Glue-sniffing was the 'in' thing among bored teen gangs in the 1980s. It gave them a 'high' but it could also be a fatal attraction, 10 former abusers from that period told The Sunday Times.

Now, the spectre is back after over a decade of decline.

The Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) recently disclosed that the number of inhalant abusers caught rose to 644 last year, from 403 in 2006 and an all-time low of 120 in 2005. The majority of those caught recently were below 20.

At its peak in 1987, 1,112 abusers were nabbed.

Figures for this year so far are unavailable. CNB said the top reasons for inhalant abuse cited by those caught were boredom, peer pressure and curiosity.

Mr Roger Chong used to sniff glue back in the 80s. In 1984, the then 17-year-old nearly died after one inhalant-abuse session. While perched on a moving lorry, he heard voices telling him to jump off. He almost did but a friend pulled him back.

Now 41, Mr Chong said: 'I imagined things like people chasing me.'

He and the other inhalant abusers interviewed, as well as people involved in rehabilitation efforts, likened glue-sniffing to the 'frog in boiling water'' effect: it seemed almost harmless.

Mr Mohd Yusof Ismail, chief executive of the Ain Society, which helps troubled youth, said: 'Some adults even thought the kids were just having harmless fun.'

Ex-abuser M. S. Lee, 37, said he used to snort glue openly in public places like buses and bus stops. 'It was not a controlled drug, and paint and bicycle shops sold it,' he said.

Alarmed, the authorities introduced the Intoxicating Substances Act in 1987. Shopkeepers were told to stop selling glue to people they believed were inhalant abusers.

Mr Yusof said one reason glue-sniffing is making a comeback is that former addicts, recently released after long jail terms, may be influencing today's teen gangs.

Mr Chong recalled how his 10-member gang would buy cans of glue from a bicycle shop to share. Most were introduced to glue-sniffing by older members of neighbourhood gangs.

Mr Rick Tan, 37, now a drug-free mechanic, had two glue-sniffing friends who died: One drowned and the other jumped off a building.

Mr Chong said he is lucky because he had other hallucinating bouts that could have killed him. 'Once on glue, you think you're invincible, like Rambo,' he said.

But the reality is otherwise.

Consultant psychiatrist Brian Yeo said glue-sniffers in a daze might get into accidents and long-term inhalant abuse leads to brain damage.

Senior consultant psychiatrist Francis Ngui said the main toxic substance in glue is toluene, which has a neurotoxic effect on nerves, damaging and killing brain cells. He has seen a teenager in the mortuary with his face still stuck to a large plastic bag containing glue.

Glue is often a stepping stone to harder drugs.

Mr Chong 'upgraded' to marijuana, then heroin, after glue had lost its 'kick'. He also found himself stealing from his parents and selling off household appliances.

All 10 ex-abusers told The Sunday Times that it was a hard slog back into society's fold. They were in and out of prison and rehabilitation centres. Most relapsed after their release.

Mr Chong struggled with his addiction for 10 years. A Christian-run halfway house helped him cope with the cold turkey treatment.

He persisted and has been 'clean' for the past 20 years. Now, the father of two has a business selling hairstyling equipment to beauty salons.

But not every such story has a happy ending. Mr J. Tong, 42, is still stuck in 'a living hell'. He started glue-sniffing when he was 15 and moved on to heroin at 18. Despite countless stays in halfway houses, he is still hooked on drugs.

Said the jobless bachelor: 'Once you start, it's hard to quit. I thought I wouldn't get addicted, but I did.'

This story was first published in thesundaytimes on Apr 20.