What Does Smoking Wet Mean

“Smoking wet” is a slang term for a specific type of drug abuse. It involves dipping a tobacco cigarette in PCP and embalming fluid to experience mind-altering effects. Unfortunately, abusing wet is hazardous, leading to an array of long-term health issues.

Wet is also referred to as “Sherm,” “Fry,” “Love Boat,” or “Water.” It is always smoked, and the drug is placed on the tip of a tobacco cigarette, a blunt, or a joint that contains marijuana. The effects can range from euphoria and dissociation to extreme paranoia, hallucinations, and violent or aggressive behavior.

Smoking embalming fluid can lead to a variety of physical, mental, and social risks. You could experience psychosis or symptoms similar to schizophrenia, develop brain damage from chronic exposure to PCP, experience kidney and liver damage, or get into legal trouble due to drug possession. In other words, sherm is a drug that you should avoid at all costs.

If you or a loved one is addicted to smoking wet, the Mandala Healing Center can help you. We offer medical detox, evidence-based behavioral therapies, and relapse prevention planning to ensure our clients achieve long-term recovery. When embalming fluid or PCP takes over your life, we can help you assemble the pieces.

In this article, you will learn:

• What does it mean to “smoke wet”?
• What does embalming fluid contain?
• Does embalming fluid get you high?
• What is PCP?
• What are the other slang terms for PCP?
• What are the short-term effects of embalming fluid or PCP?
• What are the long-term dangers of wet drug abuse?
• What are the signs of PCP addiction?
• How can a drug rehab center help you?

What is “Smoking Wet”?

“Wet drugs” are substances that are laced with embalming fluid. To explain, embalming fluid is the substance that medical professionals use to preserve human cadavers to prevent decomposition.[1] Usually, phencyclidine (PCP) is mixed in with the embalming fluid to increase the potency of the high.

Phencyclidine was used medicinally in the 1950s as an intravenous anesthetic. However, it began making patients agitated, delusional, and irritable. It was also causing impaired coordination and other adverse effects, so it quickly became a banned substance.[2] Today, it is only found on the streets and is abused frequently.

When you mix embalming fluid with PCP, it creates a highly potent hallucinogenic drug that can cause effects like euphoria, sensory distortions, visual or auditory hallucinations, and a detachment from reality. While some people enjoy the effects of smoking wet, others experience intense aggression, violence, and the symptoms of psychosis.

What is in Embalming Fluid?

If you are smoking embalming fluid, it’s important to know what the chemical contains. It is meant to preserve human bodies after someone dies, which means it has a lot of different chemicals mixed into it.

Embalming fluid often contains:[1]

• Formaldehyde – Embalming fluid can range from containing 5 to 59% formaldehyde, which is a strong-smelling gas that preserves tissues. Long-term exposure to formaldehyde can lead to cancer.
• Methanol – Methanol is a wood alcohol found in embalming fluid that acts as a solvent and preservative. In high doses, this chemical can cause blindness, organ failure, and death.
• Glutaraldehyde – This substance is another strong preservative that is used in sterilization and disinfection. It can be irritating to the eyes, lungs, and skin.
• Phenol – Embalming fluid contains phenol, which is used to prevent bacterial growth. It is toxic and corrosive, which means it can damage skin and mucous membranes.
• Dyes and Fragrances- Various dyes and fragrances might be added to embalming fluid to help bodies smell fresh and keep the skin looking alive.

Because embalming fluid contains all of these toxic chemicals, it is incredibly unsafe to smoke it. Whether you are dipping tobacco or marijuana cigarettes into embalming fluid, you are at risk of developing a long list of physical health risks.

Does Embalming Fluid Get You High?

Embalming fluid is one of the main substances found in wet or sherm sticks. Despite this, it usually doesn’t cause a high on its own. Most of the time, embalming fluid is used as a solvent for the PCP that people add to the cigarette, joint, or blunt.

