Signs and Symptoms of Drug Abuse and Drug Addiction - Know Them

Drug abuse is nearly always carried on in secret. The abuser is trying to hide the drug use activities from parents, the spouse, the school or any authorities such as the police. Because of the legal and social consequences of drug abuse, it is often difficult to learn with certainty that the problem exists, at least until the problem is so large that it can no longer be hidden.

To determine if there is a drug problem, look for the symptoms and signs, both physical signs and behavioral signs. Look through the following signs and symptoms and if you find several, the chances that there is an actual substance abuse problem increase with every yes answer.

Behavioral signs and symptoms:

These will usually be the first alerts when drugs are present. It might take a long time for the physical changes to manifest themselves, but changes in attitude and behavior can occur overnight.

• Changes in sleep habits

This does not mean a small change in sleeping hours, or falling asleep on the couch for a change. These changes can be severe. NO sleep for a couple of days, a former early riser sleeping till 3 PM regularly, or someone who was always a light sleeper now being nearly impossible to awaken.

• Altered eating habits with resultant weight changes

Many drugs, when abused, reduce the user's appetite so completely that they will begin to waste away right before your eyes. The brain is getting a false signal, constantly saying, "You are full, stop eating!" This leads to many very unhealthy conditions which can continue to intensify the drug problems.

Other drugs, in some individuals, might cause over eating. This results in weight gain. There can also be alterations in metabolism because of drug use, which might cause changes in eating habits and weight in some users.

• Mood swings

Drug abuse affects the emotional stability of the abuser and can have severe, even disastrous effects on the addict's feelings and sense of well-being. Too often, these mood changes are not attributed to the drug abuse, leading some users into a tail-spin of introversion and even depression.

Physical signs and symptoms:

Physical symptoms are reliable indicators of an ongoing drug problem. While not infallible, these are definitely clues that something is wrong.

• Redness in the eyes or around the nose

Redness or soreness in the nasal area is a common sign of abuse of several drugs. Meth, cocaine and prescription drugs are often "snorted" into the nose to be absorbed into the nasal and sinus tissues.

• Needle marks

Marks like small sores on arms or other places where needles have punctured the skin, usually over veins are obvious flags of drug abuse. Because this is so easily spotted, addicts often find more obscure places on their bodies to shoot drugs into a vein, or they take to wearing long-sleeve shirts and long pants in all weather conditions in order to hide the evidence of their drug use.

• Pupils dilated or constricted

This might seem harder to spot, but when the pupils are so wide that they nearly cover the whole eyeball, or when they are simple pin-points, it is very obvious.

There is a road out of this mess. With proper guidance, ANYONE can work their way back to sobriety and reclaim their lives.

These are only some of the signs of drug abuse, but they are pretty reliable. And if two or more of these changes are present, the likelihood that you have a drug problem on your hands increases. So being alert to the signs and symptoms of drug abuse and addiction could, actually, save a life by helping someone find the needed treatment before it is too late.

Drug Abuse and Mental Illness

There is a very unique term called comorbidity and this is a term that is used to describe a situation where an individual is suffering from two or more mental illnesses at the same time. These can happen together or they can happen one after another. Either way, they can feed off of each other and they may actually make each other worse from time to time.

At times a person who is dealing with a drug abuse problem may be suffering from another mental illness at the same time. This can be contributed to the fact that drug and alcohol abuse can really effect the way that a persons brain works. It can cause thinking to be changed and it can really play a large role in a person's ability to think things through clearly. This is when a mental illness may be exacerbated. This can be seen with people that may be suffering from a drug abuse problem along with anxiety or depression. Some studies have actually shown that individuals who are suffering from these emotional disorders may be addicted to drugs and alcohol as well.

It can often be very difficult to determine which complication came first, the abuse or the illness. It can also be hard to determine if one caused the other in the first place. There is usually no way to prove that the anxiety caused the drinking or vise versa. Because of that, you may want to simply understand the following points and keep them in mind.

First of all, you need to realize that some drugs can cause the symptoms of a mental illness to be worse. For example, a person that is suffering from schizophrenia may have an increase in hallucinations and delusions if they are using marijuana. Likewise, some people may use drugs or alcohol on a regular basis as a way to self medicate themselves if they are dealing with a mental illness. Some people may drink alcohol to help them deal with depression or other emotional disorders.

Keep in mind that genetic may play a part in both of these disorders. Genetics can cause mental illness as well as drug abuse. Some people may be genetically programmed to use certain drugs or alcohol. These genetics may also make it very likely that a second condition will appear once the first one has presented itself.

There are often environmental issues that can make someone more susceptible to comorbidity. Stress, being exposed to drugs and alcohol at an early age and facing trauma may all result in comorbidity as a person grows. Actually, using drugs at an early age can change the way that the brain functions and the way that the brain responds to certain situations. This can create a lot of problems later on down the road.

If you know someone that may be facing comorbid conditions then you should try to seek professional help as soon as possible. It can be really difficult to deal with these situations and they may not be solved if the person is trying to fix them on their own. It is always best to seek professional help in order to help the person find positive and healthy coping skills.

Hitting Drug Abuse and Rehabilitation on the Head - Part 2

It does not matter who you are and how strong you may consider yourself to be, your drug rehabilitation treatment program will prove to you and the whole wide world whether or not you are a man or woman who can take a decision and stand by it. There should be no shame in you seeking rehabilitation, what is really shameful is to keep abusing drug at your own detriment.

Although psychological risks can increase because of stress, family situation, and genetic makeup, each of which can play an important part in how you can react when faced with the choice to abuse drugs or not, you cannot be absolved from the responsibility.

Though easy availability of drugs causes the present day prevalence of drug abuse with online pharmacies that make it easier to access drugs without doctors' prescriptions; it is not everyone who has access to the Internet that is abusing drugs, yet, teenagers are having field days buying all sorts of drugs online. Now, that is not to say that you as an individual has no blame in your decision to abuse drugs. Be wise my friend, and seek help before it is too late.

Finding a drug rehab program that is suitable to you when you have, for example, chronic depression or bipolar disorder in addition to drug addiction is not as simple. Those are not the same as ordinary alcohol or drug rehab problems, which rehabs are very corner you turn these days in the cities of this country.

Although researches indicate that it is quite easy to become descendant on narcotic pain killers and tranquilizers, but since the habit predisposes you to many health risks you really need no convincing about the right decision to take - all it takes is the determination not to abuse drugs or get rid of the bad habit if you are already a victim of drug abuse.

Finally, if you are going for a rehabilitation program, the therapist may want to know how close your drug supplier is to the rehab and who he or she is so that the facility can keep them away from you. It is in your best interest to let them know. No one wants to lose a customer, so your supplier may try to keep supplying with drugs even in the rehab center.