Inhaling the fumes of common household products has become an increasingly popular way for young people to experience a brief high.
Most inhalants create a brief dizzying rush.
Side effects include hallucinations, convulsions, violent behavior, and loss of consciousness. No one really knows why the trend is increasing, but the use rates have almost doubled in the last 20 years,'' Dr. Matthew Owen Howard, an assistant professor of social work at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, said in an interview with Reuters Health. His two studies, published recently in the journals Addiction, and Addictive Behaviors, provide a profile of someone who is more apt to abuse inhalants. Howard said in a press release. One study, published in the journal Addiction, looked at 224 Native Americans in fifth and sixth grade living in urban Seattle.