Signs Someone Is An Addict

They Experience Withdrawal Symptoms

Withdrawal symptoms occur after not using certain substances following long-term use. Many people trying to hide their addiction will also try to avoid showing their withdrawal symptoms. Depending on the substance, it can be tough to hide these symptoms even if the struggling individual thinks they are not noticeable. Common withdrawal symptoms include:

• Paranoia

The intensity of the withdrawal symptoms often reflects the intensity of the addiction.

Next Steps Towards Recovery

Its important to have quick access to treatment. If you or someone you know has an addiction, call 1-800-622-4357 for free and confidential treatment referral and information from SAMHSA. You can also seek help from your doctor, local treatment center, or support group.

Addictions often affect many areas of a persons life. The most effective treatments are comprehensive. They often have several steps that vary from person to person. These steps can include detoxification, behavioral counseling, and long-term follow-up.

Here are some ways you can support a friend or family members recovery process:

• Learn more about the substance or behavior dependency and the treatment.
• Stay involved, like offering to go to meetings with them.
• Provide a sober and trigger-free setting.
• Speak up and express concern when there is a relapse.

While you can treat addiction, in most cases, someone with addiction must want to change for recovery to be successful.

Signs Someone Is Addicted To Fentanyl

Fentanyl is one of the most potent and commonly used opioids. It is rarely prescribed for long-term use and is typically only used to treat severe pain that has not responded to other pain medications. Due to the potency of fentanyl, this drug is highly addictive and can be easily used. People who use fentanyl, even briefly, are at risk of becoming addicted to the drug.

Fentanyl addiction can be incredibly dangerous and even deadly. Unfortunately, its not always easy to identify, especially if the person is actively trying to hide their addiction. Knowing the signs of fentanyl use and addiction can help you determine if your loved one is abusing this drug and enable you to seek fentanyl addiction treatment options in Massachusetts.

Vertava Health offers comprehensive fentanyl addiction rehab in Massachusetts. Call to learn more or get started on your road to recovery.

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Watch For Changes In Daily Life

Changes in relationships often occur with excessive alcohol or drug use. Individuals spend more time with others who engage in substance use and neglect relationships with family and friends.

Loved ones may notice that the individual is less social or secretive about how time is spent. New friends may appear in the individuals life, with little explanation as to how they met.

Work or school performance typically declines when a person is addicted to substances. A student who previously performed well in school may experience a drop in grades and appear less concerned with schoolwork. Job performance may suffer, and an individual may have frequent problems with coworkers or supervisors.

Substance addiction frequently occurs with other mental health disorders, particularly depression and anxiety. If your loved one suffers from a mood or anxiety disorder, they may attempt to self-medicate with illicit drugs or alcohol. Having a mental health disorder puts individuals at a higher risk for addiction.

If you are concerned a friend or loved one is battling addiction, help is available. At Sunrise House Treatment Center an inpatient rehab in New Jerseyvarious levels of addiction treatment are offered.

Learn More About Getting Help for Addiction

Get Help Today With New Directions For Women

Dealing with addiction is difficult for the entire family. Addiction makes people act uncharacteristically, which is upsetting and confusing. If your loved one is hiding drug addiction, the best approach is to confront them while letting them know you are here to support them in recovery.

New Directions for Women can help you or a loved one find and enroll in a treatment program. Our proven treatments will give you the best opportunity to find peace and recovery. If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction, please contact us today.

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They Ignore Other Relationships For You

Addicted people end up dumping more than just their hobbies for you they also dump their friends and family. Suddenly, youre even beating their best friend when it comes to who they want to spend time with. If you find yourself quickly moving up the ranks of this persons favorite people list, this is a warning sign that they may be addicted to your company. As unhealthy as this is, it tends to happen when people start to fall in love. If you want them to stay healthy socially, encourage them to hang with their friends now and again instead of only with you.

Treatment For Adderall Misuse Abuse And Addiction

If your loved one seems to be struggling with an Adderall addiction, there are treatment options available. As with other substance use disorders, professionals do not recommend that a person attempt to stop on their own. A treatment center that provides a detoxification program can help relieve many of the uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms associated with Adderall abuse or addiction. Please reach out to us today so we can help you and your loved one.

Written by the Addiction Resource Editorial Staff

Addiction Resource aims to provide only the most current, accurate information in regards to addiction and addiction treatment, which means we only reference the most credible sources available.

These include peer-reviewed journals, government entities and academic institutions, and leaders in addiction healthcare and advocacy. Learn more about how we safeguard our content by viewing our editorial policy.

• You Asked: What Does Adderall Do To Your Body?

