Why do young people sniff? An exploratory study of adolescent inhalant abuse from north India

Abstract Background: Inhalant abuse among adolescents is a growing problem worldwide including developing countries like India. It is important to understand the nature of adolescent inhalant abuse behaviour in order to counter the emerging problem.Aims: 1. To assess sociodemographic profile of treatment-seeking adolescents with inhalant abuse. 2. To explore inhalant abuse behaviour among treatment-seeking adolescents.Method: A 6-month long explorative study on 23 consecutive male adolescents seeking treatment for inhalant abuse (aged 13–18) in a tertiary de-addiction centre of India was conducted using a semi-structured questionnaire and a checklist to inquire about the perceived effect of inhalant abuse.Results: All adolescent males [mean age 16 (SD = 1.86) years] belonged to urban area and enjoyed adequate social support. “Sniffing” was the commonest route of inhalant abuse. Experimentation and peer pressure were the commonest reasons reported by adolescents for initiation (65.21%), whereas boldness (56%) was the commonest perceived effect of inhalant abuse.Conclusions: While experimentation and peer pressure contribute in initiation, perceived effects like boldness contribute in continuation of adolescent inhalant abuse in India. Increase in confidence and boldness is a much-desired effect in growing adolescents, and the abuse of inhalants reinforces the same.