Ways To Identify The Symptoms of Drug Addiction
Drug addiction, also known as substance use disorder, is an illness that changes the way you behave and leads to a loss of control of the use of the drug. Drug addiction has become a significant issue today. Statistically, about 255 million people have been using drugs illegally. The most common drug that is consumed all around the world is Marijuana.
The effects of drug abuse differ from person to person depending on the quantity and the type of the drug being consumed. Drugs can harm each and every organ of your body. You might get a weakened immune system, making your body more prone to illnesses and infection.
Drug addiction can also affect your heart by altering heart rates. Drugs such as heroin are infected using syringes into veins. These veins might collapse or get infected. Your liver might also get damaged. You might also start having problems with memory and your attention span may shorten. Seizures, strokes and other symptoms of brain damage are also common. Most people start ingesting drugs non-seriously and don’t realize how harmful it is until they become addicted. Let’s discuss 5 symptoms that can tell you’re addicted to drugs.
1. Physical Symptoms of Drug Addiction
Drug abuse symptoms involve changes in your physical appearance. So if you notice these changes in yourself or your friends or family member then you must immediately seek medical help. Substance abusers experience bloodshot teary eyes. People who consume a lot of drugs have pupils larger or smaller than the usual size. You might also experience problems with keeping up with your sleeping patterns.
The appetite of the victims also changes; some might start to eat more while some might east lesser than usual. Victims thus go through extensive weight gains or losses. Tremors and slurred speech are also very common if you have been taking the drug for long. Patients with these symptoms should seek help from rehabs such as orange county drug rehab, that might help with drug addiction recovery.
2. Changes in Behavior
Victims of drug abuse slowly and gradually start to develop a tolerance for the substance they have been consuming. Drug tolerance is when you have to use more of a drug to experience the same effects you used to when you were consuming smaller amounts. The usage of drugs keeps on increasing even if you try to give up.
This is because as soon as you stop using the drug you experience withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal symptoms include insomnia, nausea, anxiety, depression, stress, excessive sweating, shaking, etc. When you experience these you want to get rid of them so you use the drug again and that too in quantities larger than before.
3. Changes in your social life
Victims of drug abuse often face depression, stress, and anxiety. Your life starts revolving around drugs. You become unable to perform your day to day activities without consuming the drug. You abandon all the activities you previously considered pleasurable and fun. You start to dislike people and you take out your frustrations on them by arguing and in some cases by physically abusing them as well.
The victims start to distance themselves from hobbies and people. If things don’t change relationships start to get affected. In the long run people around, you also start to distance themselves from you leaving you alone.
4. Psychological Symptoms
Drugs can have detrimental effects on your brain. You start fearing things you never even thought of before using the drug. You stay anxious all the time and get paranoid on little inconveniences. You always feel tired and demotivated. Work and studies definitely get affected as you lose your interest in them. You start to stay at two extremes of moods; either sad and depressed or happy for no reason. Your attitude towards everything changes, making your personality change.
5. Financial Trouble
A common sign of drug addiction is senselessly spending large amounts of money on drugs. You may spend out of your budget and may drain your bank accounts. Read this article on symptoms and causes to find out more.
The solution to these problems begins with detoxification. This involves removing the substance from your body and limiting withdrawal symptoms. After your body is detoxified and the substance is removed from your body you must seek counselling and behavioural therapies. There are different types of therapies and you will have to go through the type according to your symptoms and the drug that you have been using.
The different types of therapies include cognitive behavioural therapy, multi-dimensional family therapy, motivational interviewing and motivational incentives. If these don’t work, then you can get help from long term treatment programs. These programs include short-term residential treatment, therapeutic communities, and recovery housing. Patients live in places apart from their homes with doctors who give them intensive counselling.