chemical vapours inhaled from household, industrial, medical and commercial products cause mind-altering effects when inhaled.
Inhalants are cheap, easy to find, and easy to “hide in plain sight”. The “high” they cause usually lasts a few minutes at a time, though some people report highs lasting thirty to forty-five minutes.
Types of inhalants
There are many types of inhalants that come under four broad categories.
- Aerosols – these include hair spray, spray deodorant, spray paints, and cooking spray
- Gases – these include propellant canisters, butane lighters. This is the category that the popularly used nitrous oxide (“laughing gas” or “nos”) comes under (people inhale from whipped cream dispensers)
- Nitrates (such as cyclohexyl nitrite) – this is found in leather cleaners, liquid aromas and room deodorisers (also known as “poppers”). Poppers directly impact the central nervous system, dilating blood vessels and relaxing muscles (this has made use popular around sexual activities)
- Volatile solvents – these vaporise at room temperature and include nail polish remover, lighter fluid, felt tip markers, paint thinners, paint removers, and petrol. One doctor reports that they, “dissolve [the] brain like melting plastic”.[3]
In the UK, the most commonly used are:
- Nitrous oxide (aka: nos/whippets/hippie crack)
- Nitrates (aka: poppers that come under brand names such as Gold and Rush)
- Glue
Due to inhalants being legal to buy and easy to get hold, people often think they’re safe.
This simply isn’t true. In fact, due to how they starve the brain of oxygen, they can have some of the most fatal effects, even from one use.
How do people use inhalants?
There are a few different ways that people take in inhalants, though it comes down to breathing in through the nose or mouth.
- Sniff the fumes from a container (how poppers are done)
- “Bagging” – when a person inhales from a balloon, or plastic or paper bag (in the case of nos which is usually inhaled from a balloon)
- Spraying – this is often done with aerosols directly into the nose or mouth
- Inhaling – this might be done using a chemical-soaked rag which is placed over the mouth
The side effects of inhalants
Taking in the harmful chemicals of inhalants into the body leads to a variety of side effects.
Some of these are obviously “desirable” to users which is what can make people curious and also why addiction can form.
Psychological side effects are:
- Euphoria
- Light-headedness
- Feelings of happiness
- Feelings of excitability
- Disorientation
- Hallucinations and delusions[4]
- Agitation
At Rehab Recovery, we offer free advice from a team of non-judgemental professionals, many of whom are in recovery and understand how hard it can be to change your relationship with addiction.
For more help and advice about inhalant addiction, simply reach out to our 24/7, confidential hotline on 0800 088 66 86.
Physical effects include:
- Laughter
- Irregular heart rate/heart rhythm
- Drowsiness and dizziness
- Slurred speech
- Dilated pupils
- Impaired/blurred vision
- Loss of appetite
- Upset stomach
It’s possible to experience a “comedown”, which is like a hangover, from solvents. The associated effects of this can include:
- Headache
- Nausea
- Dizziness and drowsiness
- Numbness
- Loss of consciousness
- Loss of motor control
Of course, reading the effects above might not sound that bad, however, inhalant use can cause death the first time (or, indeed, any time) a person inhales a solvent or other substance in these categories.
As well as this, chronic abuse has serious implications for mental and physical health.
What are the risks of inhalants?
Immediate and regular use of inhalants always causes a lack of oxygen to the brain. This can lead to:
- Nerve damage
- Seizures
- Brain damage
- Coma
- Sudden death
At Rehab Recovery, we offer free advice from a team of non-judgemental professionals, many of whom are in recovery and understand how hard it can be to change your relationship with addiction.
For more help and advice about inhalant addiction, simply reach out to our 24/7, confidential hotline on 0800 088 66 86.
The long-term effects of inhalant use
When people become addicted to inhalants, toxic chemicals build up in the fatty tissue in the body. Regular or addictive use causes severe damage to a person both psychologically and physically.
