Legacy Healing Center Blog

Know the street names for inhalants and educate your children on the dangers of these types of drugs

Street names for inhalants are good to be familiar with, as there are a variety of chemicals that people inhale on purpose in order to achieve a “high.”

The term inhalants means the vapors that come off of various substances, whether an industrial workplace chemical or everyday products you can find around your home.

In addition to knowing the street names for inhalants, it is also good to know the types of inhalants, especially if you have teenagers in your home.

According to the National Institute of Health, inhalants are among the first type of drugs adolescents will try.  Some examples of street names for inhalants include poppers, whippets, rush, moon gas, huff, Texas shoe shine, highball, or snappers.

Types of inhalants can range from paint thinner, gasoline, and nail polish remover to hair spray, deodorants, whipped cream dispensers, and nitrous oxide, just to name a few.

When it comes to using inhalants, there are three modes of inhalation that are the most common. These include:

• Sniffing – When someone inhales the chemical vapors directly from the container the substance is in.
• Huffing – When rags are soaked in the chosen chemicals and the person inhales the vapor from the rag.
• Bagging – Bagging occurs when the specific chemical is put into a plastic or paper bag and it is directly breathed in from the user. Bagging in closed areas puts someone at an even higher risk of suffocation, severe health consequences, or death.

Inhalant side effects should be taken seriously and people need to know that brain and body damage or death can occur just from inhaling a chemical one time.

When chemicals are inhaled into the lungs, they are absorbed into one’s bloodstream very fast, which spreads the chemical to the brain and throughout the body quickly.

While the majority of inhalants make people “high” because they slow down brain activity, nitrite inhalants, often found in leather cleaners, produce a “high” by expanding blood vessels in the body.

Here are some inhalant side effects you may not be aware of:

• Damage to nerve fibers in the brain and body
• Muscle spasms
• Can cause temporary or permanent issues with walking, bending, or talking
• Brain cell damage
• Brain hypoxia
• Headaches
• Hallucinations
• Heart stops – known as Sudden Sniffing Death
• Seizures
• Coma
• Choking
• Upset stomach
• Increased risk of leukemia
• Breathing issues or respiratory failure/death
• Liver damage
• Kidney damage

While addiction isn’t extremely common with different types of inhalants, it can occur in people who use inhalants on a daily basis and have been using the chemicals for a long period of time.

Mild withdrawal symptoms can occur depending on the types of inhalants and can include loss of appetite, sweating, mood changes, insomnia, and stomach issues.

Teenagers and young children need to be educated on inhalants and should be aware that death can occur the very first time. Sudden Sniffing Death can occur, in which the heart will beat irregularly and very quickly before suddenly stopping.

Asphyxiation can also occur because toxic chemical fumes replace any oxygen in the lungs, which cause the person to stop breathing. Convulsions and seizures can also occur because certain chemicals can set off abnormal electric discharges in the brain.

If you or someone you love is using inhalants and wants to break free from this addiction, reach out to a counselor at Legacy Healing Center. There are different types of programs and treatment options that can get you or your loved one on the road to recovery.

Reach out to someone today at Legacy Healing Center to learn more at 888-597-3547.

At Legacy Healing Center, our approach to recovery is built around a holistic methodology. We look at addiction as a comprehensive issue and offer a complete set of services to heal the physical body, the mind, and the spirit. Combining research-evidenced practices from medicine and psychology, our team of highly trained professionals looks at all aspects of our clients’ lives on an individual basis. Our holistic approach to healing encompasses more than dealing with addiction through primary treatment strategies like therapy and meetings. We offer a full range of services to heal the whole person, body, mind, and spirit.