Substance use disorder, also known as drug addiction, is a disease that affects a person’s brain and behavior and results in an inability to control the use of drugs, including alcohol, marijuana, and nicotine. When someone is addicted, they may continue using the drug despite the harm it causes.
When it comes to opioids, drug addiction often starts with exposure to prescribed medications or receiving them from a friend or relative who has been prescribed the drug. Drug addiction can start with the occasional use of a recreational drug in social situations and for some people, the drug use increases in frequency.
Different drugs have different risks for addiction and different rates of addiction development. Opioid painkillers, for example, have a higher risk and develop addiction more quickly than other drugs.
As time goes on, they might find it increasingly difficult to stop using drugs; they might need higher doses to get high; eventually, they might need the drugs just to feel good; and stopping use might result in strong cravings and make them physically ill (withdrawal symptoms).
Symptoms of Drug Addiction
Among other signs or actions of drug addiction are:
- feeling of using drugs frequently, such as daily or multiple times per day
- having strong drug cravings that keep you from thinking of anything else
- Eventually, more drug will be required to achieve the same effect.
- consuming more of the drug than was intended and doing so for a longer period of time
- ensuring that they keep the drug supply steady
- spending money on the drug despite their inability to do so
- Due to drug use, one may fail to fulfill obligations, perform poorly at work, or engage in fewer social or recreational activities.
- continuing to use the drug despite being aware that doing so is harming their health or their mental or physical well-being.
- taking actions that one would not typically take, like stealing, in order to obtain the drug
- When using the drug, people should avoid operating a vehicle or engaging in other risky activities.
- Investing a significant amount of time in obtaining, utilizing, or recovering from drug use
- failure to successfully stop using the drug
- When they try to stop taking the drug, they experience withdrawal symptoms.
Recognizing unhealthy drug use in family members
The following are some potential signs that a teen or other family member is using drugs, though it can be challenging to tell the difference between normal teenage moodiness or angst and drug use signs:
- Problems at school or work— a drop in grades or performance at work, frequent absences from school or work, a sudden lack of interest in activities at school, etc.
- Physical health issues— a lack of vigor and drive, weight gain or loss, or red eyes
- Neglected appearance— disregard for appearances, grooming, or attire
- Changes in behavior— making excessive attempts to keep family members out of his or her room, keeping friends’ whereabouts a secret, or making significant behavioral and interpersonal changes
- Money issues— sudden requests for money without a good reason; the discovery of missing or stolen money; or the disappearance of items from your home, which might be being sold to fund drug use.
Recognizing signs of drug use or intoxication
Depending on the type of drug being used, different signs and symptoms of intoxication may appear.
Cannabis is commonly used before or in conjunction with other substances, such as alcohol or illicit drugs, and is frequently the first drug tried. People use cannabis by smoking, eating, or inhaling a vaporized form of the drug.
These are some symptoms and warning signs of recent use:
- the experience of being “high” or euphoric
- enhanced sensory perception in the areas of taste, hearing, and vision
- increased heart rate and blood pressure
- Red eyes
- Dry mouth
- Decreased coordination
- Difficulty concentrating or remembering
- Slowed reaction time
- Anxiety or paranoid thinking
- Yellow fingertips or clothing with cannabis odor
- food cravings that are overly strong and occur at odd times
Chronic long-term use is frequently linked to:
- Decreased mental sharpness
- Performing poorly in class or at work
- decreased number of interests and friends
K2, Spice and bath salts
Synthetic cannabinoids and substituted or synthetic cathinones are two classes of synthetic drugs that are prohibited in the majority of states due to their unpredictable effects and lack of quality control.
Contrary to what the manufacturer may have you believe, synthetic cannabinoids, also known as K2 or Spice, can also be prepared as an herbal tea and are sprayed on dried herbs before being smoked.
Signs and symptoms of recent use can include:
- the experience of being “high” or euphoric
- Elevated mood
- altered sensory perception in the areas of taste, hearing, and vision
- Extreme anxiety or agitation
- Paranoia
- Hallucinations
- increased blood pressure, heart attack risk, and heart rate
- Vomiting
- Confusion
Packages are frequently labeled as other products to avoid detection, and substituted cathinones, also known as “bath salts,” are psychoactive (mind-altering) substances similar to amphetamines like ecstasy (MDMA) and cocaine.
