Paint Thinner Addiction - Treatment, Symptoms and Causes

Paint thinner is a solvent used to remove oil-based paints from rollers, brushes, and surfaces. Paint thinner is having many usages which save our money. Here, let us discuss how paint thinner becomes an addiction. What can be the possible causes of paint thinner addiction? Basically, paint thinner comes under the category of inhalants. Inhalants are those products that cause a person to feel intoxicated if inhaled. The two main components of paint thinners are toluene and xylene.

These are also found in spray paints and model glues. The inhalation of paint thinner gives the same effect as alcohol consumption. The response of the human brain to toluene and xylene is similar to that of alcohol. ‘Bagging’ is the way of intake of the fumes or smoke or smell of something through a bag so that the outside air is not inhaled. Bagging is the most common way of using paint thinners as a drug. This leads to the contamination of hydrocarbons in the lungs of a human body and makes you sick and causes other respiratory diseases even death. Paint thinners are toxic chemicals.

Many youngsters are using this as a substitute for various other drugs because it is legal and very easy to buy. Paint thinner addiction can cause anemia, leukemia as well as the death of a person.

Paint thinner, which is grouped under the category of inhalants, is a very dangerous chemical and can cause very serious problems if inhaled. The main causes of paint thinner addiction are:

• Easily available: Paint thinners are easily available at a low cost. Many youngsters take this as an advantage and can have access to paint thinners very easily.
• Legality: Unlike other drugs, paint thinners are legal as the primary motive of manufacture of paint thinner is not to use it as a drug. The addict can easily buy the paint thinner to use it as a drug.
• Carelessness: Usually, when teenagers are the addict of inhalants like paint thinner, parents do not give much attention and care to the matter because of the lack of knowledge about the abusive power of paint thinner and other inhalants.
Usage as a substitute: As the paint thinner inhalation gives the addict similar effect of alcohol consumption in the body, it is more likely to use it as a substitute for alcohol because alcohol is illegal.

The studies show that the people who experiment with inhalants like paint thinners die in the very first attempt itself. There will be some symptoms if someone is affected by paint thinner addiction. It is as follows:

Suffocation: Like the other airborne diseases, inhalation of paint thinner creates difficulty in breathing. Continuous usage of paint thinner as a drug can lead to more suffocation and even death.

• Cardiac arrest: Cardiac arrest or heart attacks are more likely to occur if you are an addict of paint thinner. It shows how dangerous it is to inhale the odor of paint thinner.
• Asphyxiation: This is a state of being deprived of oxygen which can result in suffocation or even death.
• Watery eyes and nose: The paint thinner addict shows a symptom of watery eyes and nose which should be taken care soon.

The treatment of paint thinner addiction is very important as the chance of occurrence of death is possible. Usage of paint thinner for any useless purpose, that is, using paint thinner as a drug put a question mark in your life. Seeking medical help will be the best thing you could do if you found someone inhaling or consuming paint thinner. It is recommended not to empty the victim’s stomach if the type of hydrocarbon present in the paint thinner is not likely to cause damage throughout the body. This precaution is taken to prevent the risk of inhaling the hydrocarbon. It is sure that inhalation of paint thinner will create respiratory problems in the victim’s/ addict’s body. This condition may become worse as the days pass. Oximetry test is to be done to measure the oxygenation in the blood. It also helps to assess the level of damage to lungs.

Paint thinner addiction is now found more in the youngsters. A person may use it with an intention of just trying it once. But it provokes the person to use more and more and make the person an addict of it. This is generally in the case of drugs. There are some preventive measures to be taken to avoid the use of paint thinner as a drug. They are:

• Keep the thinner out of reach of children.
• Paint thinners should not be placed in garbage or poured down.
• Reduce the use of paint thinners to the maximum extent.
• Always give awareness to the child or the addict about the issues related to drugs.

Chemical mixtures used as industrial solvents are known as thinners. Thinner can be ingested by humans through occupational exposure or purposeful inhalation misuse. Thinner sniffing can harm the brain, kidneys, liver, lungs, and reproductive system.

The other side effects of paint thinner are Dizziness, headaches, moist eyes, eye irritation, weakness, nausea, muscular spasms, and central nervous system depression. Convulsions, coma, and death may result from severe overexposure.

Summary: Inhalation of paint thinner can put the brain, kidney, liver, lungs, and reproductive organs in danger.

A person who has been continuously using the paint thinner or any inhalants may suffer from psychological withdrawal issues. Physical withdrawal symptoms are not commonly found. The symptoms of withdrawal can be seen immediately after 6 hours of withdrawal. Hallucinations or delusions are also common after the withdrawal of paint thinner addiction. It is very important to contact the physician if the withdrawal symptoms are more. Lack of enough sleep is also possible to happen due to the sudden stoppage of thinner inhalation. Hence, the paint thinner addiction should be avoided in the initial stage itself and the victim should be handled carefully.