Is solvent and aerosol abuse dangerous?
Sniffing solvents and aerosols can kill you or leave you permanently damaged. In a typical way of sniffing inhalants, users put a solvent-soaked cloth in a plastic bag, which they hold tightly around their nose and mouth. Some users have suffocated when they fell asleep or passed out. Some users suffer heart failure if stress or strenuous exercise follows several deep inhalations (“sudden sniffing death’). Some users have overdosed either accidentally or on purpose. The feeling of being all-powerful can make users reckless and violent, and they can purposely or accidentally hurt or kill themselves or others. Some users don’t get high; they just get depressed. Some have attempted suicide. People who use solvents regularly for a long time can damage their liver, kidneys, lungs, heart, brain and blood. Sometimes this damage heals when drug use is stopped; sometimes it is permanent. Some users have suffered severe brain damage. Their brains have actually shrunk, and their ability to think
