Glues, Gas, Aerosols, Petrol, Typewriter correction fluid, Nail Varnish Remover, household cleaners and many more.
EFFECTS:
The effects come on fast but are short lived and are very similar to that of alcohol intoxication. Users often feel light headed and dizzy. Some say they get dreamy and have hallucinations. Others feel sick and drowsy. As the effects wear off it may be a bit like a hangover.
DRUG FORM & METHOD OF USE:
We have all seen the different products that have been mentioned above. Most products are usually sprayed onto cloth and inhaled others such as glue are placed into a plastic bag and inhaled. .
HEALTH RISKS:
Sniffing solvents can kill instantly. We have all read the warnings on the back of deodorant cans. Squirting butane gas or aerosols straight down the throat can be fatal. They can freeze the airways or cause heart failure. Suffocation is also a serious risk if the bag is put over the head. Users sometimes lose consciousness and some deaths have occurred from people choking on their own vomit. Long term, heavy use can damage the brain, liver and kidneys but this rarely happens.
TOLERANCE:
Tolerance can develop with regular use so that more is needed to get the same effects. There is no physical dependence but a few people can become psychologically dependent if they sniff every day.
LAW:
Solvent misuse isn't illegal. Although, it's illegal for shopkeepers to sell intoxicating substances if they think you're likely to be inhaling them. Since October 1999, the law makes it an offence to supply gas lighter refills to anyone under the age of 18.
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