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Look For Physical Signs

Drug or alcohol addiction can have devastating effects on physical health. Some of these effects can be observed by others in the persons life. An individual suffering from addiction may show any of the following physical signs:

• Headaches
• Broken capillaries on the face
• A husky voice
• Symptoms of withdrawal when not using the substance
• Track marks, or marks left by injection drug use
• Dilated pupils
• Dramatic weight loss or gain

Behaviors To Look Out For

Changes in Sleep Patterns. Some of the most abused drugs are stimulants or depressants. Excessive use and abuse of these drugs can cause intense highs characterized by hyperactivity and periods of insomnia or intense lows that cause long periods of sleeping or drowsiness. Addictive substances alter the brains natural circadian rhythm which can actually cause sleep disturbances well after someone has stopped using the drug.

Noticeably Different Energy Levels. People often use drugs to change the way they feel, whether to increase pleasure or calm anxiety. If you notice that your loved one has a drastic change in their usual mood, either they are extremely euphoric or drowsy, it could indicate drug use.

Drastic Personality Change. Over time, drug use alters the chemical and functional structures of the brain. This can result in personality changes. Addiction and the intense need for a drug may cause someone who is normally very docile to become agitated and aggressive. Also, stimulant drugs may cause a normally depressed person to appear very energetic or even manic.

Outbursts, Resentful Behavior, Intense Irritability, or Mood Swings. Though the drugs themselves may cause a change in mood, your loved one may also display signs of irritability or agitation when they do not have the drug in their system or if theyre running out of ways to get that drug. They may become moody and not want to talk to you or anyone that may notice changes due to drug use.

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Heroin Or Other Opioids

With the abuse of prescription opioid painkillers on the rise since the 90s, heroin has become a commonly used substitute for the more expensive prescribed pills. According to the American Society of Addiction Medicine , Drug overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in the US, with 52,404 lethal drug overdoses in 2015. Opioid addiction is driving this epidemic, with 20,101 overdose deaths related to prescription pain relievers, and 12,990 overdose deaths related to heroin in 2015.Clear signs that your spouse is using either prescription opiates or heroin can include:

Who Is At Risk For Developing A Drug Addiction

Not everyone who uses drugs becomes addicted, but there are certain factors that put people at a greater risk for developing an addiction.

• Family history of addiction: Addiction has a genetic component so if your parent or sibling has a drug or alcohol addiction, you are at increased risk.

• Trouble at home, with friends, or at work: Being in an unhappy place in life might cause some people to seek out drugs as a way to deal with their problems.

• Starting drug use at an early age: Drugs affect how young bodies and brains function and grow. This increases the chances of becoming addicted as an adult.

• Mental health disorders: People with untreated mental health needs, like depression, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress disorder have a higher chance of becoming addicted because they may use drugs as a way to cope. Drug use and mental health disorders affect the same parts of the brain.

• Physical health problems: In the event of an injury or surgery, pain medication, such as OxyContin, Percocet, or Vicodin, may be prescribed for short-term use. However, these opioid drugs can be highly addicting.

• Peer pressure: Hanging around other people who encourage drug use can be a strong factor in developing an addiction.

• Type of drug used: Using certain drugs like stimulants, cocaine, or opioid painkillers, can develop an addiction more quickly than other drugs.

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Causes And Risk Factors For Prescription Drug Addiction

Researchers have yet to unearth a single factor responsible for the abuse of substances such as prescription drugs. Prescription drug abuse is likely to be the result of many factors intermingling. The most common causes for prescription drug abuse include:

Genetic: It appears as though addiction and substance abuse have a genetic component, although the precise gene or combination of genes is unclear as of yet. Individuals who struggle with addiction and abuse of substances often have a relative or close family member such as a parent or sibling who similarly struggles with addiction.

Brain Chemistry: Its been theorized that certain individuals may be born lacking certain neurotransmitters responsible for pleasurable sensations in their brains. These individuals may attempt to self-medicate this deficiency with prescription drugs that increase the levels of these neurotransmitters.

Environmental: Individuals who grow up in a home in which addiction was rampant may grow up believing that abusing drugs is the way to handle difficulties in life. In addition, individuals who begin to abuse substances early in life are at greater risk for developing an addiction later in life.

Psychological: Many individuals who battle prescription drug abuse are also suffering from a co-occurring mental illness. These individuals may be attempting to self-medicate the symptoms of their untreated or undiagnosed mental illness.

Signs and Symptoms

Cocaine Symptoms And Warning Signs

Cocaine Info

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Signs And Symptoms Of Drug Addiction How To Tell If Someone Needs Help For A Drug Problem

Nzinga Harrison

Understanding the science behind addiction can be complicated. Some people might think that people become addicted if they dont have any willpower or good morals. In actuality, addiction is a complex and chronic brain disease that can affect people from all backgrounds. It can happen to anyone at any age.

