Things that are cheap and easy to obtain, but when inhaled can prove fatal. These products and other strong-smelling items are being abused by children and teenagers around the world because they are readily available and inexpensive. These and a 1,000 other everyday household products are abused by kids to get a quick high. The reality is that hundreds of children each year die from inhalant use, sometimes on their first try. Inhalant use refers to the intentional breathing of gas or vapors with the purpose of reaching a high.
Inhalants are legal, everyday products which have a useful purpose, but can be misused.
Huffing, sniffing or bagging is when someone puts an aerosol or solvent in an almost closed container, such as a sandwich bag, paper bag, or soda can and breaths in the fumes. Inhalants are the third most abused substances among 12 to 14 year olds in the United States, coming in right behind alcohol and tobacco. As many as one in five students in the United States has tried inhalants by the time they reach the seventh grade, some while they are on school property. Inhalants pass through the lungs and quickly enter the bloodstream, then they reach the brain in seconds. Inhalant vapors react with fatty tissue in the brain, literally dissolving them.