D rug and A lcohol S ervices I nformation S ystem

The DASIS Report

March 2001 March 14, 2002

I
nhalants are legal, everyday pro-
Adolescent ducts whose vapors or gas can be
intentionally inhaled to get high.
Admissions Inhalants include ether, glue, chloro-
form, nitrous oxide, gasoline, and paint

Involving thinner. Use of inhalants among adoles-

cents aged 12 to 17 is a concern because
inhalants generally can be legally ob-
Inhalants tained and use can result in brain
damage or death.
Primary inhalant abuse accounted
In Brief for only a small fraction (0.4 percent) of
the 131,000 adolescent admissions re-
● More than half of 1999 ado- ported to the Treatment Episode Data
lescent admissions involving Set (TEDS) in 1999. Inhalant abuse
inhalant abuse also involved among adolescents was more likely to be
both alcohol and marijuana secondary to marijuana or alcohol
abuse. In 1999, while 2,091 adolescents
● In 1999, 19 percent of ado- admitted to substance abuse treatment
lescent admissions involving reported abuse of inhalants, only 569
inhalants were younger than reported inhalants as the primary sub-
stance problem.
12 when they first used
inhalants TEDS collects data on national
admissions to primarily publicly funded
● Two thirds of adolescent substance abuse treatment facilities,
admissions involving inhal- permitting analysis of inhalant-involved
ants were White, while 20 adolescent treatment admissions. “Ad-
percent were Hispanic missions” represent annual treatment
episodes rather than the number of
individuals entering treatment.
The DASIS Report is published periodically by the Office of Applied Studies, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
(SAMHSA). All material appearing in this report is in the public domain and may be reproduced or copied without permission from SAMHSA.
Additional copies of this report may be downloaded from http://www.samhsa.gov/oas/facts.cfm. Citation of the source is appreciated. Other
reports from the Office of Applied Studies are also available on-line: http://www.DrugAbuseStatistics.samhsa.gov/.
DASIS REPORT: ADOLESCENT ADMISSIONS INVOLVING INHALANTS March 14, 2002

Table 1. Alcohol or Drug Abuse among Figure 1. Age at First Use among Adolescent
Adolescent Inhalant Admissions: 1999 Inhalant Admissions: 1994-1999

100
10 11 11 9 10 9
Other Drugs Abused Percent

Both Alcohol and Marijuana 53.5 75 35 34 35

35 38 38
Marijuana Only 12.1

Percent
Marijuana and a Drug other than Alcohol 11.9
50
Alcohol Only 6.3
37 37 36 36
Alcohol and a Drug Other than Marijuana 4.1 37 36
Other Drugs/Drug Combinations 2.7 25

None (Abused Inhalants Only) 9.4 18 20 19

18 15 16
Total 100.0 0
1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
<12 Years 12 to 13 Years
14 to 15 Years 16 to 17 Years

Source: 1999 SAMHSA Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS).

percent of the inhalant-involved (67 percent) of adolescent admis-

Trends in Adolescent
Inhalant Admissions
The number of adolescent
admissions to publicly funded
substance abuse treatment facili-
ties increased from 109,000 in
1994 to 131,000 in 1999 (data
not shown). During that period,
the number and proportion of
adolescent admissions associated
with inhalant abuse declined from
4,731 (4 percent) in 1994 to
2,091 (2 percent) in 1999.
Alcohol and Drug
Abuse
More than half (54 percent) of
1999 adolescent admissions
involving inhalant abuse also
involved abuse of both alcohol
and marijuana (Table 1). Less
than 10 percent involved abuse of
inhalants alone. Marijuana abuse,
either alone or with a drug other
than alcohol, was reported in 24
adolescent admissions. Alcohol
(alone or with a drug other than
marijuana) was reported in 10
percent of inhalant-involved
adolescent admissions.
Age at First Use of
Inhalants
The age at initiation of inhalant
use showed little change between
1994 and 1999 (Figure 1).
Throughout that period, 15 to 20
percent of inhalant-involved
adolescent admissions were
younger than age 12 when they
first used inhalants. Some 36 to
37 percent were aged 12 or 13,
and 34 to 38 percent were
between 14 and 15 years old at
initiation of inhalant use.
Race/Ethnicity
In 1999, Whites accounted for
approximately two thirds
sions involving inhalants
(Figure 2). Hispanics made up
one fifth (20 percent) of adoles-
cent admissions involving inhal-
ants. American Indians/Alaska
Natives accounted for 7 percent,
and 3 percent were Black or
African-American.
Source of Referral
The source of referral to treat-
ment among adolescents using
inhalants varied according to age
at admission (Figure 3). About
one-third (34 percent) of 12 to 14
year olds entered treatment as the
result of a judicial process com-
pared with 49 percent of 15 to 17
year olds. Referrals from school
were more likely to occur among
12 to 14 year olds (14 percent)
than among 15 to 17 year olds (7
percent). Approximately 20
percent of 12 to 14 year old
inhalant-involved admissions
resulted from an individual or self
March 14, 2002 DASIS REPORT: ADOLESCENT ADMISSIONS INVOLVING INHALANTS

Figure 2. Adolescent Inhalant Admissions, by Figure 3. Source of Referral among Adolescent

Race/Ethnicity: 1999 Inhalant Admissions, by Age at Admission: 1999

Black Other 100

American 14 12
3% 3%
Indian/ 7
Alaska 14
75 14
Native Other
7% 20 School

Percent
17
Self/Individual
Hispanic 50
18 Substance Abuse/
20%
Health Care
Provider
25 49
Criminal Justice
34
White System
67%
0
12 to 14 15 to 17
Years Years

referral compared with 14 percent
of 15 to 17 year old admissions.
Prior Treatment
Episodes
For the majority of adolescent
admissions involving inhalant
abuse, this was the first treatment
episode. Among inhalant-
involved adolescent male
admissions, 61 percent had no
prior treatment episodes
compared with 69 percent among
female admissions (Figure 4).
There was little difference
between the proportion of male
and female adolescent admissions
who experienced one prior
treatment episode (22 percent
and 19 percent, respectively).
Some 17 percent of inhalant-
involved male adolescent
admissions had been in treatment
2 or more times before compared
with 12 percent of comparable
female admissions.

Figure 4. Number of Prior Treatment Episodes

among Adolescent Inhalant Admissions, by The Drug and Alcohol Services Information System (DASIS) is an
integrated data system maintained by the Office of Applied Studies,
Sex: 1999 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
One component of DASIS is the Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS), a
national-level dataset comprising State administrative data primarily from
100 treatment facilities receiving public funds. The TEDS system includes
records for some 1.6 million substance abuse treatment admissions
Male annually. TEDS records represent admissions rather than individuals,
as a person may be admitted to treatment more than once.
69 Female
75 The DASIS Report is prepared by the Office of Applied Studies, SAMHSA;
61 Synectics for Management Decisions, Inc., Arlington, Virginia; and RTI,
Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.
Percent

Information and data for this issue are based on data reported to TEDS
50 through April 16, 2001.

22 Access the latest TEDS reports at:

25 19 17
12 www.DrugAbuseStatistics.SAMHSA.gov

Access the latest TEDS public use files at:

0
www.icpsr.umich.edu/SAMHDA/teds.html
No Prior 1 Prior 2 or More Prior
Episodes Episode Episodes