How do you know if a person has a drug problem?

Keys that help to know if a person suffers an addiction.

One of the aspects of drug addiction that makes this alteration of health such a dangerous problem is that, by its very nature, it generates the conditions for the person not to be aware that he or she has a problem until he or she has suffered very negative consequences.

The desire to continue consuming leads the person to focus on the chain of actions that lead to obtaining drugs and using them to claim the discomfort, and it is very difficult to see beyond this vicious circle. On the other hand, the people around them tend to assume that nothing out of the ordinary is happening, among other things because drug use is very normalized in certain social circles; and in turn, the person who has developed the addiction tends to keep this a secret so as not to have to give explanations.

All this makes it relatively normal not to seek professional help and treatment until many months or even years have passed since this pathology originated. For this reason, in this article we will a review of the patterns of behavior that help to know if a person has a problem with drugs..

How do you know if a person has developed a drug addiction problem?

Look at these key ideas to detect cases of drug addiction in your environment.

1. The person is more irritable

The tendency to be hostile and angry is one of the characteristics of drug addiction.. This has to do with two main factors. Firstly, the deterioration of their physical and mental state means that the person has fewer resources to deal with situations that require a certain amount of concentration and effort, and this produces frustration. On the other hand, if one has not been using for "too long", the discomfort this produces leads the person to focus on the goal of using more, and many social interactions that are not conducive to this are seen as a hindrance.

2. The person becomes more closed and wants more privacy.

It is very common for people addicted to drugs to become more suspicious of their privacy even from loved onesThey begin to spend more time alone or with other people who also use drugs. That is, they modify their network of daily social interactions to spend less time with those to whom they would have to explain themselves if they were found to have an addiction, and devote a greater portion of their free time to those they can meet while consuming the substance.

3. The person goes out without explaining where he/she is going

Addicted persons need to regularly engage in "missions" to get the psychoactive substance on which they are dependent, and this involves talking as little as possible about where they are going.This involves talking as little as possible about it with those who cannot bring them closer to this goal.

4. Sleep disturbances appear

Most addictions interfere with the quality of sleep of the people who suffer from them.. This causes those who have developed drug addiction to go to sleep late, wake up numerous times during the night because of sleeping problems, etc.

5. Concentration problems

The addiction causes the person's attention to be focused on the consumption of that substance, so that even when they are doing their work, they may not be able to concentrate.Even when they are doing tasks that have nothing to do with the drug, they can't help fantasizing about using, or thinking about what they are going to do in the next few hours to get more material. As a result, they often cannot concentrate on a task if they are not using at the time.

6. Stress and anxiety problems appear

The "monkey" associated with abstinence causes the addict's nervous system to go into a state of alarm.The "monkey" associated with withdrawal causes the addict's nervous system to go into a state of alarm, in order to detect as soon as possible opportunities to continue using the psychoactive substance. Therefore, cold sweats, sensitivity to changes in the environment, tremors, dizziness, etc. may appear.

7. Skin problems arise

In the medium and long term, many drugs lead to the development of skin diseases that are easily visible. This takes the form, for example, of accelerated aging: hair loss, the appearance of wrinkles in a relatively short period of time, changes in nail color, the appearance of thinner and drier skin, etc. Of course, none of these phenomena is by itself indicative that the person has been using drugs, but if these elements are present in a relatively short period of time, they may be indicative that the person has been using drugs.However, if these elements occur together, there is a good chance that the origin lies in this kind of pathology.

8. The situation gets progressively worse

Addictions lead the person to see how their health deteriorates progressively; unless they go through a process of detoxification and rehabilitation, it is difficult to move from addiction to a situation in which the symptoms emit. Due to the dependence produced by the substance, the body becomes habituated to the drug and the individual needs to consume more and more and more regularly to avoid suffering the discomfort of withdrawal.

Looking for addiction treatment?

If you want to start a treatment process to overcome an addiction, contact us.

At CITA Clinics we specialize in therapy and support services in detoxification and rehabilitation for people with addictive disorders; we provide medical and psychotherapy services for those who have developed a pathological dependence to a drug or a problematic behavior pattern (gambling, video games, etc.). In addition, we have a residential module located in the middle of nature, for those who make use of the treatment in the form of short, medium or long term admission. You can find us in Barcelona and in Dosrius (Mataró).

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