Even though embalming fluid does not directly cause a high, smoking it is incredibly dangerous. You could experience adverse and life-threatening effects like:

• Severe lung and brain damage
• Burning in the mouth, throat, and airways
• Psychosis or violent outbursts
• Seizures, coma, and death

If you smoke embalming fluid on its own, you could experience effects associated with chemical-induced delirium or poisoning. This might include symptoms like a distorted reality, hallucinations, confusion, paranoia, or aggression.

The main difference between the effects of embalming fluid and PCP is that phencyclidine causes mind-altering effects like euphoria, pleasure, numbness, and out-of-body experiences, while embalming fluid causes a chemically-induced foggy feeling, irritation of the lungs, burning sensations, and organ damage.

To sum things up, most people are not smoking embalming fluid on its own. Instead, they are using embalming fluid as a solvent for the PCP, which is the substance that gets you high. In other words, the wet drug or sherm high is caused by phencyclidine rather than embalming fluid.

What is Phencyclidine (PCP)?

Wet drugs contain phencyclidine, a dangerous substance that belongs to a class of drugs called dissociative anesthetics. While it was used medicinally at one point in history, it no longer has any accepted medical uses. Today, you can only find PCP on the street.

PCP is an illegal street drug that usually comes as a white powder or a liquid. It can either be smoked, snorted, swallowed, or injected. When someone is using wet drugs, they are most likely abusing the liquid form of phencyclidine.

Because it is mind-altering, it affects your mood, behaviors, and the way you see the world around you. While PCP is a dissociative drug, it can also be considered a hallucinogen. You might experience visual or auditory hallucinations when you abuse it.

How fast the effects of PCP begin depends on how you use it, for example:[3]

• If you inject into your vein, the effects begin within 2 to 5 minutes
• If you smoke it, you will experience effects within 5 minutes that peak between 15 to 30 minutes
• When swallowed, the effects of PCP do not begin for 30 minutes and peak at 2 to 5 hours after consuming it

While injecting and smoking PCP causes the effects to begin faster, they might not last as long as when you swallow it. That said, any form of PCP use is incredibly dangerous, putting you at risk of a plethora of physical and mental health concerns.

What are the Other Slang-Terms and Street Names for PCP?

Wet drugs or PCP are common drugs of abuse on the street. Because PCP is illegal, many people use street names or slang terms to refer to the drug when discussing it or attempting to buy it.

Some of the most common street names for PCP include:[4]

• Angel dust
• Embalming fluid
• Wet drugs
• Sherm or sherm stick
• Hog
• Killer weed
• Love boat
• Ozone
• Peace pill
• Rocket fuel
• Super grass
• Wack

PCP is often mixed with toxic chemicals like embalming fluid, so you should avoid using it. If you find yourself caught in a cycle of wet drug abuse, it’s time to seek professional help. Drug rehab programs like the Mandala Healing Center can help you break the cycle of addiction and improve the overall quality of your life.

What are the Short-Term Effects of Embalming Fluid and PCP?

Embalming fluid and PCP affect your central nervous system, causing mood changes, altered sensory perception, and hallucinations. Knowing the potential effects of this drug might make you think twice before abusing it.

Smoking wet drugs can lead to a variety of short-term effects, including:

• Emotional and physical numbness
• Slurred speech
• Increased heart rate and blood pressure
• Rapid and involuntary eye movements
• Heightened body temperature
• Catatonic posturing
• Blank stare
• Shallow or rapid breathing
• Loss of coordination
• Feelings of euphoria or pleasure
• Paranoia and delusions
• Hallucinations
• Aggressive or violent behavior
• Detachment from reality

When you smoke wet drugs, you are consuming toxic substances. This could cause poor coordination, inflammation, or sores in the throat, nose, or esophagus, and chronic bronchitis. In severe cases, smoking wet drugs can lead to respiratory failure.

