When someone abuses drugs, their whole life will literally begin to revolve around getting and using the substance. While the signs of it will differ from person to person and from drug to drug, there are common warning factors to look out for. Below are some common signs that somebody is suffering from drug abuse and how it can be treated.
Disappearing Acts
When someone abuses drugs, they will often disappear for long periods of time to use the narcotic substance and will later be unable to explain where they were.
When the person does try to explain where they were for that period of time, it may often make no sense at all.
Loss of Items
If you think that your loved one has a drug problem and picked up that your medications, prescriptions or alcohol are disappearing, then it might because the person needs them to even out the positive and negative effects of the drugs they’re using.
Bodily Changes
Drug abusers will often begin to neglect their physical appearance when they start using narcotics. Their every thought will go into when, where and how they’ll be able to use the addictive substance again, often causing their personal hygiene to fall down the priority list.
Changes in the Eye
When someone abuses drugs, their pupils in their eyes will look much larger than before. For instance, exposure to light usually causes the pupils to become smaller, but for those who use drugs, it will remain large.
Strange Choices of Clothing
Drug abusers will choose to wear clothes that cover up any indications of substance abuse on the body. For example, a user might choose to wear a hooded jacket in extremely hot weather in order to hide any burn marks or injection scars they might have.
Unbalanced Sleeping Patterns
Drug abusers may often struggle to sleep at night or won’t be able to snooze at all.
In some cases, the person might even choose to sleep during the day when they should be at work or taking care of other important responsibilities.
Drug Abuse Treatment
If you are able to link any of these signs mentioned above to a loved one, then they might have a drug abuse problem.
The most effective way to treat drug abuse is by residing in an addiction rehabilitation centre, where patients will receive a supervised medical detoxification to help remove the harmful chemicals out of the body and to reduce any cravings or symptoms of craving or withdrawal that might be experienced.
In rehab, patients will also receive drug abuse counselling and therapy such as individual and group sessions and 12-step Programme meetings, which help in educating them about their problem and how they can avoid using the substance again. The stay in the clinic is entirely dependent on the severity of the symptoms suffered however; a 4 week stay is a minimum requirement.
Once treatment in the rehab clinic has been completed, drug abusers should look to attend outpatient treatment, which serves as a continuation of the medical, counselling and therapy methods that were experienced in rehab, just in further detail while residing at home. This is also available for people unable to stay inside a clinic due to unavoidable obligations to attend to.
Organisations such as Narcotics Anonymous are also effective in helping drug abusers re-evaluate their lives and how much better it will be without the narcotic substance, which is crucial in achieving long term sobriety.