The fumes are usually inhaled through the mouth with several deep breaths required to produce the desired sense of euphoria. Many young users don't realize that inhalant use is dangerous. Immediate effects can include nausea, coughing, sneezing, nosebleeds, fatigue, impaired judgement, violent behavior, lack of coordination, loss of appetite, unconsciousness, and even death. Long term effects include damage to many of the body's organs. Permanent brain damage is often evidenced in personality change, memory impairment, hallucinations, and learning disabilities.
Inhalants can also seriously damage the heart, liver, kidneys, and bone marrow.
Kids will often refer to inhalants as laughing gas, whippets, poppers, snappers, bullet, locker room, bolt, rush, climax, gunk, texas shoe shine, and buzz bombs. By the time Wade Heiss was 12 years old, he was regularly sniffing air freshener alone in his room at his family's Bakersfield, California home. Two days before Christmas 1995, Wades's older brother walked in and caught him in the act of huffing. Wade's father is a medical doctor. Nobody's telling parents about it.