How To Spot An Inhalant User
Inhalant abuse is common enough with adolescents that parents should take the necessary actions to inform themselves on how to spot an inhalant user for the mere high chance that they’re child or teen could become involved in this type of drug use. Parents should really get thoroughly educated on the facts, what types of products are used in the case of inhalant abuse, the slang words utilized for these chemicals, and all the general information pertaining to the subject at hand. Drug prevention is an important aspect of parenting, as well as educating the child on the subject. The more somebody knows about a subject, the better they are able to be responsible and control that aspect of their life. It is inevitable that drugs are an aspect of a child’s life whether it is the child abusing drugs themselves, their immediate group of friends doing so or even just people in their neighborhood or general vicinity. Drugs are an existential part of any environment unfortunately, but the best way to steer your kid in the right direction is through proper education of the true reality and consequences behind such an epidemic in this country.
Some slang to look out for in the case of inhalant abuse is “huffing”, “sniffing”, “dusting”, and “bagging”. Huffing is when the person inhales a rag that was soaked in the chemical. Sniffing is kind of self explanatory and is just sniffing from straight out of the container or a plastic bag, etc. Bagging is when the chemical is sprayed inside a paper bag or plastic bag and the user inhales the vapors with the bag placed over their head. With bagging suffocation is a serious risk.
Inhalant Use – Signs To Watch Out For
There are several signs to look out for in the case of inhalant abuse. The various warning signs include:
- A drunk or dazed appearance
- Speech that is either slurred or disoriented or both
- Uncoordinated
- Having red or runny eyes
- A runny nose
- Sores around the mouth
- A weird or chemical odor on breath or clothing
- Paint on the face, lips, nose or fingers
- Nausea
- Loss of appetite
- Hallucinations
- Anxiety
- Excitability
- Irritability
- Restlessness
- Anger
Keep in mind that it doesn’t necessarily require the full set of these symptoms in order to spark suspicion or a conversation regarding potential inhalant abuse. The inhalant user may have only a few of these symptoms or only a particular combination of the above symptoms.
Some behavioral symptoms to watch out for in the case of inhalant abuse include:
- Painting the fingernails with correction fluid or a marker
- Holding a pen or marker by the nose
- Smelling one’s clothing sleeves constantly
- Paint stains on the face, clothes or fingers
- Having butane lighters in the case where the person doesn’t smoke
- Hiding rags, clothes or any other things used for inhalant abuse under their bed or some other unsuspecting places
What To Do If An Emergency Comes Up When Using Inhalants
Keeping yourself and the inhalant user calm is of importance in the case where an emergency should rise up. This is because while the user is under the influence they can have some aggressive behavior and you wouldn’t want to stir anything up in the process of handling the emergency. If the person isn’t conscious, or if they aren’t breathing then call for help right away. Use CPR on the person until the necessary help has arrived to the scene. Don’t leave the inhalant user alone in the case of any type of emergency. It can’t be underscored more that you should keep this person calm, because aside from the aggressive behavior that can potentially rise up, any type of stress or disturbance can cause this user heart difficulties and actually lead to death. Try to figure out what precisely occurred with the user- such as what they used so that you’re able to relay this information when help arrives.
What Inhalant Products Can You Count On To Be Missing
The products which are used for inhalants are usually household products like cleaning products. It could be anything from the fluids used for dry cleaning, paint removers, fabric protector sprays, vegetable oil sprays, office supply solvents, whipped cream aerosols, nitrous oxide (also known as nitro or laughing gas), ether to chloroform. The possibilities are wide and cover a large variety of different products you might never suspect. It’s important to pay attention if something in your house has either gone missing or if specific products of yours are being used at a faster rate than is normal and necessary.
How Can You Tell If Your Kid Is High On Inhalants?
It’s important to be able to tell whether or not your kid is high on inhalants. This can act as a make or break point with spotting whether or not your kid is an inhalant user. This is crucial. When somebody is high on inhalants they are going to act differently, though depending on the amount the effects might be subtle. The various signs to tell if somebody is high on inhalants are if they seem drowsy, drunk, euphoric and have a lack of coordination. The high also includes a sense of lack of inhibition, so depending on how your kid normally acts this could be very far from that. It’s important as a parent to be able to observe changes in the behavior of your kid because one too many times this is attributed to drug use of some kind of another. Whether it is in fact inhalants or marijuana or some other common and prevalent drug in their neighborhood, behavior signs are amongst one of the most obvious things to pinpoint if you’re observant enough to do so. Upon spotting a big change in the behavior of your kid, you can take the necessary steps to figure out what is going on with them. However, being confident in your observation and not backing down no matter how much they’ve tried to convince you otherwise, is key in order to get to the bottom of what is going on. This is of course a relative situation, but worth looking into for the mere chance of drug use in your child nonetheless.
What To Do Once You’ve Spotted An Inhalant User
In the case of having spotted an inhalant user, it is important to take the action you need to in order to convince them to get some help immediately. Educating the person in the dangers of the toxic chemicals that they are exposing themselves to constantly is a very effective way to go about this. They have to understand that not only is their drug habit wreaking havoc on their mental abilities but their future physical health as well. Once they have agreed that they do indeed need help and that they want to be sober, figure out a plan to get this going with them. Sometimes in the case of a serious addiction, this may take a bit of convincing and a bit of persistence. It isn’t an easy process but will be extremely rewarding down the line. Keep in great communication with the inhalant user and make sure they know that you’re available to talk with about their addiction or use, that you’re a safe space to express what is tugging at them and driving them to use. This is the type of emotional support which can make all the difference along the way to this person’s recovery.
