Are you worried that someone you love is struggling with drug addiction? Or, relatedly, are you concerned that you may have developed an addiction in light of recent drug use? The signs of drug addiction are not always obvious. In many cases, they can either be physically hidden or else rationalized away. Yet learning to recognize the signs of drug addiction is crucial to stopping drug abuse before addiction causes too much damage.
Learn more about drug addiction treatment in Athens, Georgia by contacting Serenity Grove at 844.904.3485.
What Are the Signs of Drug Addiction?
There are many different signs of drug addiction. Many of the different signs can be categorized as either behavioral or physical. Each of these categories is tackled below.
1. Physical Signs of Drug Addiction
Drug abuse often causes subtle yet noticeable changes in physical appearance. Bloodshot eyes or pinpoint pupils are both common physical signs of drug abuse. In addition, flushed skin or paleness can also indicate drug use. Other physical signs include persistent itching in a specific part of the body, runny nose or sniffling, and slurred speech. Notice that none of these signs on their own is a sure indication that someone is struggling with drug abuse. Instead, these physical signs rise to the level of being problematic when they start to display a pattern.
Drug paraphernalia is a whole other type of red flag. Many items that count as drug paraphernalia are everyday items. So, again, caution is required here. Look for and take stock of the prevalence of items such as:
- Pipes
- Syringes
- Rolled-up banknotes
- Lighters
- Dirty cotton swabs
- Burnt spoons or bottle caps
- Razor blades
2. Behavioral Signs of Drug Addiction
The other important category of drug addiction signs is behavioral. It is impossible for someone to abuse drugs and not have their behavior change at least a little bit. Many of these changes can be hidden to a degree. But over time, similar to the physical signs, look for patterns to emerge as evidence for the presence of drug addiction.
Struggling with limits is one of the biggest behavioral signs. This is most obvious in the case of alcohol or prescription drugs. In the case of alcohol, do you find it difficult to stay within a healthy amount of drinking? Do you often drink to the point of blacking out? And when it comes to a prescription, do you always stick to prescription instructions, or do you sometimes fudge things and use more than you are supposed to? Being unable to control how much you use is not so much a personal failing as it is a sign that you need professional support to learn healthy coping mechanisms.
Another type of behavior change brought about by drug abuse is isolation and/or erratic behavior. The isolation may mean that someone is using drugs more often or else using that time alone to cover up their drug use. Moreover, mood swings and growing erraticism are also common in people who use drugs. This is because substances impact brain functioning and emotional regulation.
Find Help for Drug Addiction at Serenity Grove
Once you recognize the signs of drug addiction, you may wonder what to do next. The answer is to seek professional help. If you are trying to support a loved one, that could involve hosting an intervention as a means to help them recognize the need for help.
Even if an intervention isn’t necessary, finding high-quality addiction treatment may feel daunting. Serenity Grove is here to help you through every step of the process. You can start your healing journey today by calling 844.904.3485 to learn more about the range of addiction treatment services we provide. You can also fill out our online contact form and let us get back to you.
