Do you suspect that a friend or family member has a drug problem?
There’s no denying that it’s a serious issue in the country that continues to grow. Over 70,000 people in the US died of a drug overdose in 2019 alone.
It’s crucial to know for sure before you can approach them about it. You don’t want to accuse someone without a valid basis.
You need to know the different signs of drug addiction. From there, you can check whether or not the person falls under some of them. Read this list below to learn more about the signs of addiction and what they mean:
1. Intense Cravings
One of the most prominent signs of drug addiction is the growing need for more substances. The dependence on the drug grows and as it gets worse, the person with addiction will continually seek it out. This is one of the defining traits of a person with drug addiction.
Before long, they won’t be able to hide their craving. They need more drugs to get the same high they once did before. Where one puff or one injection was enough, they now need more to replicate the feeling.
This has a lot to do with their tolerance (more on that below). What happens if they can’t satisfy their craving? That’s when they experience the next visible sign of drug addiction: withdrawal.
2. Withdrawal Symptoms
A person addicted to drugs needs the substance to maintain a physical, emotional, and mental state of equilibrium. Once they can’t get their hands on drugs, their body will begin to negatively react.
These reactions can take the form of headaches, body pains, dizziness, vomiting, diarrhea, and sweating. These symptoms can start out mild but they will get worse until the person can intake more drugs.
3. Increasing Tolerance
Drug addiction doesn’t refer only to illegal substances. Someone can get addicted to legal, prescription drugs too.
This is the reason some people don’t realize that a friend or family member is developing an addiction. They assume the intake is normal.
However, if a person once needed one dose to deal with a headache but now requires three or four, they’re developing an addiction. Their body now has an increased tolerance for the drug. They need more of it to achieve the same effects as one dose did.
That tolerance creates a growing dependence.
4. Poor Financial Decisions
As a person’s drug dependency grows, their control on financial responsibility will begin to slip. The person will no longer use money wisely. Instead of paying bills or purchasing necessities such as food, they’ll use the money to buy more drugs.
Their dependency forces them to keep buying. As mentioned, they’ll develop a tolerance and stronger craving. This means they’ll sooner or later start spending even more than before.
5. Isolation
Do you notice your friend or relative spending more time alone? This is an indication that they suffer from drug addiction.
As a person spirals into addiction, they’ll spend time away from society to hide their craving. They don’t want people to know about their addiction. They fear the repercussions and the judgment that could come their way.
6. Sudden Shift in Friends
It won’t take long for someone with a drug addiction to start hanging out with a new batch of friends. Their normal peers would rather spend time watching movies, playing video games or sports, and hanging out for fun.
The person with the addiction will stay isolated for a while or seek out people who understand their predicament. They’ll hang out with people who also have a drug addiction or those who continue to feed into their substance abuse. They could hang out with suppliers and dealers, causing a spiral that worsens their addiction.
7. Lethargy
Different drugs cause different physical effects. Some drugs, like antidepressants and anxiety medications, can cause lethargy. This is when a person feels exhausted and lazy.
Take notice if you notice someone ditching their responsibilities and prefers to sleep all day. It’s not a sure sign that they suffer from drug addiction but it could become more prominent when paired with the other symptoms listed here.
8. Physical Changes
Paired with lethargy is a lack of good personal hygiene. Some drugs can strain a person. After all, that person no longer focuses on food and other necessities to finance their supply of drugs.
Ignoring their diet and hygiene will become apparent in no time. You’ll see them lose weight, develop odorous breath, and have a foul smell due to the lack of bathing. All of this can sound like an over-exaggeration but it does happen when a person with drug addiction ignores basic hygiene.
9. Mental and Emotional Instability
A person addicted to drugs develops an unstable mind. The substances they take affects their brains, blood circulation, mood, and focus. The severity and type of effects differ from drug to drug.
This can cause someone with drug addiction to develop social anxiety, depression, and severe agitation.
10. Criminal Activity
Drug addiction isn’t cheap and that causes people suffering from it to do things they often wouldn’t. They might resort to mugging people, breaking into homes to steal, or selling items that they borrowed to finance their addiction.
It’s important to confront a person with addiction before these criminal activities worsen. It could reach a point where they’ll harm another human being out of fear or desperation.
Deal With the Signs of Drug Addiction Today
Now you know the different signs of drug addiction. Keep an eye out for a drop in personal hygiene, change in friends, physical or emotional changes, and poor financial choices.
Noticing one symptom in a person might not immediately indicate dependency. Keep an eye out in case there are others. Spotting these signs early will help in bringing the person to a rehab facility to confront their addiction and recover.
Of the facilities available, don’t hesitate to consider what we have to offer. Get in touch with us now if you or someone you know has a drug addiction. Take advantage of our services and our luxury drug rehab facilities now.
