If someone you love is displaying changes in behavior that make you suspect they are using drugs, they may need your help.
At first, it may be easy to overlook the signs of addiction in a loved one. Episodes of āunusualā behavior can be written off as āheās having a bad dayā or āitās just her time of the month.āā Over time, these episodes turn into half-day, whole day and eventual everyday moods and attitudes. After a while, itās all but impossible to ignore how much your loved oneās changed and how his or her quality of life has declined.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, addiction operates as a chronic disease that takes over a personās sense of self-control in the face of persistent drug cravings. While you and others may clearly see the effects of addiction in a loved oneās life, the addict canāt see past the next āhigh.ā Being able to spot signs a loved one needs help during the early stages can go a long way towards stopping addiction in its tracks.
Here are the ten most common signs a loved one needs addiction help:
1. Changes in Appearance
Addiction not only alters addictsā physical appearance, but also the way they take care of themselves. Key signs include disheveled or unkempt clothing, drastic changes in weight and a decline in overall health.
2. Loss of Interest
Activities once enjoyed become insignificant as addicts devote more and more time to getting and using drugs.
3. Neglecting Close Relationships
As addiction progresses, addicts start to neglect relationships with close friends and family; partly because of different interests and partly to hide their drug-using practices.
4. Mysterious Behaviors
When a loved one knows others disapprove of his or her behavior, he or she becomes more so secretive in order to avoid unpleasant interactions or having to explain their whereabouts and doings.
5. Isolative Behaviors
Addicts tend to isolate themselves from the people that know them best. Spending an unusual amount of time locked away in their rooms and away from others helps them better hide drug-using behaviors.
6. Drug Paraphernalia
Even the most discreet of addicts can leave the occasional pipe, razor blade or syringe lying unattended. Other types of drug paraphernalia to watch out for include:
Rolling papers
Bongs
Mirrors
Pieces of glass
7. Mood Swings
Ongoing drug use inevitably wears on a personās overall demeanor and personality. Frequent mood swings result from the effects of drug use on brain chemical functions.
8. Extreme Behavior Displays
A loved one displaying behaviors that are out of character for him or her may well be using drugs. Extreme behaviors can take the form of:
Aggression
Violence
Giddiness
Unusual excitement
High energy levels
9. Problems Sleeping
Someone whoās been using for a while will start to develop unusual sleep patterns. As brain functions continue to deteriorate, sleeping too much or not sleeping at all will become the norm rather than the exception.
10. Problems at Work
As drugās take over a personās reasoning processes, responsibilities like going to work will take on less and less importance. Calling in sick to work or not showing up at all starts to happen on an increasingly frequent basis.
When you have a loved one who you are particularly close to and you realize that he or she may be in trouble it can be devastating.Ā Sometimes, we notice that our loved ones need help for their alcoholism long before they are willing to admit that there is a problemābut what is a loved one….
Alcohol addiction can ruin a personās life in various ways; battling alcohol addiction can be stressful to the user and to those around him. Residential rehab may be the best option for a person to learn to manage their addiction, and there are five reasons why they should choose inpatient alcohol rehab. About Alcohol Addiction….
Unfortunately, for many people, drug addiction is a chronic disease that keeps coming back despite numerous attempts at treatment. Drug dependency can occur as the result of being prescribed a prescription medication or it may result from the use of illegal street drugs but regardless of how drug dependency starts, overcoming the addiction can be….
Treatment for heroin addiction is an ongoing process that will take time and may require a multitude of different intervention steps in order to help you fully heal. Heroin rehab helps you overcome heroin addiction by providing you with the support, medical intervention and relapse prevention tools necessary to make better decisions, say ānoā to….
Many drug rehab centers have found that art therapy enables the individual to express their thoughts and feelings without saying anything at all but by painting, sculpting or using other forms of art as an expression gateway. Art therapy at drug rehab centers provides a foundation for expressing emotions that helps addicts to overcome difficult….
According to the Institute of Medicine (US), “The length of time in treatment consistently has been found to be an important determinant of both short- and long-term improvement.” Recovery is a process of changes for the better and there is a grave importance of long-term rehab in recovery that many people just don’t get when….
It doesnāt matter if you are seeking help for yourself or a loved one, you understand that a prescription drug addiction is serious business. You realize that this could worsen over time, which is why you are seeking assistance right now. Here is the good thing: there are many rehabs for prescription drug addiction. This….
How Do Eating Disorders Disrupt a Personās Life? Eating disorders greatly disrupt a personās life, not only do they negatively impact a personās physical health, but they also become the main focus in a personās life, resulting in the thoughts of food and eating and losing weight, taking over their thought processes. A person with….
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, as of 2010, an estimated 2.7 percent of American adults reportedly use prescription drugs for recreational purposes. While prescription abuse has been around for a long time, this 2.7 percent estimate represents a 300 percent increase in rates within the last ten years alone. Prescription drug addictions….
According to the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment,” Family therapy grew from a perceived need to bring to the therapy session respect and attention to each individual’s needs, interests, expressions, and worth.” These same interests can also be said about any other healthy relationship. In the throes of addiction, addicts often lose sight of the….
Calls to numbers on a specific treatment center listing will be routed to that treatment center. Calls to any general helpline will be answered or returned by one of the treatment providers listed, each of which is a paid advertiser.
By calling the helpline you agree to the terms of use. We do not receive any commission or fee that is dependent upon which treatment provider a caller chooses. There is no obligation to enter treatment.