Inhalants Treatment and Rehab

Inhalants Info

• Inhalants Addiction and Abuse
• Inhalants Symptoms and Warning Signs
• Inhalants Treatment and Rehab
• Inhalants Withdrawal and Detox

Finding the right treatment is one of the essential first steps to breaking an addiction. Treatment for inhalant abuse commonly involves outpatient therapy, support groups, 12-step programmes and – depending on how severe your addiction is – inpatient rehabilitation programmes. Inhalants abuse treatment is a fragile and complicated physical and mental process that should only be handled by professionals.

Although rare, it’s possible to experience withdrawal symptoms after quitting inhalants. In such cases, inpatient rehab provides the best chance for an effective recovery, as 24-hour care can prevent temptations to relapse. Effective treatment methods mainly consist of different types of individual counselling, dual diagnosis treatment, medically assisted detox and support group meetings.

With treatment and rehab for inhalants abuse, you stand to gain from improved health, form new connections and rediscover your hobbies and passions.

How Inhalant Rehab Works

If you started to use inhalants as an escape from painful life experiences and are now dealing with a strong addiction, you may be wondering about the types of rehab available and what inhalant rehab treatment looks like. Knowing how inhalants rehab works can help you understand what recovery involves and also help you make the important decision to seek treatment for your addiction.

Inhalant rehab starts with a detox process. Heavy and prolonged use of inhalants leads to an accumulation of harmful chemicals and toxins in the body. This build-up will be flushed out of your system during detox. Depending on the nature of your addiction and how severe it is, detox may be accompanied by withdrawal symptoms.

Although detox can rid your body of the harmful chemicals, the powerful psychological and emotional aspects of your addiction still remain. With therapy, you can understand the root causes of your addiction, while education points towards environmental factors that you need to eliminate to preserve the effects of your treatment.

Why Treatment Is Necessary

Treatment for Inhalant Abuse is important because according to research, most inhalants are extremely toxic. Chronic exposure to these dangerous chemicals can result in widespread and long-lasting damage to your brain and other areas of your nervous system. In addition, significant damage can be caused to the heart, liver, lungs and kidneys.

Your cognition, vision, movement and hearing can be negatively affected by prolonged abuse of inhalants. Ingesting concentrated amounts of certain inhalants such as propane, butane and chemicals in aerosols can result in sudden death – i.e. within minutes of repeated inhalations, heart failure and death can occur from a single session of inhalant abuse by an otherwise healthy person.

Several factors, including your age and gender, the type of inhalants you abuse and the length and severity of your drug problems will determine the right course of treatment for you. Inhalation abuse treatment is needed to identify whether you have any co-occurring disorders or are suffering from other substance-related disorders in need of attention.

You Can Break Free

Addiction to inhalants can be even more difficult to deal with because of how easy it is to access the toxic chemicals. With inhalants lying around the house, you may constantly experience the temptation to relapse after making the decision to quit and get treatment. Recovery from inhalant abuse may seem difficult, but you can break free with the right help.

Recovery should not be attempted alone. If you are willing to conquer inhalant addiction, the best way is through professional treatment. The treatment programmes available at a rehab centre is specially designed to helping you break free from the physical and mental hold of inhalant abuse.

You are only powerless in inhalant abuse if you do not take the steps essential for your freedom. Rehab centres not only work to help you cure your addiction but take all the steps necessary to ensure you enjoy a healthy future. By seeking help and being proactive, you can successfully win your battle with addiction and also come out of it a stronger, better person.

Treatment  Available

Inpatient Treatment : Inpatient treatment is designed to give you a comfortable space to work towards living a clean and sober life. You will be expected to live at the facility for the duration of your entire treatment programme, which will depend on your addiction and mental and physical health requirements. The biggest advantage of inpatient treatment is that there are no distractions or triggers and you can fully focus on your recovery journey.

Outpatient Treatment : Partial hospitalisation programmes (PHP) are a kind of outpatient treatment, which run for four to five hours a day, five days a week. If necessary, medication may be administered. Intensive outpatient is another option, but only offers treatment for a short period of time (three to four days typically), and medication is usually not administered. A third outpatient treatment option is standard outpatient therapy, which typically involves meeting with a professional therapist in an individual or group setting for a one to two-hour session, about once or twice a week.

Residential/Inpatient Treatment Centres vs. Outpatient Services

Treatment centres offer inpatient or outpatient care. When trying to decide on a treatment centre, it is important to understand their existing differences in order to make the right choice, as there are pros and cons to both programmes.

When you are admitted into an inpatient programme, you’ll be expected to stay at the facility for the duration of your treatment. Outpatient programmes, on the other hand, allow patients to come and go from the facility. They only need to be present to receive therapy, medication and other forms of treatment.