It is also possible to develop a substance use disorder when you abuse wet drugs. Prolonged exposure to embalming fluid and liquid PCP could lead to physical and psychological dependence. If you suffer from wet drug addiction, a drug and alcohol treatment program can provide you with the tools and support you need to recover.

What are the Long-Term Dangers of Smoking “Sherm”?

The long-term dangers of smoking wet drugs can be serious and life-threatening, leading to physical, psychological, and social risks. By learning about the long-term impacts of PCP and embalming fluid, you can make an informed decision on whether it is worth it to misuse the drug.

The main dangers associated with “smoking sherm” include:

Psychological Risks of PCP or Angel Dust Drug Use

Smoking wet drugs can lead to the following long-term psychological effects:

• Memory Loss – When you repeatedly use wet drugs, you might struggle to retain new information and deal with short or long-term memory loss.
• Cognitive Impairment – It’s common to experience trouble with attention, decision-making skills, and logical thinking when you misuse PCP long-term.
• Depression and Anxiety – If you already have a mood disorder like depression or anxiety, using wet drugs will worsen your symptoms over time.
• Violent or Erratic Behavior – PCP is known for causing violent and erratic behavior, even if you’ve only used it once. Because of this, if you repeatedly use PCP, your behaviors could become more severe and pervasive over time.
• Psychosis – Dissociative drugs like wet or sherm can increase your risk of experiencing substance-induced psychosis. You might deal with symptoms like delusions, paranoia, hallucinations, a detachment from reality, and disorganized speech.

Long-Term Physical Effects of Wet Drugs

While the psychological effects of smoking wet drugs are severe, it also comes with an array of long-term physical health risks, including:

• Brain Damage – Prolonged exposure to PCP can change the structure of your brain, leading to long-term brain damage that might not fully repair over time.
• Motor Skill Problems – The coordination, speech, and muscle control issues caused by wet drugs might persist even when you stop using the substance.
• Respiratory Issues – Because wet drugs are usually laced onto tobacco or marijuana cigarettes, you have an increased risk of respiratory failure, lung damage, and even cancer.
• Organ Damage – Abusing embalming fluid can lead to liver or kidney damage and, in severe cases, organ failure.
• Seizures – Because of the way that PCP disrupts brain activity, you are at a high risk of experiencing seizures.

Social and Legal Risks of Smoking PCP With Embalming Fluid

When you are addicted to wet drugs, using the substance takes priority over everything else in your life. You might even engage in criminal behaviors to obtain the drug.

Long-term use of embalming fluid can lead to the following social and legal risks:

• Relationship Trouble – Using PCP can cause your mood and behaviors to become unstable, making it difficult or even unsafe for your loved ones to be around you. Over time, this will cause you to become socially isolated and have strained relationships with your friends and family.
• Job Issues – The harmful effects of wet drugs can begin to leak into your professional life. If you are high most of the time, you won’t be able to complete your responsibilities at work, potentially causing you to get fired.
• Financial Problems – Whether you are fired from your job or not, it costs money to abuse PCP. As your addiction progresses, you’ll be spending higher amounts of money per day. Over time, this can lead to significant financial strain.
• Legal Risks – The effects of wet drugs can lead to aggression and violence. If you get into a physical altercation while high, you might get arrested. Additionally, you could find yourself engaging in criminal behavior to obtain the money to buy embalming fluid. Even simply having PCP in your possession could lead to a criminal charge.

Signs of Wet Drug Abuse and Addiction

Wet drug addiction can wreak havoc on every area of your life. Your physical and mental health will suffer, your relationships will become strained, and you could face legal or financial trouble. In other words, it’s incredibly important to find help for wet drug addiction when you recognize the signs.

That said, it can be difficult to spot the signs of wet drug addiction in yourself. As a result, it is helpful to familiarize yourself with the symptoms of substance use disorders.

