How To Identify Drug Addiction: 6 Warning Signs

The symptoms of drug addiction can be large or small and will vary from person to person. The important thing to remember is that the quicker you notice an addiction, the easier it will be to control and to move into recovery. In this post, we will outline 6 common symptoms and what you should do if you notice them in yourself or someone you know. 

1. Behavioral Changes

When people have an addiction to drugs they can start to develop a tolerance to the drug. This can lead them to take more. They may also spend more and more time thinking about the drug, when they can next get some, and when they can next take some more. Perhaps you no longer need to take a drug for medical reasons but you continue to do so anyway. Even when you try to stop, you may find yourself using the drug again.

You may notice a change in your mood when you come off the drug. People with addictions are more likely to suffer from extreme changes in their mood. From extreme highs to extreme lows. This can lead to difficulties in managing anger. Indeed, studies have shown that there is a significant link between anger and addiction. Taking notice of your mood can help you to realize you may be more addicted to something than you thought.

2. Physical Symptoms

Physical symptoms of drug addiction are perhaps the easiest to identify. People with heavy drug addictions will often see massive changes to their physical appearance. They may also experience things like bloodshot eyes, have either enlarged or pinpricked pupils, insomnia, nausea, and suffer from excessive sweating. Extensive drug abuse can also lead to changes in the skin and damage to the teeth.

If you spot physical changes in yourself or someone you know, it is important to get the person in question connected with medical help as soon as possible. It is also a good idea to seek professional help in the form of a rehabilitation program and joining a local support group. It is much easier to deal with addiction with support from others.

3. Psychological Symptoms

Drugs typically have an effect on your brain, both when the drug itself is active and when it has left your system. Drug abuse can also lead to damage to the brain and cause you to feel heighten levels of anxiety. From not being able to focus to constantly thinking about the drug, feeling paranoid, and feeling depressed, sometimes the psychological effects of drug addiction can be as damaging or worse than the physical symptoms.

The psychological effects of drug abuse also go in two directions. For example, people with anxiety and mood disorders are twice as likely to suffer from substance abuse and people with drug addictions are twice as likely to suffer from anxiety and mood disorders. Fortunately, many of the psychological effects of drug abuse can be reversed by stopping taking the drug. However, the longer the abuse lasts the harder things will be.

4. Relationship Issues

Changes in your behavior as a result of drug misuse can soon lead to challenges in your relationships with friends and loved ones. The more the drug becomes central to your life, the more it will come to dominate who you spend time with and how you relate to others. This can lead you to become frustrated with others and treat people in a way you would never have dreamed of.

Unfortunately, this can soon lead to isolation from people who could support you. If you notice yourself feeling angry and irritated at others in your life who are not involved with your drug use, try to take notice. This might be a signal that you are becoming more dependent on a drug than you realized.

5. Changing Limits

Drug addiction can lead you to make more risky decisions. This might be driving when you shouldn’t, taking large doses of the drug, taking different drugs, and taking combinations of drugs. It could also involve getting drugs from multiple clinics, or stealing drugs from other people’s medicine cabinets. Research also shows a link between drug abuse and violence, risky sexual practices, and risky methods of taking drugs. It is important to take a step back and seek help if you notice your boundaries shifting.

6. Financial Worries

Drug addiction can be an expensive habit. Alongside increasingly risky behavior, this can soon lead to financial troubles. From draining your bank account to stealing, this can have a particularly negative impact on your ability to recover from your addiction. If you find yourself in financial worries, it is vital that you seek help and support to fight your addiction.

Parting Words

Recovery from drug abuse starts with detoxification and removing the drug from your system in a safe way. However, this needs to be followed up with counseling and support from behavioral therapists if you are to be successful in battling addiction in the long term. Indeed, fighting the psychological addiction to a drug can last a lifetime whereas physical responses will pass in a relatively short time. Make sure to seek professional help if any of these symptoms ring alarm bells when you read them.