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Often it is difficult to know in the early stage if an individual is addicted to substances like drugs or alcohol.

But as the addiction progresses there are signs which indicate that a person is addicted to substances. These signs may vary based on the individual’s personality and the specific situation, but some signs generally apply to all addicts.

Understanding the signs of addiction is important. It will help identify addicts quickly, which can speed up the search for help to bring about recovery in such individuals. Therefore, this article will highlight some signs which should tell you that a person is addicted to drugs or alcohol.

These signs include;

• Weight Changes

One major sign of substance addiction is sudden weight loss. The constant intake of drugs or alcohol excessively affects the eating habit of an individual. He/she either begins to eat excessively, always longing for food, or he/she begins to skip meals for long periods.

This leads to abrupt weight gain or loss, altering their physical appearance. The chemicals and properties in the substances cause this change in eating habits. Although weight changes occur without addiction, any abrupt changes could be due to substance addiction.

• Loss of Interest

The individual begins to lose interest in a lot of activities. Work, family, friends, school, things that previously excited such person no longer matter to them. This is because all their energy is channeled towards the consumption of such substances.

• Uneasiness or Regular Absence

In the case of a working-class person, he/she begins to take a frequent absence from work for unknown reasons. Or he/she begins to be absent from work without informing anyone. For students, they begin to skip classes frequently has the chemicals from the drugs have altered their emotions and senses.

• Sleep Habit Alteration

An individual can begin to sleep excessively or go long hours without due to addiction. The chemicals affect their hormones causes extreme fatigue or hyperactiveness. So, if you notice a change in the sleeping habit of a person it could be due to substance addiction.

• Mood Swings

Frequently, such individual is thrown into different at once. This is because the chemicals from drugs or alcohol have affected their hormones causing a constant, unstable change in emotions. So, an addicted person experiences mood swings.

In summary, there are several signs to identify a person addicted to a substance, of which we have discussed a few. When treated in isolation these signs may not apply, but when considered collectively these signs indicate substance addiction.

Opiates are drugs that are also known as narcotics. They comprise profound pain relievers like tramadol, hydrocodone, oxycodone, tramadol and fentanyl. Also, the common drug, heroin, is an opioid.

Not all opioids are produced from the opium plant, some of them are synthetic. However, they all produce far-reaching effects.

Under normal circumstances, a doctor can prescribe opioids to reduce the pain you are feeling when you have had a surgery or an injury. As a matter of fact, opioids are most times recommended for chronic pain.

Opiates are abused when they are taken more frequently than they should. Someone who takes opiates more than the normal prescription. When there is a regular pattern of opiates abuse, it can cause a full-fledged addiction which is usually challenging to overcome if there is no medical assistance.

When opiates abuse is detected early, it is one proficient way to stop an addiction from springing up. It is important to know how to identify those who have opiates abuse problem, and there are some behavioral and physical warning signs that should be looked out for.

Common behavioral and physical signs:

• Itchy skin
• Impulsive actions
• Withdrawal from social activities
• Mood swings
• Visiting several doctors to obtain more prescriptions

Once the opiates disorder has been confirmed, it is important to seek help as soon as possible.

The short-term side effects of opiates are dependent on the drug type, the volume of substance taken and the method of administration. There is no fixed time for how the effects of these drugs are because they can range from minutes to several hours.

Short-term side effects

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Constipation
• Blurred vision
• Weight loss
• Hallucinations
• Impaired judgment
• Shallow and slowed breathing

The long-term effects of opioids abuse induces damaging effects to the vital organs of the body.

Below are the long-term side effects/long term complications of opiates

• Depression
• Insomnia
• Damage to the liver
• Damage to the vein
• Chronic constipation

In addition to these listed long-term effects, there are other health complications of opiates use. And it is important to seek help as promptly as possible.

A rehab is structured to provide the right tools and coping skills to people who are struggling with addiction. This means that for alcohol addiction, a rehab is all you need to get your life back on track.

There is a lot to gain from going to a rehab if you are addicted to alcohol. People who have been addicted in the past can testify to the fact that, it is very changing to overcome. However, the help that would be received at the rehabilitation would make the entire recovery phase quite easy.

A rehab comprises personalized treatment plans that help patients to understand their addiction problem. The patients would understand the root cause of their addiction and how they can help themselves get sober.

The main priority of a rehab is to assist patients to defeat their addiction problem, and there are other benefits attached to this too. Anyone who opts for alcohol rehab would be equipped with the necessary life skills that would help to build a happy, healthy and productive life.

At a rehab, there is a working structure in place that comes with quintessential treatment programs targeted at giving you a healthy life. It is crucial to mention that therapy is important to assist those in recovery in getting better, and understanding the emotional and mental triggers of their addiction.

