It’s a nightmare scenario for most of us to discover that our children, friends, or other family members are going through problems with drug addiction. If it happens, you can get them the professional drug treatment in Perth, for example, that they need, but none of that can happen if you don’t first spot the signs of addiction that many on drugs share. You can also use a saliva test to make sure you know if a substance is present or absent in a person’s body.
Despite how drugs and addiction are depicted in the media, it can actually be harder than you think to spot when you have a friend or family member going through it. Below are some of the most common and tell-tale signs of drug addiction:
Sign 1: Noticeable Personality Changes
There are a number of ways that one’s personality can change after they develop a drug habit and/or addiction. One of the most noticeable is that they become more short-tempered, tetchy, and irritable. The slightest things may annoy them, and they may remain this way until they get another hit of whatever drug they are taking. Other changes may include paranoia, and prolonged periods of sadness and depression.
If you spend a lot of time with a friend who is taking drugs, what you’ll likely see is how they hit various peaks and troughs over the course of a day where drugs take them high, but then later they come crashing down.
Sign 2: Sudden Financial Difficulties
Do you have a friend who suddenly finds themselves in serious financial trouble? Are they asking to borrow money regularly, even just small amounts like $20-50 each time? Have you discovered that they’re in debt? Behind on their bills? Maxed out on credit cards? Drug habits are expensive, and addicts will sacrifice even their most important financial responsibilities to use money to get their next fix.
Sign 3: Physical Shakes and Tremors
Another sign of more advanced and serious stages of addiction is shaking, usually their hands. It’s one of the classic signs of withdrawal, which an addict might feel within a relatively short period between their last hit of their preferred drug and the time they get the next one. It could even happen within the course of a single day in the worst cases.
If your friend has a drug problem, and you’ve kept them busy the whole day doing something else, they might get the shakes later in the day as their body is now almost dependent on receiving that hit of drugs.
Sign 4: Mysterious Trips to the Bathroom
When you go on nights out, do you have a friend who always mysteriously disappears to the bathroom for short periods of time? Do others go with them? Do you know for sure why, and what they’re doing? If you have any doubts, then it could be that they’re going to the bathroom to take drugs such as cocaine.
Sign 5: Consistent Pattern of Highs and Lows
Earlier we mentioned about the peaks and troughs that addicts go through each day as they take drugs. This naturally translates into a general pattern of highs and lows through their life while on drugs. When drugs are softer, such as cannabis, the difference between the highs and lows is less pronounced, and no different from drinking alcohol in many ways. However, if they evolve to taking harder drugs, then the highs and lows become very stark and increasingly self-destructive. Be aware of any friend who seems to be riding this constant roller coaster of highs and lows.
Sign 6: Concealing Their Eyes
Finally, one other small sign could be friends who are always keen to conceal their eyes behind sunglasses, even on days when sunglasses seem inappropriate, or when indoors. Drug taking has a marked effect on the condition of the eyes, and is a big giveaway when people have been up all night taking things like cocaine.
