Deliberate hydrocarbon inhalation among low-socioeconomic adolescents not necessarily apprehended by the police.

Nearly 600 low socioeconomic adolescents were given a 17-item multiple choice questionnaire designed by the authors. Demographic data tended, in some respects, to be consistent with previous research. In other respects there were some differences, e.g., sniffing tends to also be a problem with females. The data suggested that there are differences between chronic and social sniffers and that these differences should be taken into account when designing treatment/prevention programs. Another suggestion is that sniffing tends to be a social activity that is engaged in because (1) it is readily available and (2) it relieves boredom. Prevention programs have tended to focus on making it more difficult to obtain access to solvents, but this has had only limited success. The development of alternatives to neighborhood boredom should also be seen as an integral and important part of drug-abuse prevention.