Substituted cathinones are highly addictive and can be consumed orally, snorted, inhaled, or injected. Despite their name, they are not bath products like Epsom salts.
These are some symptoms and warning signs of recent use:
- Euphoria
- Increased sociability
- Increased energy and agitation
- Increased sex drive
- blood pressure and heart rate rising
- Problems thinking clearly
- Loss of muscle control
- Paranoia
- Panic attacks
- Hallucinations
- Delirium
- Psychotic and violent behavior
Barbiturates, benzodiazepines and hypnotics
Prescription drugs that depress the central nervous system include barbiturates, benzodiazepines, and hypnotics, which are frequently abused in an effort to relax or “switch off” or forget stressful thoughts or feelings.
- Barbiturates.Secobarbital (Seconal) and phenobarbital are two examples.
- Benzodiazepines.Sedatives like clonazepam (Klonopin), chlordiazepoxide (Librium), lorazepam (Ativan), and alprazolam (Xanax) are some examples.
- Hypnotics.Among them are zolpidem (Ambien, Intermezzo, and other prescription sleeping pills) and zaleplon (Sonata), two different types of sedatives.
These are some symptoms and warning signs of recent use:
- Drowsiness
- Slurred speech
- Lack of coordination
- mood swings or irritability
- difficulties with focus or clarity of thought
- Memory problems
- Involuntary eye movements
- Lack of inhibition
- breathing that is slower and a drop in blood pressure
- Falls or accidents
- Dizziness
Meth, cocaine and other stimulants
Stimulants, which include amphetamines, meth (methamphetamine), cocaine, methylphenidate (Ritalin, Concerta, and others), and amphetamine-dextroamphetamine (Adderall, Adderall XR, and others), are frequently abused to achieve a “high,” increase energy, enhance performance at work or school, lose weight, or regulate appetite.
These are some symptoms and warning signs of recent use:
- exhilarated and overconfident feelings
- Increased alertness
- Increased energy and restlessness
- Behavior changes or aggression
- Rapid or rambling speech
- Dilated pupils
- Confusion, delusions and hallucinations
- Irritability, anxiety or paranoia
- alterations in body temperature, blood pressure, and heart rate
- loss of weight and nausea or vomiting
- Impaired judgment
- If you snort drugs, you could develop nasal congestion and nose damage.
- Using drugs can cause tooth decay, gum disease, and meth mouth.
- Insomnia
- Depression following drug withdrawal
Club drugs
Club drugs, such as ecstasy or molly (MDMA), gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB), flunitrazepam (Rohypnol; a brand used outside of the U.S.; also known as roofie), and ketamine, are frequently used at clubs, concerts, and parties. While these drugs are not all in the same category, they do share some common effects and dangers, including long-term negative effects.
The use of GHB and flunitrazepam raises the risk of sexual misconduct or sexual assault because these medications have sedative, muscle relaxing, confused, and memory-impairing effects.
Club drug use can present with a variety of symptoms, such as:
- Hallucinations
- Paranoia
- Dilated pupils
- Chills and sweating
- Involuntary shaking (tremors)
- Behavior changes
- Constipation and clenching of the teeth
- Relaxed muscles, poor balance, or difficulty moving
- Reduced inhibitions
- increased or changed sensitivity to taste, sound, and sight
- Poor judgment
- Lack of memory or memory issues
- Reduced consciousness
- blood pressure and heartbeat either rising or falling
Hallucinogens
The two most widely used hallucinogens are lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and phencyclidine (PCP), which can each result in a different set of signs and symptoms when used.
LSD use may cause:
- Hallucinations
- reduced awareness of reality, such as mistaking information from one sense for information from another, such as mistaking hearing colors for other colors.
- Impulsive behavior
- Rapid shifts in emotions
- persistent shifts in perception in the mind
- elevated blood pressure and a rapid heartbeat
- Tremors
- Even years later, hallucinations would recur and be experienced in flashbacks.
