Sniffing and the Brain

Menzies School of Health Research and St Vincent’s Hospital, Melbourne.

This cartoon-style flipchart has been developed to provide young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with information on inhalants. This resource provides information on how the brain works, why it is important to lead a healthy lifestyle, the effects of inhalants on the brain and how people can get better after sniffing inhalants.

Sniffing and the Brain is part of The Brain Stories series. Other resources in this series include:

• The Grog Brain Story
• The Gunja Brain Story
• When Boys and Men Sniff
• When Girls and Women Sniff

• Increased knowledge of the effect of inhalants on the brain and body.

Sniffing and the Brain provides an overview of how inhalants affect the brain as well as the repercussions for family, self, culture and community in a simple and engaging way. This flipchart can be used to guide conversations with young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people about the effects of using inhalants. The resource touches on components of the Australian Health and Physical Education curriculum, including social influences, social consequences, and support-seeking. 

*Review produced by researchers at the Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use at the University of Sydney.