VSU
While it may seem appropriate to provide information or education about volatile substance use (VSU) to everyone, it is important to consider the audience when deciding what information, if any, should be provided.
Information and education about VSU needs to be targeted and considered, to avoid raising awareness of young people to a practice they may not have previously been aware of. This is to reduce the risk of increasing interest and subsequent experimentation of VSU.
Information for parents and families should similarly be targeted towards those who require the information. For example, in a location where there is low prevalence of VSU, flooding a town or community with information about VSU can have the unintended consequence of causing panic among parents in a community.
Even where there is an issue, the information provided to parents, families and communities needs to be provided in a discrete manner to avoid creating shame and stigma for the person using, their family and the community.
For this reason, community-wide education campaigns are not recommended.
Consider the target audience when deciding what information about VSU should be provided.
Information for:
Targeted education about VSU should be aimed at those currently using, or at risk of using volatile substances. This target group may be broader in a community where VSU is at significant levels and knowledge of VSU is high.
Education provided should include information about:
- short-term and long-term harmful effects of VSU
- strategies for quitting, or at least reducing, VSU
- basic first aid and care for an intoxicated person
- harm reduction strategies.
(National Health and Medical Research Council, 2011)
Information about harm needs to be considered within the broader context of the person's life. For individuals living in chaotic, dysfunctional circumstances, VSU and its consequences may seem relatively minor compared to other threats and adversities they may face. Targeted education works best when it is focused on consequences that people can relate to and/or that are important to them - e.g. the effect it can have on their ability to play sport. Education about VSU and related matters also needs to be age-appropriate and matched to the person's cognitive ability to comprehend.
Focusing on VSU-related harms such as sudden sniffing death or other serious health consequences may have little relevance to many, particularly young people. It can reduce the credibility of the information if they have never known anyone to experience such consequences.
Scare tactics should therefore be avoided in VSU education. Focusing on the dangers can also increase the sense of excitement involved with VSU and potentially increase the attraction. Such an approach has generally not been effective in reducing use (d’Abbs & MacLean, 2008).
Finding out why people are using volatile substances may provide some insights into strategies to reduce their use. For example, reasons for use such as easy access to volatile substances, boredom and trauma will all result in different interventions.
Targeted education for parents and families should include information about:
- health effects of volatile substances
- basic first aid and care for an intoxicated person (e.g. assessing danger to the person and others, letting the person rest in a quiet safe place with fresh air, making sure the person can breathe, when to call emergency services)
- how to monitor an intoxicated person during and after recovery (e.g. managing symptoms, what to look for, making sure the person eats and drinks, when to call emergency services)
- who to contact if the situation is dangerous (i.e. the people in the community who are responsible for safety such as police and other authorised people)
- services that can help a person recover (e.g. counselling services, residential rehabilitation facilities, youth and activity programs).
(National Health and Medical Research Council, 2011)
For more information about working with parents and family members, see the Supporting parents and families page of this website.
It is important to ensure that broader education strategies aimed at families and communities are discreet and do not inform other young people who are not using volatile substances. Discretion is also needed to avoid overemphasising the issue, as it may provoke a feeling of shame for communities and create resistance in discussing the issue.
For more information about working with communities, see the Responding to VSU in the community page of this website.
As VSU requires a different approach from most of the more commonly used drugs, it is important for workers who come into contact with those who use volatile substances or have a role in responding to VSU-related issues, to seek evidence-based information and education about VSU.
Information that may be of interest to workers and service providers includes:
- information about volatile substances and the effects of VSU
- signs of intoxication and intoxication management
- harms associated with VSU
- harm reduction strategies
- best practice approaches to addressing VSU
- prevalence and patterns of use (to provide a broad picture of VSU in Australia, WA and locally).
Where workers have a role supporting families and communities, information about community development activities and prevention initiatives may also be helpful.
For further information and support, contact the Volatile Substance Program at the Mental Health Commission.
Page last updated18 July 2025