The common signs that you are struggling with an addiction to PCP and embalming fluid include:

• Being unable to control how much or how often you use PCP
• Spending a lot of time obtaining, using, or recovering from the use of wet
• Wanting to quit or cut back on sherm use, but being unsuccessful
• Experiencing urges or cravings to use embalming fluid
• Losing interest in previously enjoyed activities and isolating yourself from loved ones
• Failing to meet responsibilities at home, school, or work due to PCP use
• Continuing to use wet even though it is causing adverse physical and mental health effects
• Using sherm in risky situations, such as while driving
• You need to increase your dose of embalming fluid to experience the desired effect
• Experiencing withdrawal symptoms when you stop using PCP

If you notice 2 or more of the above-mentioned symptoms, you have a substance use disorder. Withdrawal symptoms can be incredibly difficult to cope with, especially on your own. Sometimes, people continue abusing PCP even when they want to get sober, simply to avoid withdrawal.

Thankfully, medically supervised detox programs can help you overcome PCP withdrawal symptoms using FDA-approved medications and treatment from qualified healthcare professionals. While wet drugs affect your ability to function properly, detox can help you overcome the physical symptoms of addiction.

How Does Addiction Treatment Help?

Abusing wet cigarettes can lead to a long list of health risks, including respiratory failure and even death, when used in high doses. Because of the risks of long-term wet cigarette abuse, you should always seek professional help. While your addiction to dipping cigarettes in PCP and embalming fluid might be severe, drug rehab programs like the Mandala Healing Center can help you achieve long-term recovery.

There are a variety of treatment options when it comes to PCP addiction treatment. First, you should always attend a medical detox center. Once you overcome withdrawal, you’ll need to choose between inpatient and outpatient rehab.

While inpatient rehab provides 24/7 care, you are required to live at the facility. If you need to continue working while recovering from addiction, outpatient treatment is a better option. That said, those with severe substance use disorders or co-occurring mental health conditions should opt for inpatient care.

Whether you choose inpatient or outpatient rehab, you’ll receive a combination of evidence-based therapies and relapse prevention planning. Individual and group therapy will help you identify the underlying causes of your wet drug addiction. On the other hand, relapse prevention planning helps you develop healthy coping skills that lessen the risk of relapsing and prevent prolonged use of drugs.

The benefits of attending a professional drug rehab center include:

• Recovering from withdrawal symptoms with the help of FDA-approved medications
• Receiving one-on-one therapy that addresses the root causes of your substance abuse
• Engaging in group counseling helps you develop communication skills, set boundaries, and learn how addiction affects others
• Creating a relapse prevention plan that makes it easier to maintain long-term recovery
• Having access to aftercare services that keep you connected to recovery after you’ve completed addiction treatment

If you are dipping your marijuana or tobacco in embalming fluid and phencyclidine, addiction treatment can help. You’ll learn what caused you to develop an addiction in the first place, recover from underlying mental health problems, obtain healthy coping mechanisms, and learn how to prevent relapse and stay sober long-term.

Get Connected to a Top-Rated Drug Rehab Center

If you or a loved one suffers from substance abuse, it’s time to seek professional help. Wet drug abuse is not something to take lightly. This form of substance abuse can lead to a wide array of long-term physical and mental health risks, including life-threatening overdoses, seizures, organ damage, and respiratory failure. Thankfully, the Mandala Healing Center is here to help you recover from illicit drug addiction.

Why Choose The Mandala Healing Center? Clients are taken on a journey of healing through complete immersion into evidence-based clinical modalities, multifaceted alternative therapies, and expert medical management, allowing them to fully detox and recover from drug and alcohol addictions. Through a program of care designed to encourage change, a foundation is created that allows clients to find their higher purpose and reclaim their lives.

If you or a loved one is addicted to embalming fluid on marijuana cigarettes, our drug rehab program is designed to help you succeed. Contact us today for more information on how we can help you recover.

References:

1. Science Direct: Embalming
2. The National Drug Intelligence Center: PCP Fast Facts
3. Medline Plus: Substance use – phencyclidine (PCP)
4. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA): Phencyclidine