One in ten Americans is struggling with an active addiction symptom.
That means we are talking about the entire population of Texas. Drug addiction is the most dominant form of addiction in America. In fact, America has experienced 300% death due to overdose since 2012.
To put it simply, Drug addiction has ravaged the entire community!
That being said, understanding the signs and symptoms of drug addiction in the beginning, can be crucial. This not only helps you identify addiction in the first stage but also the treatment becomes easier.
The following article will list down a few common signs of drug addiction and give a more detailed analysis of addiction and how it impacts your life.
What Is Drug Addiction?
Drug addiction is a dependency a person creates over substance use. When the person becomes dependent on a particular substance to function normally, it can be called addiction.
Drug addiction is a chronic disease and has a treatment as any other chronic disease has. However, drug addiction treatment is a little bit different from the others.
Although drug addiction treatment has a solution, the treatment is a lifelong process. If you are not careful, it might trigger relapses.
While recovering from drug addiction, always choose a drug addiction rehab center that offers aftercare services.
After-care services involve the relevant instrument and tools that educate the patients about addiction and ensure they avoid doing things that can result in relapse.
If you are wondering where to get a drug rehab rehabilitation center with aftercare services, Infinite Recovery might be a great first choice – click here to learn more about Infinite Recovery.
Signs Of Drug Addiction
When a full-blown addiction develops, it is hard to stop without professional treatment.
However, if you can identify addiction’s signs in the early stage, you can stop it before it becomes too severe.
Most common signs that show your loved ones struggle with addiction.
1. Weight Loss
Drug addiction leads to extreme weight fluctuation. This is because many drugs like Heroin suppress the person’s appetite and make them crave only drugs. This results in drastic weight loss.
2. Experiencing Extreme Fatigue
Drugs give you short-lived Euphoria effects. However, once the effects subside, it makes the person feel extremely fatigued or out of energy.
3. Dramatic Changes In The Personality
Yes, drugs do change how people think and act!
This is because of the withdrawal symptoms they experience. When a person shows irritability and harbors a short temper, it is possible that they are under the influence of addiction.
4. Loss Of Interest In Hobbies
If a person suddenly stops doing things they used to enjoy or spending time with friends, you must start looking for reasons. Ask them about these changes. If there is a legitimate reason, the person would say so.
If not, you know what it means!
5. Habitual Lying
The nature of addiction makes people secretive about what they do. This makes them habitual liars. People suffering from addiction don’t want others to know about their addiction; they lie about their whereabouts and activities.
6. Sudden Outburst Of Anger
Sudden outbursts of anger are clear signs that the person is suffering from addiction. This usually happens because of the craving, and the addict is not able to get their dose of substance on time.
In such cases, even a small event can make them burst out in anger.
7. Constantly Asking For Money Without Proper Reason
If someone is constantly asking for money or selling their possessions for it, there is a good chance that they are certainly doing so to feed their addiction.
8. Neglected Hygiene
Chronic drug use often leads to a lack of personal hygiene. When someone is not taking care of their physical appearance, there is a good chance it is due to addiction.
9. Problems With Work & School
If the person is having problems with their academic or professional life, there is a good chance they are suffering from addiction. Addiction changes priorities. People start focusing on feeding their addiction rather than other things which matter.
10. Possession Of Paraphernalia
If you find things related to addiction-like hypodermic needles, blackened tin foil, and other forms of drug paraphernalia, these are signs shouting – I Am A Drug Addict.
What Are At Risk?
Drug addiction does not only affect you but also the people around you. It’s a disease that spreads without actually spreading.
1. Addiction Affects Your Brain
Drug addiction has a tremendous effect on your brain. The brain is responsible for controlling your entire body to the microscopic level.
Drugs affect how your brain functions. It rewires many brain activities. With the prolonged use of drugs, the brain becomes dependent on the substrate for normal functioning.
So, when your brain stops getting those substances, it starts to malfunction, causing severe problems in your physical health and behavior.
2. Addiction Affect Your Life
Once the addiction makes its way into your life, it becomes a priority for the person. If you find yourself addicted to something, you will spend more time and money acquiring and using drugs of your choice.
You may even prioritize staying away from your family and friends just to take drugs all alone inside a dark room of your house.
Drug addiction changes your whole daily schedule because you need time to recover from all the toxins you digested last night.
3. Addiction Affects Your Family
You must understand that addiction is not just a disease that affects a person. It is a disease that affects the whole family.
Since addiction creates irresistible cravings, their priority changes, they start avoiding their family members and ask why the person can show a sudden outburst of anger.
These kinds of behavioral changes change how your family members see you. They might stop trusting you or avoid supporting you in a time of crisis.
Drug Addiction can be Prevented!
Drug addiction is preventable!
There are several prevention programs out there to help people suffering from drug addiction. These prevention programs involve families, schools, communities, and media to help the person stop addiction.
