| Have you ever looked into your kitchen supply and | | | | A common method of intake of these addictive |
| cleaning agents? These are artificial substances, | | | | chemicals is bagging, which involves spraying or |
| created from manufactured chemicals to do a certain | | | | otherwise putting the chemicals in a plastic bag and |
| purpose, which could be to clean, to disinfect, or for | | | | inhaling the vapors emanating from the chemical |
| whatever purpose it was made. But could any of this | | | | trapped in the bag. A variation of this would be to |
| stuff be addictive? You may find the answer | | | | spray chemicals in a rag, and breath with the rag |
| surprising. | | | | over the mouth and nose. Another way would be to |
| Too much of anything is bad and that you could be | | | | spray the substance in the air, and inhaling directly, or |
| addicted even to something commonly found in your | | | | even as extreme as spraying chemicals directly into |
| household that you use in your daily life. | | | | the mouth. For solvents, aside from inhaling it is |
| Most of the household items that you own that could | | | | drinking the solvent with alcohol. |
| cause addiction do so through inhalation. Chemicals | | | | Because these chemicals arrive almost immediately to |
| used from anything like aerosols or cleaning agents to | | | | the brain, their effect is fast, and only a small amount |
| solvent glue can be used to intoxicate the user and | | | | is required to achieve intoxication. This causes |
| become an addictive substance. | | | | neurological damage because these materials eat |
| The chemicals found in these substances create | | | | away at the brain's tissues, crippling the physical |
| different effects on the user. Some materials cause | | | | makeup of the brain. |
| intoxication of the user, much like the effect of | | | | The mind is also affected in that it could lead to |
| alcohol on the body. Another would be to alter | | | | changes in perception ability, mental capacity, and |
| perceptions or even to cause hallucinations. | | | | intellectual instability. All of these effects are long |
| Substance abuse is dangerous to the body, and may | | | | term and are mostly permanent, because most |
| even cause death when exposed to enough material | | | | damage to the brain cannot be undone. An overdose |
| at a single time. | | | | is also easy to achieve and deadlier than most drugs |
| If you've noticed strong odors from smelling | | | | because it may induce comas or even cause death |
| chemical-based cleaning agents, then you probably | | | | of the user. |
| also noticed that most often these odors are very | | | | There are ways to tell if a person is a user of |
| strong even in small amounts. There are people that | | | | inhalants or solvents. These are strong chemicals, so |
| have discovered the effects of purposely exposing | | | | use of these would result in a strong chemical odor |
| themselves to these chemicals, and inhale the vapor | | | | lingering from the person, and smelling like the |
| to achieve a high from these materials. | | | | chemicals that he or she inhales, such as cleaning |
| Solvent-based glue is a good example of a strong | | | | agents. Disorientation is also common, along with |
| chemical that has an effect on the body. Even nail | | | | personality changes that result from the brain being |
| polish is a solvent, though this product is commonly | | | | affected by chemical substances. |
| available and completely legal. Acetone is a common | | | | An abnormal amount of the material used by the |
| ingredient found in these solvents, and it is this | | | | person could also be a sign of inhalant abuse. If this is |
| substance that creates the effects on the body. | | | | so, then you might be seeing firsthand a person |
| Another would be propellant found in pressurized | | | | abusing these materials. You should help yourself and |
| spray cans and other aerosol products. Nitrous oxide | | | | that person by notifying the proper authorities |
| is the main ingredient in this case, and has an effect | | | | before substantial damage is done and the person |
| much like the stuff that your dentist uses to make | | | | having an addiction becomes dangerous. |
| you drowsy, because it is the same material. | | | | |