Outpatient care is a lot less disruptive to your everyday life and may be better suited to you if you have serious work or family responsibilities that cannot be left for an inpatient treatment programme. Certain studies, however, have suggested that inpatient programmes have lower rates of patient relapse and are generally more effective than outpatient treatment centres.

Generally, if you are dealing with a milder addiction and lesser risk factors like co-occurring mental health disorders or limited access to social support, then outpatient programmes might be worth considering.

Behavioural Interventions

The results from inhalant addiction treatment can be enhanced with behavioural treatments. Over time, such types of behavioural interventions for addicts provide long-term benefits. In addition, the inhalant detoxification process is helped along by supportive behavioural interventions.

The behavioural interventions listed below have come to be popular in the field of drug addiction therapy, and can provide significant results when applied in your treatment:

Inhalants Withdrawal and Detox

Detox is the first stage of treating a problem of inhalant addiction. The process of detoxing from inhalant abuse may take longer than other substances, as inhalants accumulate in the fatty tissue of the brain, liver, heart and muscles. So, if you are a chronic inhalant abuser, you may need several weeks of detox to be completely cleared of the harmful toxins.

During the process of getting clean from inhalants, you may go through some physical and psychological symptoms of withdrawal. Such symptoms may include brief hallucinations, anxiety, irritability, depression, nausea and vomiting, extreme fatigue, hand tremors and insomnia.

More often than not, the withdrawal symptoms do not occur, but if they do, they begin to show up about 24 – 48 hours after your last inhalant intake. There are no medications specifically designed to help ease the symptoms of inhalant withdrawal during detox, but supplements may be recommended by your doctor to help you cope with nausea and insomnia.

Paying for Inhalant Addiction Treatment

There are ways to get around the cost of rehab centre treatment, especially when it seems too expensive. All you need to do is to work with your centre and formulate a finance plan to make the necessary payments over a period of time. Your insurance company is another source of financing to consider, as sometimes they help to cover the cost of treatment. You would need to find out from your insurance company to ensure rehab is covered by your plan.

Find the Best Inhalant addiction Rehab for You

Choosing a highly-rated rehab centre is not a decision to be taken lightly and shouldn’t be determined by its proximity to your home. If your objective is to end your struggle with inhalant addiction, then you should consider some of these qualities which can contribute to helping you make the best choice:

• Additional guidance with anti-drug addiction medication
• Presence of caring physicians, psychiatrists and nurses that will give you compassionate care in a non-judgemental environment
• Options for anti-addiction medications to help control cravings that will prevent relapse
• Options for pharmacotherapy treatments can help take your focus away from your addiction and towards your counselling

Why are Inhalants So Addictive?

Inhalants are highly dangerous, both in short and long-term use. It’s therefore natural for you to wonder why people addicted to inhalants can’t simply quit the habit and choose a healthier way of thinking and living. It would be ideal if that were possible, but sadly, inhalant abusers have a lot more trouble staying sober. This is because their environmental factors mostly remain the same; they are usually surrounded by other addicts and substances they can abuse. In addition, they tend to feel that just a little ‘hit’ every now and then could allow them to feel great again.

What are the Signs and Symptoms of Inhalant Abuse and Addiction?

Amongst the types of substance-related disorders, inhalant abuse is one of the most common. When you abuse inhalants, you might show signs such as paint on your face, and have the smell of solvent on your clothes and body. Other physical evidence includes piles of rags saturated with gasoline, degreaser or paint thinner or bags impregnated with gases, paint or solvent.

If you are a confirmed, chronic user, you might leave behind piles of empty compressed nitrous oxide canisters or air cans. As a frequent abuser, you might find it difficult to hide evidence of abuse. Detection is, however, more difficult when a young person is simply experimenting with inhalants.

Other signs and symptoms of inhalant abuse include a drunken appearance, slurred speech, widely dilated pupils and disorientation. You might feel nauseous and lose interest in eating. There is also a high chance of suffering exhaustion and an inability to focus. Inhalant abuse has less obvious signs, which include damage to lungs, kidney, bone marrow, heart and blood. Inhalant abuse can impair your judgment and lower your inhibitions with heavy usage. This may result in carrying out irresponsible or dangerous activities.

Methods of Use and the Effects of Inhalants

Inhalants contain mind-altering chemicals that can be dangerous to the human body when ingested. They can severely impact your central nervous system, and slow down brain activity. There are a variety of methods through which inhalants can be taken. Some of the main methods of use include:

• Inhaling from nitrous oxide-filled balloons
• Snorting or sniffing fumes from containers
• ‘Huffing’ from stuffing a piece of cloth soaked in inhalant in the mouth
• Spraying aerosols directly into the mouth or nose
• ‘Bagging’ – inhaling fumes from substances deposited inside a paper or plastic bag

The inhaled chemicals are quickly absorbed through the lungs into the bloodstream and rapidly distributed to the brain and other organs. Just a few seconds after inhalation, you’ll experience intoxication, in addition to other effects similar to symptoms of alcohol consumption, such as dizziness, slurred-speech, euphoria and an inability to coordinate movements. Hallucinations and delusions are other effects that you might experience as a result of inhalant use.

