(CBS) — You've heard the stories of kids sniffing glue, gas or spray paints. But few people are aware of how big the problem really is. One group raised awareness Thursday at the nation’s capitol.

At 17, Jordan Paul is a recovering drug addict. When life became just too difficult, he says he turned to the bathroom cabinet, then under the kitchen sink and even the garage for help.

"Anything I could get my hands on, aerosol, gas — anything I could find,” he said.

Jordan sniffed gasoline on a rag, his mom’s hairspray … anything he thought would give him a high. And if you think this doesn't happen to other children, think again.

"Twenty percent of kids in America have tried inhalants, sniffing or huffing a household product to get that dizzy or fuzzy feeling,” said Stephen Pasierb, CEO of Drug Free America.

Jordan and others who have experienced similar addictions headed to Capitol
Hill Thursday to share their stories and warn other kids of the consequences.

The experts say most kids try the inhalants just for fun, and that they're really not looking to get high.

Products like hairspray can easily be found around the home. But the problem is it can lead to other experimentation.

For Jordan that led to cocaine, LSD, ecstasy. He says he was willing to try anything. He remembers one of his lowest moments.

"I took all my friends and I opened up the door to my parents’ room and said, ‘Anything you can find that’s worth money you can take it,’ and just sold it all because that's how desperate I was,” he said.

It took an overdose for Jordan to wake up. After a 3-month hospitalization, he decided to get help. He's been drug free now for 13 months.