What is a Sherm?
What is Sherm? There have been some strange substances that people have used throughout the years in search of a high. One of the most bizarre may be the practice of dipping cigarettes or joints into an embalming fluid. Every drug that someone uses affects their brain. The effects often cause poor decision-making and lack of judgment. Unfortunately, even when people know about the adverse effects of drugs, they still use them, which happens with Sherman sticks, PCP, and embalming fluids.
Defining Sherm or Embalming Fluid
Sherm is when someone dips tobacco or marijuana into embalming fluid. The main chemicals in embalming fluid include:
- Glutaraldehyde
- Methanol
- Formaldehyde
There are some other chemicals in embalming fluid, as well. The substances work to preserve a body prior to burial. All these chemicals can have dangerous effects when someone inhales or ingests them. When someone dips marijuana or tobacco cigarettes in this fluid or into PCP, the effects are often terrible.
Getting High from PCP
Will Sherm get you high? While embalming fluid isn’t the drug itself. However, people use it as a carrier or solvent for PCP, also known as phencyclidine. PCP is highly potent and harmful. People who take PCP might do things you can’t even imagine. Drug users often dip their marijuana or cigarettes into embalming fluid to make those drugs more potent. When someone does this, it is known as a wet drug.
Using Angel Dust
Angel dust is not the same as embalming fluid. It is known as PCP. However, the two can cause similar effects and both are dangerous in many ways. PCP is an illegal disassociative and hallucinogen. Many people use PCP as their substance of choice. The reason for this is because the chemicals they need to make PCP are not expensive and the effects are powerful. Sherm isn’t embalming fluid. However, many people will take sherm sticks and dip them into PCP or embalming fluids.
Side Effects of Inhaling Embalming Fluid
When someone smokes embalming fluid through the method of sherm sticks, they get high. It is a high similar to the one they would get when using PCP. Some people dip sherm sticks directly into PCP, as well. Some other names for sherm include superweed, water, dip, or fry. There are severe risks of using sherm. Sometimes, the effects are life-threatening. Even if someone only uses sherm once, they could experience severe adverse effects. Some side effects of PCP include:
- Adrenaline rush
- Euphoria
- Detachment from reality
- Hallucinations
- Delusions such as feeling bulletproof
- Not feeling pain
- Aggressive or violent behaviors
- Memory loss or blackouts
- Lack of coordination
- Respiratory distress
- Paranoia
- Accidental self-injury
There are still risks of using wet drugs that aren’t known. There are many toxins in PCP that are different each time someone makes the drug. For that reason, it can be difficult to predict what could happen every time someone uses sherm sticks. You may have seen news articles on someone who was taking PCP. The PCP alone is dangerous. When someone mixes PCP with embalming fluid, it is even more so. Some risks of dipping PCP into the fluid include:
- Self-mutilation
- Cancer
- Brain damage
- Lung damage
- Seizures
- Coma
There are even people who die with one use of PCP and embalming fluid.
Wet Drug Addiction Treatment
Do you or someone you know have an addiction to wet drugs? If so, and you are ready to overcome that addiction, reaching out to a treatment center is essential. Like many other drugs, a person needs medically supervised detox and rehab treatment if they abuse wet drugs. The withdrawal symptoms from sherm might not be life-threatening. However, they can be severe. In addition, people who try withdrawing on their own have a higher chance of relapsing. Some symptoms a person might have during this withdrawal process include:
- Confusion
- Disorientation
- Severe cravings
- Anxiety
- Severe depression
We recommend that someone who is abusing wet drugs seeks professional rehab treatment. The best treatments for this type of addiction are professional treatment programs. In these programs, you will receive 24/7 care and supervision. Intense supervision can help reduce the risk of relapsing. It can also provide you with the help you need during this vulnerable time in your life. When going to a treatment program, you will receive many things, including:
- Learning about coping skills, relapse prevention, and various recovery methods
- Receiving peer support and help from professionals
- Therapy sessions – both individual and group
- Resources to help in your recovery
These are some of the best things about attending a treatment program for wet drugs. If necessary, you should attend a detox program before the rehab treatment, you can significantly increase your chances of succeeding in your recovery this way. Contact us if you have any questions about sherm or addiction to any other drug. Blue Hills Recovery can help.