What Does It Mean to be Addicted to Inhalants?

You can be said to be addicted to inhalants when you feel desperate for an easy ‘buzz’ to the point of turning to household products and inhaling the toxic fumes produced in order to achieve an analgesic effect. Hundreds of inhalant users have been sent to hospitals and treatment clinics where the physical addictions to inhalants can be tackled.

Intoxication from inhalants lasts only a few minutes, which is the main reason why you may seek to prolong the ‘high’ by repeatedly inhaling over the course of several hours, leading to some very dangerous effects. Successive inhalations can result in loss of consciousness and in some cases, sudden death. At the very least, you may feel less in control and less inhibited. After a heavy session of inhalant abuse, you may feel drowsy for several hours and experience a lingering headache.

Comprehensive Inhalants Addiction Assessment

Treatment for inhalant addiction usually begins with a comprehensive addiction assessment. The objective of the assessment is to first confirm the presence of an addiction, the extent of your addiction and also to check for co-occurring conditions. The assessment is also used to develop a customised treatment plan for you.

Components of your assessment would include:

Why consider Inhalant misuse treatment?

Inhalant misuse is a serious illness that can result in a number of negative consequences in your life. You may begin to experience problems at home, school or work. Feelings of depression, anxiety and loneliness may also arise. As your substance abuse increases, it may begin to seem like your addiction has taken over your life.

Treatment centres specialising in substance abuse and offer an effective solution for you to achieve sobriety and equip you with the tools to maintain your recovery. Additionally, some of the therapeutic aspects of treatment can guide you in working with your loved ones to repair broken relationships as a result of your addiction.

Types of Inhalant Addiction Therapy offered

One of the main forms of inhalants addiction therapy we offer is individual therapy, known as psychotherapy or talk therapy. This type of therapy helps you work through your addiction by talking with a trained and certified psychologist. Psychotherapy includes Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT), motivational interviewing, and interpersonal psychotherapy. These are only a few of the psychotherapies that can be used for addiction recovery. Your personal addiction counsellor will likely make use of some of them at different points during your recovery process.

Types of inhalant addiction therapy also include group therapy, family therapy, 12-step education, relapse-prevention instruction, biofeedback and neurofeedback, as well as recreation therapy. Some of these alternatives are also offered by many addiction treatment centres as part of the recovery. In time, you can discover which one of them is most effective for your treatment, but they should not be used to replace your individual or group counselling.

If you are worried about your loved one’s inhalant abuse endangering their life, an intervention is an effective method to help them get treatment. You’ll need to work with other people who are also concerned about the addict, and you’ll have to all have the same end-goal, which is getting into rehab for treatment. Many interventions come as a surprise, as the shock factor involved might increase the chances of the addict paying attention and taking the needed action.

Start by letting them know the ways in which their addiction has negatively affected everyone in the group, including the addict as well. In addition, give clear guidelines for what will happen should the treatment be refused and end with a sincere plea to the addict to accept treatment. It’s best to have treatment pre-arranged for at a facility you know will help them get the treatment they need.

The Inhalant Rehabilitation Process

In order for your inhalant rehabilitation to be effective, a longer treatment stay is essential. This is because inhalants linger in body fat and may take several weeks to be completely eliminated from the body. In addition, because of the difficulties that may occur during inhalant addiction treatment, it is not always possible to have a general treatment process. Sometimes, you may not even be ready for traditional treatment until after a 30-day detox. Many inhalant rehab centres, therefore, recommend a 90 day stay at an inpatient facility, with the option of extending to 120 days.

Initial individual treatment sessions during your rehabilitation process are usually very brief because your attention span and thinking ability are usually affected by inhalant abuse. During the process, your mental state will constantly be reassessed, and the length of sessions will be increased as appropriate. If you are a teenager, your parents or siblings may also have substance abuse problems. This is why inhalants rehabilitation process may involve family therapy to ensure complete recovery.

What Is A Medically Assisted Inhalant Detox?

