signs of drug use

Some of these signs may be readily apparent, while others are easily hidden or occur as gradual changes. Being on the lookout for drug paraphernalia and signs and symptoms of drug abuse can help adults recognize at-risk teens. Marijuana can impair concentration, worsen mental health, interfere with prescription medications, lead to risky sexual behaviors, or contribute to dangerous driving. Smoking marijuana can also negatively affect lung health. Teenagers who misuse substances can experience drug dependence (substance use disorder).

Drug Abuse vs. Drug Addiction

If you’re trying to start a conversation with your teen because you think they may be using drugs, their response to being confronted will determine how you’ll need to approach the conversation. Substance use disorders have a range of psychological, physical, and social effects that can drastically reduce people’s quality of living. Millions of readers rely on HelpGuide.org for free, evidence-based resources to understand and navigate mental health challenges. Please donate today to help us save, support, and change lives. Problems can sometimes sneak up on you, as your drug use gradually increases over time.

Look for changes in personality

Another way to recognize addiction is to pay attention to your friend or family member’s mental and physical health. Whether the addiction is to a drug or a behavior, their health will almost always decline. Click on any substance below to find out some https://sober-home.org/acute-and-chronic-effects-of-cocaine-on/ characteristic signs and symptoms of abuse and addiction to that substance. Addiction—to prescription and street drugs and alcohol —is a serious problem. If you’re worried that you or a loved one may have an addiction, there are signs to help you know.

signs of drug use

Substance Use Disorders: Types, Symptoms, and Treatments

No matter the type of addiction, it’s important to recognize warning signs and seek help if necessary. A healthy person can usually identify a negative behavior and get rid of it. Rather than admit the problem exists, they’ll find ways to justify and continue the behavior. Burnout in healthcare professionals, especially those with adverse childhood eperiences, causes exhaustion and reduced effectiveness. When I was in medical school, neither addiction psychiatry nor addiction medicine existed.

signs of drug use

Physical Symptoms and Health Problems

Illicit drugs, used to get high, may be taken in overdose amounts when a person’s metabolism cannot detoxify the drug fast enough to avoid unintended side effects. So you might need to take more of the drug to get the same good feeling. And other things you enjoyed, like food and hanging out with family, may give you less pleasure. Recognizing these signs and symptoms may be the first step toward recovery.

In many cases, these drugs are much easier for teens to procure, yet they can have dangerous, even lethal, side effects. Of course, drug use—either illegal or prescription—doesn’t automatically lead to abuse. Some people are able to use recreational or prescription drugs without experiencing negative effects, while others find that substance use takes a serious toll on their health and well-being.

Or a person might start consuming alcohol before a social event, or even early in the day. People developing problem use might look for socially acceptable reasons to have a drink, or they might start concealing their alcohol consumption from others around them. Learning to recognize the physical or behavioral signs of drug use can help to prevent the problem from progressing further.

If someone does not get help for their substance use disorder, they may risk extreme financial stress and could face bankruptcy. 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. Chronic phone use is a recently developed form of addiction. The American Psychiatric Association does not officially recognize the condition.

SUD also recognizes a spectrum of problematic substance use, not just physiologic addiction. With physical dependence, your body has adapted to the presence of the substance, and withdrawal symptoms happen if you suddenly stop taking the drug or you take a reduced dosage. It involves continued substance use despite negative consequences. Addiction to substances happens when the reward system in your brain “takes over” and amplifies compulsive substance-seeking. Addiction also is different from physical dependence or tolerance. In cases of physical dependence, withdrawal symptoms happen when you suddenly stop a substance.

A substance use disorder can be considered mild, moderate, or severe based on the number of symptoms a person exhibits within a 12-month period. Similar events can occur in the lives of people without an addiction problem. But these can become more common when an addiction is present.

Thiamine is critical for energy production and serves as a cofactor in many enzymatic reactions regulating glucose utilization by mitochondria, the power factories inside all cells. Many drug users have made many promises to themselves to stop—and broken them as well, leading them to believe they are incapable of stopping. Withdrawal symptoms occur when drug use is abruptly stopped or the dosage is sharply diminished.

  1. If you suspect that you or someone you love has a substance use disorder, consider reaching out to a trusted healthcare professional for an evaluation.
  2. A person might experience a few of these symptoms or many of them.
  3. By Sherry ChristiansenChristiansen is a medical writer with a healthcare background.
  4. Illegal drugs pose special risks of toxic contamination and/or accidental overdose as a result of substitution with underground agents of unknown potency.
  5. Substance use disorder can also lead to confrontations with the law, both in obtaining a substance and carrying out uncharacteristic or disorderly actions that result from the use of the substance.

Cravings, or deep desire for a substance, arise from alterations in reactivity patterns of nerves in the brain’s reward center. While drug use may increase the risk of mental health disorders, it’s also important to note that these disorders can lead to substance abuse to self-medicate or numb the emotional pain. If you suspect that a teenager is experiencing either, consult a pediatrician or mental health professional as soon as possible. Caregivers can prevent teen drug abuse by knowing the signs and talking to their children about the consequences of using substances. This article reviews statistics, risk factors, health effects, signs, and treatment for teenage drug addiction.

The individual may not be able to stop partaking of the addictive substance or behavior despite expressing a desire to quit. When someone begins using drugs of any kind they may start feeling as if they need larger and more frequent doses, even with something that started as social experimentation. Discovering your child uses drugs can generate fear, confusion, and anger. It’s important to remain calm when confronting your teen, and to only do so when everyone is sober. Explain your concerns and make it clear that your concern comes from a place of love. You spend a lot of time using and thinking about drugs, figuring out how to get them, or recovering from the drug’s effects.

The fifth edition (DSM-5) was published in 2013 and changed the terminology from substance abuse, addiction, and alcoholism to Substance Use Disorder (SUD), which encompasses both drugs and alcohol. If you’re currently taking a prescription drug and are concerned you may be developing a dependence, talk to your healthcare provider immediately. ACEs are strongly related to the development of a wide range of health problems throughout a person’s lifespan, including SUD. The more ACEs a child experiences, the more at risk they are for developing SUD at some point in their life. Mental health condition classification systems, including the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), have become more sophisticated over time. The term “substance use disorder” allows for more clarity in diagnosis.

Using inhalants even once can lead to overdose, suffocation, seizures, and death. Substance use disorder can also lead to confrontations with the law, both in obtaining a substance and carrying out uncharacteristic or disorderly actions that result from the use of the substance. Substance use disorder can impact the way an individual socializes with and relates to other people. Take the assessment and get matched with a professional, licensed therapist. Whether you choose to go to rehab, rely on self-help programs, get therapy, or take a self-directed treatment approach, support is essential.

A combination of medication and behavioral therapy has been found to have the highest success rates in preventing relapse and promoting recovery. Forming an individualized treatment plan with your healthcare provider’s help is likely https://sober-home.org/ to be the most effective approach. People may feel that a substance is adversely affecting their lives and relationships, or that they have trouble stopping use. Reaching out to a doctor can be the first step to recovery.