What is solvent abuse?
Solvent abuse is intentionally breathing in solvents to try to get a feeling of euphoria or a “high.” Solvents are products such as paint thinner, nail polish remover, hairspray, cooking aerosol sprays and glues. The intentional inhaling abuse of solvents was originally called glue sniffing. Solvent abusers often place the solvents into a paper or plastic bag to inhale or sniff them. When a bag is placed over the nose and mouth during solvent abuse, there is a very real danger of suffocation. Inhaling solvents may also cause vomiting; solvent abusers have died as a result of choking on their own vomit. Some people think that solvent abuse isn’t a serious drug problem because these are household products, yet abusing everyday solvents by sniffing them instead of using them as cleaners and glues can cause serious problems and even death.
