One of the most dangerous drug trends for teens today starts in the kitchen, the garage or even the classroom, with severe consequences many parents don’t even realize.

Inhalants are a drug of choice today for adolescents looking for a rush. They’re easy to get, easy to use and can give a high lasting several minutes. The 2008 National Survey on Drug Use and Health said around 22.3 million teens over age 12 have tried inhalants at least once, or nearly nine percent of the total teen population. Some will become addicted for life. Some could die, and some teens will move on to other drugs – making inhalants a drug “epidemic” that demands attention.

Even scarier, many of the approximately 1,400 products used for getting high are found in ordinary homes. The seemingly benign chemicals in cooking spray, household glues, paint and even shoe polish and can cause significant brain damage and spur a lifetime of drug addiction problems for teens. Other products with inhalants include gasoline, pool chemicals, markers and paint thinners – as well as chemicals found in school janitor areas and wood shops.

Inhaled substances act quickly on the central nervous system and cause changes in the brain similar to intoxication with alcohol. Symptoms of an inhalant-induced high include drowsiness, lightheadedness or agitation; when gases and solvents are used, the feeling is similar to anesthesia and can cause loss of consciousness.

While sniffing inhalants, or huffing, brings on a quick sense of euphoria, the chemicals cause permanent brain damage and serious health problems in the liver, heart and lungs. Called “sudden sniffing death,” inhalants can bring on a severely irregular heartbeat that becomes fatal, even if a teen is trying them for the first time. Suffocation, vision damage, bone disease and kidney damage can also occur. Other signs of inhalant abuse include loss of muscle strength, disorientation, poor coordination, aggression and depression. Many users report a compulsive need to continue using them for extended periods.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy in Brookhaven New York, the problem is complicated by the fact that most parents and many educators underestimate the accessibility and the danger of products with inhalants. It’s difficult to know how many teens may die from inhalant abuse, as some may keep the details surrounding a friend’s death a secret, or the death is called a suicide.
Not only are millions of teens trying inhalants each year, many say they’ve tried them as early as eighth grade or have used them their whole lives. A 2008 Monitoring the Future study that says 15.7 percent of eighth graders, 12.8 percent of tenth graders and 9.9 percent of high school seniors reported a lifetime use of inhalants. Caucasian and Hispanic youth from the ages of 12 to 17 are most likely to try inhalants, especially males.

Limiting teens’ accessibility to inhalants, though difficult, is one option for reducing their abuse. The sale of products containing inhalants isn’t regulated under the Controlled Substances Act, but 38 states have placed restrictions on the use, sale and distribution of these products to minors. Researchers call for immediate heightened awareness among parents and teachers of this seemingly “silent” problem as they seek connections between the likelihood of inhalant use and other factors, ranging from lack of sleep to peer pressure.