Medical detox is one of the first important steps of addiction rehabilitation. The average medically-assisted detox lasts for around three to seven days, depending on your personal circumstances. According to experts, using drugs that can help ease the detox process will help put you in a better state of mind to undergo the rest of the process. The medications are usually non-narcotic, non-addictive and can be used short-term with limited risk of negative side effects.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), no FDA-approved drugs exist to treat inhalant addiction. However, the following drugs are used during medically-assisted inhalant detox:

Post Inhalant Detoxification Therapy

Rehab offers an effective step in getting clean and understanding drug addiction management behaviours. However, treatment doesn’t have to end with rehab. Post-inhalants detoxification therapy is a system of continuing support and is essential in maintaining long-term recovery and preventing a relapse. This type of support is especially recommended for inhalant abusers, as your addiction correlates with antisocial tendencies, relationship difficulties, self-harm and so on.

Post-inhalants detoxification therapy offers continued treatment, even after you leave the treatment centre, and may include programmes such as community living or therapy. Inhalant addiction frequently occurs with comorbid psychiatric problems and substance abuse. Therefore, the main priority would be to manage these factors.

If you’re dealing with inhalant abuse in adolescents, this form of therapy focuses on parental negligence, mental health problems and on substance abuse. Also, periodic family assessments are provided to ensure your home environment is safe and not detrimental to the addict.

Is Detox the Answer to Inhalant Addiction?

If you feel it is difficult for you to feel like yourself without inhalants, then you should consider detox. The process of inhalant detox involves the cleansing of your body from all the toxins and chemicals derived from the products you’ve inhaled. Just like any other form of detox, it’s recommended to undergo the detox process under professional supervision at a facility.

In such facilities, medical specialists will be able to examine you and provide the right medications to help avoid extreme complications such as seizures. For many, detox is a difficult process to go through, as symptoms of withdrawal may be experienced. These vary from one person to the next and may include nausea and vomiting, hand tremors, insomnia, sweating, anxiety and hallucinations.

If you are dealing with inhalant addiction, detox is the first and very powerful step to take. However, it can be difficult to go through the process alone, because of the severe discomfort that sometimes accompanies it. A close friend or family member – or compassionate experts at a standard facility – can ease the process for you.

General Advice for the Family

A large number of studies have cited social support as a key factor in helping to prevent relapse. Available and supportive family and friends make the key components of an effective social network. Nonetheless, it can sometimes be difficult to cope with a loved one’s addiction. It is for this reason family therapy is incorporated into treatment by addiction counsellors, to teach family members healthy ways to deal with the issues they face.

Support groups are also available for you as family and friends dealing with substance addiction in a loved one. By joining a support group, you can discover healthy ways to build your relationship with the addict and other people involved in situations of the same nature. There is a chance to learn in a group setting and improve your supporting and coping skills in dealing with an addict in the family.

If You’re In Need Of Help With Inhalant Addiction

If you have decided to seek help for inhalant addiction, you’ll find the expertise and emotional support you need to recover at a rehab centre. Don’t settle for a one-size-fits-all type of treatment. Every addict’s needs are different and ensuring your unique set of needs are met is an important step on your way to recovery.

Conduct research and make enquiries about what you can expect from treatment, how long it will take and the steps you can take to improve your odds of achieving sobriety. Inhalant addiction treatment should make you feel good, especially since you’re probably feeling ashamed and hopeless.

Our drug rehabilitation centres are available to help you overcome inhalant addiction and live a healthy life.

What to do After Inhalants Treatment and Rehab

Inhalant treatment and rehab opens up many opportunities that you could have hardly thought possible whilst addicted. You, therefore, need to prepare for the new changes in your life. Getting treatment may seem at first to only bring loneliness and boredom because your former activities centred on finding and using inhalants.

However, there are many healthy activities you can engage in that will provide a mental and social outlet, such as taking dance lessons, volunteering, playing sports, taking a class, going to the movies or learning how to play an instrument.

The early days after inhalant treatment and rehab may be amongst the most difficult things you have to go through, but you can cope by attending support groups, going to bed at a regular time, and choosing hobbies that give you something to look forward to.

Staying Clean and Sober

A variety of programmes, therapies and interventions are available after rehab to help you manage your addictions and maintain sobriety. Continuing care options such as these may involve anything from counselling and therapy to medications to overcome cravings.

Group or family therapy provides an effective means of reducing the chances of relapse. Some of the skills you’ll learn include how to deal with social pressure and ways to build your confidence so that inhalants are no longer considered as a coping mechanism.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy also helps you stay clean and sober, as recent studies show it has a positive effect on inhalant abuse reduction after one year.

Peer/Family Support and the Road Ahead

Peer and family support after treatment can provide you with a place to safely socialise with people who are either working on their own sobriety or giving you the support and help you need. You can hear the personal stories of your peers and share your stories as well.

Inhalant addiction recovery is a lifelong journey, requiring complete commitment. Family groups can also be crucial in helping you focus on your health and recovery. After your treatment – and especially during early recovery – your family can create a healthy temptation-free environment to make it easier for you to maintain your recovery.

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