Learning About Glue Sniffing The Hard Way

I only heard about 'glue sniffing' when I left school at 17 years of age.  It was strange, considering 'sniffing glue' had been around for years; but then again, I had lived a very sheltered life not being exposed to anything inappropriate.  I think the most rebellious thing I knew about and tried during my teenage years was smoking with friends on a night out celebrating someone's 16th birthday.  Little did I know there was a world of danger and mind-altering substances to be uncovered.

I've not tried glue sniffing, but being a drug counselor I do understand the concept and what effects it has on an individual.  Contrary to some belief, 'glue sniffing' does not refer to any type of glue and you cannot get 'high' from taking a few whiffs of those sticks of glue you use at school - no matter how hard you try.  I'm sure it will give you a bit of a fuzzy feeling, but that will only be followed by a substantial headache.

No, true glue sniffing involves inhaling intoxicating substances that are found in superglue.  The most commonly sniffed glue, mainly due to it being the most easily accessible, is the hobby glue like airplane model glue.

The inhaling of these toxic substances is called 'huffing' and can be inhaled directly from the canister. When inhaled the substance will produce immediate psycho-hallucinogenic effects; however, to maintain this 'high' feeling the user will require more glue.

Some short-term side-effects of glue sniffing include nausea, vomiting, severe headaches and migraines, loss of motor control, loss of speech, coughing and wheezing.  Long-term side-effects include psychological problems as well as physical harm like lung and cerebral damage.

After being exposed to glue sniffing and the users I was interested in learning more about drug abuse.  Until then I had been totally oblivious to drug use, now I want to help those who are dependent on these substances.