[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]In some instances, addiction begins with experimental substance usage within social settings. Almost all drugs have the potential to be abused and users are likely to become dependent upon them. In many ways, substance abuse is a major problem. It is hard to imagine how much substance abuse exists in the US. You can identify common signs of having a problem with drugs through irregular behaviors and personality changes.
Recognizing the signs of addiction is the first step in seeking treatment. Once you find the courage to take a step against your drug addiction, the rest of the process becomes easy. It also makes it important that you understand the signs of addiction. It can be characterized by behavioral, physical, and psychosocial issues.
Signs of Prescription Drug Abuse
The pharmacovigilant category includes pain-relieving and stimulant medicines. Depending upon the type of prescription medication, the signs of addiction are often different. While the aforementioned signs of addiction give some guidance, the following shows the list of signs of relapse based on drugs.
Depressants are usually very dangerous physically and mentally. The benzodiazepines category has several physiological symptoms including erratic vision, slow walking, and impulsive eye movements. Benzodiazepines can also hurt people with mental illness.
Drug-seeking Behavior
It may include taking prescriptions from various doctors, filling up their prescriptions with different pharmacies asking them to share the prescription, giving them pills, and selling in the streets.
Inability to Concentrate
This drug can inhibit the ability to think and is often used to help people meet routine tasks like school and housekeeping if required.
Drowsiness
It goes beyond a simple feeling of fatigue. The drug user might have darkened eyelids, or appear tired or ill all day.
Ways to Detect Drug Use in Adolescents?
While moodiness is usually part of childhood and teenagehood, drugs tend to show dramatic changes in mood and behavior among these groups. A study released last week shows withdrawn, depressed or hostile attitudes among teenagers. Parents should be aware of the effects of changing peer groups on children who begin to resemble different groups of peers. Adolescents who take prescription medication may miss classes or skip school. Parents’ children are often listened to using certain drug-related terms to describe them as slang.
Signs and Symptoms of Drug Abuse in Adults
How can one detect drug abuse? Addictions are influenced by the consumption of drugs and change people’s attitudes toward their surroundings, behaviors, and experiences. Symptoms associated with substance abuse disorder include changes in body behavior and emotions. Thankfully there are ways to find out if a family member became addicted to drugs.
Gender Differences
There are definite symptoms in people who abuse substances that vary in age and gender. Both men and women respond differently, physically, psychologically, and psychologically. The response varies widely among the two genders.
Changes in Performance
Substance abuse disorders may also affect job performance and cause illegal behavior. People who work or run their businesses will experience a lack of interest in their work and will run away from their responsibilities due to their drug addiction.
Changes in Behavior
In addition to physical changes, individuals misusing the substance or drinking can act abnormally. Becoming socially awkward and not wanting to communicate your feelings can become a normal thing for such a person. The bad thing about it is that it doesn’t just stop there. First, the person will eradicate all social interactions. After that, they will stop caring about their job which will result in insolvency. It’s a series of events that will take place one after the other.
Signs of Alcohol Addiction
Alcohol is a substance that has a high prevalence across the United States. In 2012, nearly 17 million adults were diagnosed with alcoholism in the United States. Alcoholism comes with various symptoms. Sometimes, a “functional alcoholic” can disguise and minimize these symptoms.
Eventually, however, it can become more difficult to hide this problem. Several studies show alcohol addiction causes memory loss and blackouts. Some people have cracked or flushed skin, especially on their faces.
Panic Regarding Access
A drunk person may be concerned about the limit of availability of alcohol in some situations. The large prevalence of alcoholics and the concerned people is an important factor in preventing a traumatic episode. There is exceptional help for those who are suffering from alcohol abuse including counseling and support group meetings.
Legal trouble
Drunk driving and fights are common aversions to alcohol, which can result in criminal arrests. People who suffer from substance use disorder are prone to getting involved in legal matters. Due to their inability to assess their life prudently, they entangle in average everyday works of life.
It could include walking into a fight in a bar, driving carelessly resulting in an accident, or simply not being aware of ethics in a public place. All of these scenarios can lead to the person not only struggling with their addiction but also in court.
Blackouts
Many who drink heavily don’t remember the things that occurred in their intoxicating state. This could lead to troubles in one’s marriage, job, and normal interactions with people. Although most of the blacking-out occurs when one is consuming intoxicating drugs that provide pleasure and freedom from worldly responsibilities, many people lose their stability because of prescription drugs.
Blackouts aren’t only caused because of illegal drugs, drug misuse of addiction medicine can also have similar results. If a person is too dependent on their prescription medicine, by the time when they are all out, they will black out.
Signs of Cocaine Abuse
Cocaine is a white powder that can cause increased heart rates. It can sometimes be taken either by swallowing, smoking, or by injection. In addition, cocaine’s sedative nature has its characteristic effect of diminishing within 2 hours after its initial usage.
The main effects of using cocaine are being highly energetic, pupils dilating, restlessness in the body, and the user becoming sensitive to light or loud sounds.
Signs of Heroin Abuse
In its original state, heroin is white and other substances sometimes have been cut into it and turn it rose gray, brown, or black. Heroin is used as transporters and as consumables. Identification of such substances or their residuals and other paraphernalia in one’s bloodstream are solid signals of heroin abuse.
The signs and symptoms of heroin addiction vary from person to person and rely on several variables, such as the dose and frequency of heroin usage. The following physical, psychological, and behavioral/social symptoms are just a few of the many signals that someone may be dangerously addicted to heroin.
Physical Signs
Physical signs of addiction are manifested by overdose or by withdrawal. The cause may not be easily identified, but severe symptoms need urgent medical intervention. A second important aspect that should be understood is that when a patient is in a withdrawal state, it can cause withdrawal symptoms.
The withdrawal state, after alcoholism and drug dependence, can be really scary for a person going through it. People will experience constant sweating, inability to sleep, loss of appetite, and social anxiety. These things put a person’s life in grave danger as their impulsive decision-making power increases so much that they might end up hurting themselves or others.
Conclusion
To conclude, we can now easily say that if you are consuming drugs and don’t see your life progressing as it should, then those drugs are having a huge effect on you. One should consider this as one of the many warning signs that have been discussed in this blog. The main reason why people don’t want to do something about their drug addiction is that they fail to understand how the drug is affecting them. The process of withdrawal is in itself a painful one. You experience sudden weight loss when the drug wears off and exits your body. All these things are supposed to be taken into consideration by an addict and should consult a professional mental health provider for their highly struggling life.
Emmaus Medical & Counseling is an outpatient drug addiction treatment facility that aims at providing medical and psychological attention to people who are suffering from substance use disorders. If you wish to seek help regarding your drug problem, feel free to contact us today and book an appointment! Our goal is to help you put your life back together while carefully escaping the trap of drug abuse.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]