Long-term use can lead to:
- An irregular heartbeat
- A weakened immune system
- Muscle and limb spasms
- Loss of motor coordination
- Birth defects if pregnant women use
- Bone marrow damage
- Lung, liver, and kidney damage
- Negative psychological symptoms linked to memory, personality, the ability to learn, decision-making, and organisation skills
Inhalant overdose
It’s important to be aware if you’re a user of inhalants that they can lead to coma or “sudden sniffing death”.
As well as suffocation being a risk if people are using bags to inhale, there’s the fact that replacing the oxygen in the body with fumes can lead to asphyxiation.
Addiction to inhalants
It’s possible for people to develop long-term use of inhalants, this would be termed a substance use disorder or addiction.
The person’s brain chemistry has become altered by the substance in such a way that not only is their capacity to make healthy decisions reduced, they obsessively think about the substance and all behaviours become geared towards their next hit.
Addiction leads to withdrawal symptoms which are very distressing and another reason why many people find it so difficult to stop using the substance.
Inhalant addiction withdrawal symptoms
- Headaches
- Fatigue
- Tremors
- Cramps
- Anxiety
- Depression
Who is at risk of inhalant abuse?
It’s useful to be aware of who is at the most risk of using inhalants. Studies reveal that abuse by adolescents is common. Sadly, abroad, “street children” are known to sniff glue (for various reasons including it being an appetite suppressant).
In the UK teenagers around the age of 14 and 15 experiment with inhalants. Many stop in their later teens but for some, it can develop into an addiction.
Inhalation use is more common in men and is also used in the gay community to enhance sexual pleasure.
Research shows inhalation abuse is linked to depression, suicide, violence, and criminal behaviour.
One study revealed that teenagers used it for “mental escape”, as a social tool (i.e. to “fit in”, or linked to peer pressure), and it was also linked to a lack of parental attention.[5]
At Rehab Recovery, we offer free advice from a team of non-judgemental professionals, many of whom are in recovery and understand how hard it can be to change your relationship with addiction.
For more help and advice about inhalant addiction, simply reach out to our 24/7, confidential hotline on 0800 088 66 86.
What increases chances of developing inhalant addiction?
There are background factors that make it more likely that a person will develop an inhalant addiction.
Firstly, some people literally have a genetic predisposition to develop an addiction. Secondly, where people live with or associate with others who use substances it’s more likely.
Finally, issues related to mental health or a history of trauma can increase the chances.
In relation to inhalants, it’s also important to keep in mind that the research study just mentioned indicated that teenagers were more likely to use inhalants when parents were neglectful.
Is someone you love using substances?
Perhaps you’re concerned that someone you love is using inhalants. If this is the case, you’ll probably come across paraphernalia such as brown bottles, balloons, and small silver canisters. You might be able to smell chemical odours on your loved one, or spot stains on their clothes (i.e. paint).
What are 5 signs of inhalant addiction?
There are some common signs that you can look out for:
- Lack of motivation and interest in usual activities
- Seeming disorientated or having slurred speech
- Having mouth ulcers, or a runny nose
- Spending time with different people
- Lying, stealing, or manipulating to get money
These are just a few. Your loved one’s journey to recovery might be a difficult one.
Many people spend years in denial that they have a problem with inhalants and when they finally come to admit this, more time is often spent in an ambivalent state where they have mixed feelings about stopping.
This is, of course, the heart-breaking nature of addiction and why entering rehabilitation services for support is so beneficial.
Treatment for inhalant addiction
It can be especially difficult to quit inhalants, largely because of how easy they are to get hold of. Many are around the house.
Getting professional treatment offers you the best way of quitting which is fully supported by addiction specialists.
Sometimes, people with inhalation addiction are advised to have a physical exam to check for any health problems that might be linked to liver damage or kidney damage as a result of substance use before entering rehab.
