Inhalants

The National Institute on Drug Abuse defines inhalants as volatile substances that produce chemical vapors that can be inhaled to induce a psychoactive (i.e., mind-altering) effect. While a multitude of other substances may be ingested, inhalants, as the name implies, are taken primarily through inhalation (i.e., either the nose or mouth). More specifically, inhalants can be abused by (a) sniffing or snorting sufficient concentrations of fumes from containers, (b) spraying aerosols into the nose or mouth, (c) sniffing fumes from substances sprayed or poured onto a rag and then placed into a bag (i.e., "bagging"), (d) heavily breathing into an inhalant soaked rag stuffed in the mouth (i.e., "huffing"), and (e) inhaling from nitrous oxide-filled balloons. Given their accessibility, inhalants are commonly the first drugs ...