Not everyone who uses drugs becomes addicted because drugs have a different effect on everyone. Some people use drugs experimentally on occasion in a social setting. However, if usage becomes more regular, some people lose the ability to control when and how much they are using. Over time, drugs change behavior and how the brain, body, and mind function. This is how drug addiction, medically known as substance use disorder, develops. These changes can be long-lasting and cause stressful problems like missing work, legal issues, physical health problems, and trouble with family and friends.

Signs Of Cocaine Abuse

Cocaine is best known in its white powder form. Most often, this drug is snorted, smoked, or injected. As cocaine is a stimulant, one of its hallmarks is that its main effects wear off around 30 minutes to 2 hours after the last use. In addition to the general signs of drug abuse discussed above, cocaine has some specific side effects, including:

• Increased energy

• Fast white lady
• Yao

As Medical News Today discusses, cocaine is highly addictive and the strongest natural occurring stimulant in existence. Cocaine addiction is associated with dramatic personal losses there are reports of professionals spending $20,000 to $50,000 on cocaine binges, parents selling their children, and people becoming unemployed, having to file bankruptcy, and ending up homeless. It is clear that cocaine use can spiral out of control. For this reason, the earlier the abuse is intercepted, the better.

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Is Addiction A Disease

The American Society of Addiction Medicine defines addiction as a chronic disease. According to ASAM, it involves a complex interaction between genetics, the environment, brain circuits, and life experiences. While serious, addiction is also treatable.

The current edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders defines addictions to alcohol and drugs as psychiatric disorders, which are patterns of symptoms that result from substance use. These patterns persist despite negative consequences.

The DSM recognizes substance use disorder caused by ten classes of drugs, including alcohol, cannabis, hallucinogens, sedatives, and stimulants.

Physical Signs Of Depressant And Stimulant Addiction

While there are many addict behaviors, there are also signs of addiction that blur the line between a behavior and a sign.

For example, its very common for addicts of depressants to have either dilated pupils or constricted/tiny pupils .

Another common sign of addiction, especially with certain drugs like OxyContin or meth, is irritability, usually accompanied by someone snapping at you or becoming really angry really quickly.

This can be considered a behavior because someone acts angry or irritable.

For people who abuse depressants especially, throwing up a lot is a huge sign of addiction.

Youll not only see this with alcohol abuse, but youll also see it with opiate abuse.

There are other addictions too where throwing up is an addict behavior, like with bulimics.

Addicts of opiates and opioids are especially prone to nodding out, which literally means that the person begins to nod their head over and over, seeming to almost fall asleep before jerking awake.

This drowsiness or inability to stay awake can be a sign of opiate abuse, but it can also be a sign of stimulant abuse.

Stimulant users will stay awake for days on end, sometimes even for weeks at a time. They often stink and become oily because they dont take care of their bodies and their bodies dont get time to recover.

Having lots of scars is another addict behavior that not only affects drug addicts but also famously affects cutters, also known as people who self harm .

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Changes To Usual Behavior

Drugs can also change personalities and behaviors, or make people act in ways that they normally dont. At first, these behaviors may happen infrequently so it may be hard to notice them. Over time though, they may occur more regularly as drug usage increases.

• Spending more time alone

• Losing interest in favorite hobbies or usual activities

• Not taking care of appearances

• Having mood swings or being more irritable, tired, or sad

• Sleeping for longer or less, or at different hours than normal

• Eating more or eating less than usual

• Missing appointments or forgetting to do things they normally do

Legal Drugs Vs Illegal Drugs

People can become addicted to illegal drugs, legal drugs, and prescription medications used in an unhealthy way, such as:

• Illegal substances

Misusing prescription medicines like opioids, or over-the-counter medicines by taking them in a different way than intended, such as:

• Taking medicine prescribed for someone else

• Taking a larger dose than prescribed

• Using the medicine in a different way than directed, such as crushing and snorting or injecting

• Using the medicine to get high on purpose

The risks and speed of developing an addiction depend on the drug. Some drugs, like opioid painkillers, cause addiction very quickly. Drugs have a strong effect on the brains reward system, by filling the brain with a chemical called dopamine which produces the feeling of being high. Over time, the brain gets used to the larger amount of dopamine so it needs larger doses of the drug to get high. Some people might feel like they need the drug to just feel normal. When drugs are used for a long time, they damage the areas of the brain responsible for judgment, decision-making, memory, and learning.

No matter the type of addiction, if you recognize symptoms, it is important to seek the necessary help. Contact us today to take the first step.

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