This therapy is provided in the rehab, where the individual would learn various healthy coping mechanisms. The individual is assisted to see the flaws in his thoughts and behaviors that often lead to making the wrong decisions associated with alcohol misuse.

At the rehab, effective therapy is provided to reduce the person’s likeliness to relapse. And even if he does, the rehab still helps to get him back on track.  

It is important to mention that there is no specific pattern of treatment for an alcohol addict. The volume and pattern of treatment depends on the peculiarity of the individual’s addiction.

 

After abusing heroin the body of the user will automatically begin trying to return to its normal, everyday functions, but long term health complications may persist for some time after heroin abuse.

Examples of complications arising from the abuse of Heroin include:

• Scarred and collapsed veins
• Pneumonia
• tuberculosis
• …and many other diseases of the kidney and liver.

 

Heroin on its own is deadly enough, but the heroin found on the street is not pure heroin. Rather, it is often cut with various substances and additives so that drug dealers can make more money off less heroin. This introduces a number of risks to abusing this substance. The first risk that emerges is that users are unable to properly gauge doses as the potency will vary greatly from one batch to the next. An amount of heroin that a user believes is safe can be deadly because of the variability in potency. Additives that heroin is cut with, including fetanyl, can be extremely risky in and of themselves. There are no rules or regulations to keep users safe, the dealers can mix just about anything in the heroin.

A drug rehab center is a place that you can go in order to get help. There are many different kinds of drug rehab centers, and there are drug rehab centers that are located wherever you are. There is no shortage of places to help people with their drug addictions and so you should be able to find one whenever you are ready to deal with your drug addiction and its associated problems.

At a drug rehab center, you will learn a lot about yourself, and you will spend a lot of time talking through your problems and figuring out how to stay clean and sober after your treatment is over. Also, at a drug rehab center you will learn how to deal with the pressures of life after recovery, and figure out how to avoid chronic relapse.

One of the principle pillars of any drug rehab program is education. The education component is crucial to maintaining a clean, drug abuse free lifestyle by providing the necessary life skills to avoid slipping back into addiction. Once an individual overcomes their addiction in a treatment facility they will have to return to the wider world. When the recovering addict does this, they will require tools to constructively overcome the hurdles they encounter along the way.

There is ample evidence to suggest that the earlier an individual is taught these crucial life skills, the less likely they will be to fall into drug abuse. The sooner these skills are imparted the better. But it is never too late to learn these best practices, or to simply reinforce them as a bulwark against unforeseen future challenges, whether drug related or not.

 

Many people can use alcohol with out abusing alcohol. Alcohol Abuse is when and individual drinks more then the recommended amount of alcohol in one sitting or over a period of time. For example one glass of wine consumed at dinner is considered alcohol consumption not alcohol abuse. However if a female consumes more that 3 alcoholic drinks or a male 4 alcoholic drinks in an evening then it is considered alcohol abuse.

Many people abuse alcohol on the occasional wedding or night out, this is not considered alcoholism. You can consume alcohol without abusing alcohol or you can abuse alcohol without being addicted to alcohol.

Alcoholism is the prolonged and continued abuse to alcohol. This typically includes an addiction to alcohol. The use of the alcohol continues despite any negative consequences of the consumption. Money, lost work time or jobs, lost friends, lost self respect, and the loss of health mean nothing to an individual in the grip of alcoholism.

Many alcoholics deny having a problem with alcohol or even other drug addictions. If you have a family member or a loved one in denial you may have to stage an intervention. There are many sources available on the internet, you local doctor, or local drug rehab centers that you can get intervention and treatment information from. If you know someone addicted to alcohol and any other drug getting informed and involved maybe that persons only hope of a positive outcome of the addiction. Addiction usually ends in one of three ways treatment, jail, or death.

 

 

Addiction in general, and alcoholism in particular, touches all aspects of a user’s life, including their family life. The family often suffer greatly seeing their loved one succumbing to addiction. When parents or grandparents reach a certain age they begin transitioning into a new phase of their life that often involves the foundation of their old life crumbling. This can be due to a job change, a child being born or moving out, aging and questioning your place in society and other factors. During these transition stages the allure of drug and alcohol can be great. The user does not know how to cope, and so they turn to drugs and alcohol. In young people the period in which they are more vulnerable are when they reach the transition to adulthood in their late teens and adulthood. During this time everything is up in the air, they are leaving old circles, leaving family behind often and being exposed to new influences and people that will influence their choices. During this time they will face a great deal of stress paired with the new influences, and this can lead to drug and alcohol abuse, unfortunately.

 

Whatever the age of the loved one the common factor is that the individual is experiencing a transition in their life of some kind. For this reason it is important that family be supportive and attentive to the needs of their family members.