There are many reasons why people choose to use drugs. Regardless of those reasons, if that usage continues, it can quickly spiral into an addiction that has long-term detrimental effects on health and quality of life. As such, it is crucial to recognize the signs of drug addiction in those around you so that they can get the help necessary to overcome that addiction and have the best life possible. Different drugs cause different side effects, and therefore, there are various things that you need to be aware of, although there are some behaviors that are common to all addictions as well.
Over the counter drugs can go wrong
Many different drugs cause addiction, some of which are over the counter, and others high up on the schedule list are illegal due to being potent and more likely to cause addiction. A dependence on low-dose codeine on a day-to-day scale will not have much impact other than constipation and withdrawal symptoms caused by a missed dose. However, the way opiates work on the brain means, in time, the user may find themselves requiring more potent and more frequent doses and can lead to heroin usage.
Heroin addiction is hazardous as it is easy to overdose, which can cause death. It also causes many social issues as the user’s intense need to keep using makes working and having a family life very difficult. And although education about not sharing needles is widespread in recent times, someone who is far gone in addiction will be less careful about this and open themselves to the disease. Often, the only way to help someone this far gone is by using an inpatient facility like Drug Rehab in Scottsdale to take them entirely away from the environment that enables them.
Danger on the street
Any street drugs come with danger due to the people who make them purely looking to make money and can compromise the quality of their product to increase profits. Sometimes ingredients used to cut a batch are harmless, only lessening the potency of the batch. However, there have been multiple instances of various drugs being cut with substances that cause harm and even death to those who ingest it. An addict will hope they know their supplier is reputable, but without knowing the supply chain, there is no guarantee of the quality of the product they are buying.
What you should be on the lookout for
Signs of drug addiction include behavioral changes such as school or work performance dipping, becoming aggressive (steroids), or lazy (excessive marijuana use). Money problems and becoming secretive is typical for any drug addiction. There are many physical changes, like changes in sleep pattern and appetite, weight changes, and poor self-care. Psychological issues can also arise, some of which will be temporary, like withdrawal and paranoia, but others can be permanent (such as depression and schizophrenia). Just one of these things does not necessarily mean an addiction, but it is worth investigating and getting that person help where there are a few.
