Drugs – Abuse and Uses.

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DRUGS - ABUSE AND USES Chris Butler

SOLVENTS

Solvent Abuse, or "glue-sniffing", the deliberate inhalation of fumes given off by volatile substances in order to get intoxicated or "high".

The inhaled chemicals cause the lungs to produce extra fluid, which can lead to suffocation and death. They can also slow or stop the heartbeat, or cause the heart to fibrillate, leading to cardiac shock. A sniffer can inhale their own vomit or have an accident while intoxicated. At least one teenager dies every week in the UK from solvent abuse. Also known as volatile substance abuse, solvent abuse killed four times as many teenagers in the UK in 1997 as did heroin. A wide range of substances are abused in this way, the most common being glues (adhesives), gas lighter fuel, aerosols, and cleaning agents.

Most solvent abusers are on average younger than drug users; prevalence rates of between 2 per cent and 12 per cent of 13 to 16 year olds have been estimated. Sniffing is often a lone activity, but is also indulged in groups, as it can be seen to be "fashionable" for a short time in a particular school or area.