PCP use may cause:
- a sensation of being physically and environmentally isolated
- Hallucinations
- Having trouble moving and coordinating
- Aggressive, possibly violent behavior
- Involuntary eye movements
- Lack of pain sensation
- an increase in heart rate and blood pressure
- difficulty with memory and thought
- Problems speaking
- Impaired judgment
- Intolerance to loud noise
- Sometimes seizures or coma
Inhalants
Glue, paint thinners, correction fluid, felt tip marker fluid, gasoline, cleaning fluids, and household aerosol products are some of the substances that are frequently inhaled, and because they are toxic, users may experience brain damage or sudden death as a result of using them.
Use can manifest in various ways, including:
- an inhalant without a valid justification in your possession
- Brief euphoria or intoxication
- Decreased inhibition
- Combativeness or belligerence
- Dizziness
- Nausea or vomiting
- Involuntary eye movements
- Slurred speech, sluggish movements, and lack of coordination, giving off an intoxicated appearance
- Irregular heartbeats
- Tremors
- persistent smell of the inhalant
- Rash near the mouth and nose
Opioid painkillers
The class of drugs known as opioids, which includes heroin, morphine, codeine, methadone, and oxycodone, are narcotic, painkilling drugs made from opium or synthetically.
Some people who have used opioids for a long time may need physician-prescribed temporary or long-term drug substitution during treatment. Addiction to opioid prescription pain medications, sometimes called the “opioid epidemic,” has reached an alarming rate throughout the United States.
Narcotic abuse and dependence can show various signs and symptoms, such as:
- Reduced sense of pain
- Agitation, drowsiness or sedation
- Slurred speech
- memory and attention issues
- Constricted pupils
- ignorance of or disregard for nearby individuals and objects
- Problems with coordination
- Depression
- Confusion
- Constipation
- if using drugs, a runny nose or sores on the nose
- If you inject drugs, leave needle marks.
Causes of Drug Addiction
Drug addiction may develop for a variety of reasons, similar to many other mental health disorders. The main reasons are:
- Environment.Initial drug use appears to be influenced by environmental factors, such as your family’s values and socialization into a drug-using peer group.
- Genetics.Once drug use has begun, inherited (genetic) traits may have an impact on the development of addiction, which could slow or hasten the course of the disease.
Changes in the brain
The physical changes that the addictive drug causes to some nerve cells (neurons) in your brain, which use chemicals called neurotransmitters to communicate, can last for a long time after you stop using the drug, are thought to be the cause of physical addiction.
Homeopathic Treatment of Drug Addiction
Nux Vomica :There is indigestion brought on by alcohol, coffee, and other drugs. It is helpful for drug addiction with a sour taste in the mouth, nausea, and retching in the morning. It is also helpful when the patient feels intoxicated. It is also helpful when the feeling is worse in the morning.
Morphinum :There may be a sudden change in heart rate known as tachycardia or fast heart rate, or bradycardia or slow heart rate, which is useful for drug addiction when there is violent throbbing in the heart along with a small and weak pulse.
Coffea :When a patient experiences increased energy, ecstasy, sleeplessness due to excessive mental activity, and an increased flow of ideas, it can be helpful for treating drug addiction. It can also be helpful when a patient cannot fall asleep after drinking too much coffee. It can also be helpful when the patient feels powerful enough to accomplish anything.
Hyoscyamus :Also helpful for patients with an alcohol addiction and those who experience intoxicated rages.There is involuntary urination along with hallucinations.It is recommended when the patient does foolish things and does not behave normally.Useful for drug addiction when the patient experiences a confused mind and seems intoxicated, laughs, sings, recites poetry, and babbles deliriously.
Opium :The patient is hot, sweaty, drowsy, and has cold limbs along with a heavy, deep sleep and noisy labored breathing. This is useful for drug addiction when the patient goes into a state of deep sleep, says there is nothing wrong with him, and falls into a state of wanting nothing. It is also helpful for loss of consciousness and coma from drug overdose.
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