Inhalant Detoxification Treatment*
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), an estimated one million young adults use inhalants every year. The term inhalant is used to describe a substance that is not ingested any other way. Inhalants affect the user much like alcohol, causing mild euphoria, lack of coordination, dizziness, and slurred speech. Inhalant abusers may also experience lightheadedness, hallucinations, and delusions. Clients detoxifying from inhalants often need a brief detox, in conjunction with medication stabilization. At the detoxification facility all of a client’s needs are met. Services include around the clock nursing staff on site and prepared meals. Perhaps most importantly, detoxification means the damage stops and the healing can begin.
Users can easily get their hands on many toxic substances whose chemical vapors are inhaled to produce mind-altering effects. Inhalants are breathed in through the nose or mouth in a variety of ways, such as sniffing or snorting fumes from a container or bag -- “huffing.” Often, users inhale fumes from a balloon. Availability and lack of expense can make inhalants particularly alluring. Moreover, use can be difficult to detect because we don’t view household products like paints, glues, and cleaning fluids as drugs. Some commonly used inhalants include felt-tip markers, whipped cream aerosols, paints or even gasoline. Among young adults the most commonly abused substances are “whippets” or nitrous oxide.
The chemicals found in different types of inhaled products may produce a variety of additional effects, such as confusion, nausea, or vomiting. Users report looking for a feeling of being less inhibited or numb. Many say they feel drowsy for several hours. Lingering headaches are common. Chronic exposure to inhalants may cause tingling, numbness, and difficulty with speech or walking. Detoxification and treatment for inhalant use is crucial because long-term use can break down myelin, the fatty tissue that surrounds and protects some nerve fibers. It is this damage that causes the palsy seen in inhalant abusers.
The intoxication from inhalants usually lasts just a few minutes, forcing users to attempt to extend the high by continuing to inhale repeatedly over several hours. Part of the damage done by this process is actually the displacement of air in the lungs, a condition known as hypoxia. Hypoxia can damage cells throughout the body, but the cells of the brain are especially sensitive. The symptoms of brain hypoxia vary, but studies have shown that the hippocampus, which helps control memory, is likely to suffer. Thus, a user who repeatedly seeks the escape of inhalants may have difficulty processing new information, the very skill a person needs to enter treatment. The intake staff at Morningside can help. They will make an assessment that considers many factors, including the client’s previous treatment history, any medical issues and organic mental illnesses. Like any other chronic disease, addiction must be treated by professionals.
*Detoxification services are not provided at Morningside Recovery facilities. We work closely with local, fully licensed detoxification centers that provide the highest level of care to our clients. If a client requires detoxification and is admitting to any of Morningside's programs, our clinical team will follow the client’s detoxification treatment at these local facilities. If the detoxification period is to exceed 72 hours, we will also begin private therapy and other treatment services at the designated location. Our consulting physician and psychiatrist will also follow each client’s case at this outside center in order to ensure a smooth transition into any of our many levels of care. Although outcome studies have shown significant increase in client success when receiving full or extended treatment services after detoxification, if you require only a detoxification without further treatment, we are happy to refer you to one of the highly regarded and trusted detoxification facilities that we utilize.
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