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Glues, gases and aerosols

Containers of Gas, Glue and Aerosol
Aka: Aerosols, chroming, dusting, Gas, Gases, glue sniffing, Glues, Huffing, inhalants, Laughing gas, Nitrous oxide, Petrol, Solvents, Tooting, Volatile Substances, Whippets.

The Drug

The Effects

The Risks

The Law

The Drug
Overview Appearance Use
Overview

What is volatile substance abuse?

Volatile substances cover a wide range of products, such as gases, glues and aerosols. The products that are abused all have a legitimate day to day use, which means they can be easily obtained.

When inhaled, volatile substances have a similar effect to alcohol. They make people feel uninhibited, euphoric and dizzy. But the effect they have on the heart can cause death, even if it’s the user’s first time (known as Sudden Sniffing Death).

Volatile substance abuse is often called VSA, but it can also be called VSM (Volatile Substance Misuse) and inhalant abuse.

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Appearance

What do volatile substances look like?

Volatile substances cover a huge range of products - many are normal household products -  such as, gas lighter refills, aerosols containing hairspray, deodorants and air fresheners, tins or tubes of glue, some paints, thinners and correcting fluids, cleaning fluids, surgical spirit, dry-cleaning fluids, petrol and laughing gas/nitrous oxide. 

Because many are normal household products they are cheap, often costing just a few quid, and are easily available.

 
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Use

How are volatile substances taken?

Volatile substances are inhaled and there are several different ways to do this, but whatever method is used, it is difficult to control the dose and all methods are potentially fatal.

How long the hit lasts varies and some users tend to keep repeating the dose to keep the feeling going.

The Effects

What are the effects of volatile substances?

Volatile substances are depressants, so they slow down your body’s responses.

The effects vary from person to person and depend on what has been inhaled but use of volatile substances can have a number of different effects:

  • Users say it's like being drunk with dizziness, dreaminess, fits of the giggles, and that it can be difficult to think straight
  • People can experience vomiting and blackouts.
  • Depending on the substance, it can leave a red rash around the mouth.
  • They can cause mood swings, aggressive behaviour and hallucinations.
  • It can give people a 'hangover' afterwards, giving them severe headaches, feelings of depression and leaving them tired.
The Risks
What are the risks? Impurities Getting hooked
What are the risks?

What are the risks of volatile substances?

Because volatile substances are easily available as household products, some people think they are safe to use, but they’re not. Between 2000 and 2008, volatile substance abuse killed more 10-15 year olds than illegal drugs combined. They can kill the first time they are used.  Here’s what else they could do to you:

  • Sniffing can seriously affect your judgment and when you're high there's a real danger you'll try something dangerous.
  • Squirting gas products down the throat is a particularly dangerous way of taking the drug. It can make your throat swell so you can't breathe, it can slow down your heart and can cause a heart attack. And some users die from passing out and choking on their own vomit.
  • You risk suffocation if you inhale from a plastic bag over your head.
  • Long-term abuse of solvents has been shown to damage the brain, muscles, liver and kidneys.
  • It can be hard to get the amount right. Just enough will give the desired high – a little too much can result in coma. Unsteadiness, disorientation and fainting can all contribute to the risk of accidents which are implicated in a number of the deaths.
  • Many are flammable and there is a risk of burns and explosions, especially when combined with smoking.

Volatile substances and alcohol

Mixing gases, glues and aerosols with alcohol can have serious consequences – the effects are increased and can lead to an increased risk of death.

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Impurities

Because volatile substances are easily available as household products, purity is not normally an issue, but there are all sorts of chemicals involved and the effects are dependent on what's being sniffed.

Household products come with a strong warning against human consumption of any sort.

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Getting hooked

Can you get addicted to volatile substances?

Tolerance can build up within a few weeks in regular users –  needing to use more to achieve the same effects. This reverts back to normal within a few days of stopping. 

It’s may be possible to become psychologically dependent  on volatile substances, meaning the users develop an increased desire to keep using despite any harms, but the evidence on this is limited.

Withdrawal symptoms have been reported in regular users on stopping their use similar to alcohol, and including  irritability and headaches.

The Law

Volatile substances and the law

Volatile substances aren't illegal, but this doesn’t mean that they are safe to use. It’s illegal in England and Wales for anyone to sell volatile substances to people under-18, if they think they’re  likely to be inhaling them.

Under Scottish law you can be prosecuted for 'recklessly' selling substances to any age group if you suspect they're going to inhale them.

It is illegal to sell petrol to anyone under the age of 16 or to supply gas lighter refills to anyone under the age of 18. This applies to the whole of the UK.

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