Medications can help modify your brain chemistry to help treat certain SUDs. You might need different types of treatment at different times during your recovery. Several types of treatment settings, including inpatient and outpatient settings, as well as short-term care and long-term therapeutic communities, are available. Consider how a social drinker can become intoxicated, get behind the wheel of a car, and quickly turn a pleasurable activity into a tragedy that affects many lives. Occasional drug use, such as misusing an opioid to get high, can have similarly disastrous effects, including impaired driving and overdose. Addiction is a lot like other diseases, such as heart disease.
- Signs and symptoms of use include increased body temperature, poor coordination, dizziness, excessive sweating, clenched teeth, and slurred speech.
- Some people may try a substance or behavior and never approach it again, while others become addicted.
- It’s a lifelong journey involving continually learning how to apply new coping skills to everyday life.
- Drugs that are snorted or administered intravenously may leave various physical signs.
- No matter where you are, know that this condition is treatable and help is available when you’re ready.
Signs and Symptoms of Addiction
These signs, similar to those of intoxication, exist in the absence of drinking. While consumption of any illicit drug can be dangerous from a toxicological perspective, it can also create problems from a behavioral perspective. Intoxication with alcohol is a major cause of traffic accidents and violence to others.
Signs of Abuse Related to Specific Drugs
- A lack or disruption in a person’s social support system can lead to substance or behavioral addiction.
- There are common signs and symptoms that suggest a person is on drugs.
- Heroin is an opioid drug, so addiction to this substance has many manifestations that are similar to those of prescription opioid abuse.
- Inhalants are fumes from gases, glue, aerosols, or solvents that can damage the brain, heart, lungs, kidneys, and liver.
- Alcohol abuse, for instance, can lead to toxic optic neuropathy, which is a fancy way of saying it can damage your optic nerve.
- This may mean you try a different type of therapy or a new medication.
This disrupts normal functions and may cause a deficit in memory. Because of the ups and downs involved with drug abuse, you may notice that this person is showing more depressive side signs of drug use effects, especially when they’re coming down from a high. They may choose to sleep all the time or not want to do anything that requires them to be out of reach of their drug.
Look for changes in health
And if you see something concerning, don’t be afraid to speak up. Substance abuse can mess with the way your brain processes visual information. It’s like trying to watch a movie with a faulty projector – the images are there, but they’re distorted and don’t make sense.
Effects & Risks of Commonly Abused Drugs
Use of recreational drugs, over the counter medications or prescription drugs can lead to substance use issues. It can frequently lead to problems at work, home, school, and in relationships, and leave the user feeling isolated, helpless, or shamed. If you’re worried about your own or a loved one’s drug use, it’s helpful to know the warning signs and more importantly, that help is available and treatment works.
Marijuana, on the other hand, is known for its ability to reduce intraocular pressure. But it also causes those telltale bloodshot eyes and can impair depth perception and tracking ability. So if your buddy suddenly can’t catch a ball to save his life, it might not just be clumsiness. Substance abuse doesn’t just https://ecosoberhouse.com/ affect the mind and body; it leaves its fingerprints all over our peepers. From bloodshot scleras to pinpoint pupils, the eyes can be a dead giveaway for those in the know. And let me tell you, knowing these signs can be the difference between catching addiction early and watching it spiral out of control.
The Long Game: How Addiction Can Permanently Damage Our Eyes
This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Your treatment with givinostat may be delayed or permanently discontinued if you have certain side effects. It can be hard to think about anything other than your substances of choice in the moment. But know that when you’re ready to receive it, help is available.
How to Tell if Someone is Using Opioids
People who inject drugs will have marks or small wounds, usually on their arms. These may also appear on the legs, hands, or sometimes even feet. These marks may become infected depending on the cleanliness of the needles used. Scarring may occur through repeated injection at the same spot.
Stimulants include amphetamines, meth (methamphetamine), cocaine, methylphenidate (Ritalin, Concerta, others) and amphetamine-dextroamphetamine (Adderall XR, Mydayis). They’re often used and misused in search of a “high,” or to boost energy, to improve performance at work or school, or to lose weight or control appetite. Substituted cathinones, also called “bath salts,” are mind-altering (psychoactive) substances similar to amphetamines such as ecstasy (MDMA) and cocaine. Packages are often labeled as other products to avoid detection. Synthetic cannabinoids, also called K2 or Spice, are sprayed on dried herbs and then smoked, but can be prepared as an herbal tea. Despite manufacturer claims, these are chemical compounds rather than “natural” or harmless products.
It is currently estimated that about 10% of adults struggle with a substance abuse disorder. Though your loved one may not admit to having a drug problem, it is important to be able to recognize the signs of drug abuse. Drastic changes in mood can occur in substance use disorders, along with hypersensitivity and increased irritability. Someone who experiences painful physical withdrawal symptoms may be incredibly irritable and lash out at others in anger unexpectedly. However, like other substance-induced changes in mood, feelings of irritability can be addressed by a therapist in individual counseling.
