Treatment Options for Inhalant Abuse

The use or huffing of inhalants can kill your child the very first time he or she inhales a toxic chemical. Inhalant abuse is most prominent in youths between the ages of 12 to 17. If your child or teenager is experimenting with or abusing inhalants then it is crucial that you find the right treatment option immediately in order to save their life. Treatment can be very difficult and definitely requires expert involvement.

Unfortunately if your teenager is already addicted to the inhalants then you should be looking for a long-term care facility. There are facilities dedicated to assisting with the detoxification and rehabilitation process. You want to be sure that the treatment center you choose has programs intended to treat adolescents. The length of your loved one’s stay will be determined by professionals on an individual basis.

A good facility will begin with an evaluation to decide how long the in-patient stay will last. Nurses and doctors will be on hand to assist with the detoxification process. This will be the most difficult step in the program as your child will experience withdrawal symptoms that will make him very sick. He will be closely monitored at this point to monitor his physical functioning. Once the detoxification comes to an end and your child is able to participate in the daily programming he will begin attending group meetings, individual therapy sessions, and family counseling. Once the doctors and counselors on staff feel that your child is ready to return home they will encourage the continuation of out-patient therapy. Usually this includes counseling over a 2 year period. If your child does not follow through with the program requirements then the chance of relapse to the abuse of inhalants is very high.

Once your teenager returns home it is time for all family members to provide all of the support and encouragement that is possible. Without this all of treatment that has already been provided will have been wasted. The family’s support is the most important role in your teenager’s rehabilitation process. It will be a long time before the temptation to begin using inhalants again subsides. Along with your support, you must not be blind to the signs of abuse and keep a close watch for them. Here are some of the warning signs you will need to be aware of.

• Drunken or dazed appearance
• Loss of appetite
• Slurred speech
• Paint stains on hands or clothing
• Hidden chemical soaked rags or clothing
• Sores around the mouth
• Missing household solvents
• Depression or irritability

These signs are a red flag that your teenager is abusing inhalants again. It is time to head back to the treatment center and enter back into the in-patient program. This may be the most difficult and trying time that your family will ever have to endure. Persistence with therapy and continued support and encouragement will be the only way to help your teenager overcome his addiction to inhalants. It may be a long, enduring process but will you not go to any length needed to save your child?

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