Outpatient treatment for inhalation abuse
There are different forms of treatment available at outpatient clinics. The NHS has drug and alcohol outpatient services in every city throughout the country. These are useful if you have a mild substance use problem.
There, you can get one-to-one support from a drug worker as well as access to weekly group sessions, and drop-in clinics.
Outpatient care is also offered by some private clinics to people who have stayed as a resident. This would be as a part of an aftercare programme and might include online counselling sessions.
At Rehab Recovery, we offer free advice from a team of non-judgemental professionals, many of whom are in recovery and understand how hard it can be to change your relationship with addiction.
For more help and advice about inhalant addiction, simply reach out to our 24/7, confidential hotline on 0800 088 66 86.
Residential treatment for inhalation addiction
At a private rehab clinic, residents are treated by addiction, psychological and medical professionals.
Residents get a treatment plan based on their individual circumstances linked to the substance they use, their feelings about change, and their mental health etc.
The plan includes different forms of therapy. These are instrumental in providing the learning, skills, and awareness needed to change and recover from inhalant abuse.
The therapies offered at private clinics include:
- Motivational interviewing is the therapy offered to everyone at the start of their recovery journey. It’s a space where you’ll explore mixed feelings. Many people don’t totally want to stop using or worry they won’t be able to live without the substance, but during these sessions, they’ll start to resolve confusing feelings.
- Cognitive behavioural therapy is a go-to for the majority of people in treatment because of how effective it is at supporting people to change their thinking patterns as well as unhealthy addictive behaviours.
- Counselling is a regular treatment at rehab. Here you’ll be supported by therapist to build self-awareness, strength, and come to understand how to proceed more effectively in the future.
- Holistic therapies are offered as a way of giving you alternative coping mechanisms as well as bringing enjoyment through new activities. These include: music and art therapy, ear acupuncture, meditation, mindfulness, yoga, and reiki.
- Family therapy is offered to some people. This is really important when people want to rebuild their connections and have a happier home life.
- Group sessions happen every day that follow the SMART recovery model and also the 12 Step philosophy.
For residents who have mental conditions, they’ll also receive dual-diagnosis treatment. Staff support people to heal around mental health as well as addiction as they know the two are very much connected.
Life and recovery after rehab
During a rehab stay, you’ll discuss the risk of relapse with members of staff. This is important as it will help you to develop a relapse prevention plan.
It’s important you use this as a way of managing triggers and cravings. While you’ll have been sober for a month and will have learned the skills to remain so, difficult moments will arise.
Some residents will have follow-up care, which might include counselling or being part of an alumni group.
What’s important to keep in mind is that life after rehab often means changing your social network, developing new healthy interests as a part of daily life, and practising the tools you’ve used to stay sober.
It takes work, but abstinence and health is achievable and never regretted by anyone who gets there.
At Rehab Recovery, we offer free advice from a team of non-judgemental professionals, many of whom are in recovery and understand how hard it can be to change your relationship with addiction.
For more help and advice about inhalant addiction, simply reach out to our 24/7, confidential hotline on 0800 088 66 86.
Get the addiction treatment you need
If you’re worried that your inhalant use has gotten out of hand, you can contact us at Rehab Recovery.
We’ll inform you of local inhalant addiction treatment centres and support you through the referral process to a private clinic.
FAQs
Why should you avoid inhalants?
Regular inhalant use causes physical and psychological deterioration. It can also lead to addiction, which can be incredibly difficult to overcome. On top of this, using inhalants presents a great risk of sudden death due to asphyxiation.
Can you build a tolerance to inhalants?
It’s possible for inhalant users to build up a tolerance to these substances. This means that they require more of the substance to feel an effect and to stave off withdrawal symptoms.
How do I know my addiction is bad enough for treatment?
If you think about the substance every day, and can’t face the day without it, if people are worried about you, and you’re experiencing physical and psychological health effects then it’s important to seek professional treatment for addiction.
References
[1] https://www.re-solv.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Infographic.pdf
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