Symptoms Of Drug Abuse

Depending upon your drug of choice, the symptoms that suggest the presence of an addiction that requires treatment will vary.  In addition, different classes of drugs have other telltale signs that signify usage.

In general, however, there are several signs that drug abuse or alcohol abuse is a severe problem.  If you recognize some or all of the following things happening to someone you care about or happening in your own life, drug abuse may be an issue that needs to be addressed in treatment:

• Isolating from family and friends who don’t use drugs
• Spending time with new friends or friends who get high or drink
• Never having money or often asking to borrow money, even for small items
• Showing up late to work/school or not showing up at all
• Losing a job
• Doing little to find a job if out of work
• Paying less attention to basic hygiene
• Changes in sleeping habits
• Extremely private about possessions, including their bag, room, or car
• Lying about using or drinking
• Sneaking away to get high or drunk

You may find hidden bottles of alcohol or drug paraphernalia among your loved one’s belongings.  Personality changes often occur with substance abuse and addiction.  You or your loved one may be more irritable or agitated and even blow off commitments or family events.

Drug Abuse In Adults

The earlier in one’s life that drug abuse begins, the more likely an individual will become addicted.  Substance use in adults can become part of a pattern of unsafe behaviors, including unsafe sex and driving under the influence.  The availability of adults may be more likely to abuse dangerous “club drugs,” which, as part of the general picture of alcohol and drugs being used by this demographic, can lead to severe problems including:

• Lifelong legal problems.
• Impaired memory.
• Poor judgment.
• Development of mental health issues.
• Overdose or death.
• Injury due to intoxication.
• Addiction
• Severe, irreversible physical health problems, such as HIV, Hepatitis C, or damage to major organs.

• Gamma Hydroxybutyrate (GHB)

Gamma hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) has a high potential for abuse and no recognized medical use in the United States.  This drug is a central nervous system depressant.

GHB imitates the GABA neurotransmitter in the human brain.  GABA works by regulating consciousness, activity, sleep, improving mood, and promoting relaxation.  When GHB is taken, it can create feelings of euphoria, drowsiness, reduced anxiety, confusion, and memory impairment.  These effects can lead to GHB being used as a “date rape” drug since the individual may not recollect the event.  Combining GHB with other drugs or alcohol can lead to breathing difficulties and overdose.  Continued abuse of GHB can result in coma, seizures, and even death.

• Rohypnol

A second central nervous system depressant popular among young people is a benzodiazepine called Rohypnol.  Like GHB, Rohypnol can decrease inhibitions, impair memory and coordination, and create a feeling of euphoria.  Rohypnol is often used to sedate and incapacitate a victim of a sexual attack, leaving them with no memory of the attack.  Continued abuse of Rohypnol can lead to addiction.

• Ketamine

Ketamine is an anesthetic with dissociative properties, which some users find enjoyable.  However, ketamine can lead to euphoria, hallucinations, distorted perception of sight and sound, disconnection, and loss of control.

Taking even small amounts of ketamine can result in significantly dangerous symptoms, including difficulties with cognition and focus and becoming unresponsive to stimuli.  Moderate use generally produces hallucinations and a dreamy euphoria.  Higher doses may cause the individual to suffer from amnesia or become delirious.

Drug Abuse and Brain Damage

Brain damage is a significant risk of drug abuse.  For example, cocaine can cause strokes so small they often go unnoticed but result in brain tissue death and the gradual accumulation of neurologic deficits.  Likewise, MDMA (Ecstasy) [1] can disrupt the brain’s ability to usually produce serotonin, a chemical responsible for equalizing mood, aggression, and other emotions.  This can lead users to be unable to control or experience normal emotions without using the drug.

Some drug users will engage in reckless activities such as binge use of certain drugs or alcohol.  When this happens, even if the individual does not meet the diagnostic criteria for a substance use disorder, the activity may result in irreversible brain lesions – for example, those sustained due to significant head trauma – that can render the individual permanently brain-damaged and ultimately disabled.

Damage to the brain can also manifest as psychological.  For example, drug abuse can lead to anxiety and depression, which can worsen pre-existing psychotic symptoms.  In addition, the chemical changes in the brain can direct users to experience an inability to enjoy life without drugs and their euphoric effects.

When individuals begin to abuse drugs, they may find that their lives outside of their drug use are affected.  They may be unable to perform as well at their jobs, which can lead to financial struggles.  They may relate differently to their families, leading to strained relationships and the destruction of existing families.  Factors such as these, or legal troubles, can contribute to anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions.  These conditions may often contribute to more drug abuse, which can culminate in serious addiction.

Drug Abuse Hotline

Cravings can happen anytime.  They don’t always occur at convenient times, such as during a therapy appointment or a 12-step meeting.  This is when a drug abuse hotline can be most helpful.

Benefits of a Drug Abuse Hotline

When you are fighting off the urge to relapse, immediate help is essential.  You may not have the luxury of waiting for a therapist, sponsor, close friend, or family member to call you back.  There may be no self-help meetings nearby at that specific time.  You need help immediately – and there’s nothing more immediate than a phone call to a drug abuse hotline.

In addition to the immediate gratification, you get:

• Connection to treatment resources:  Staff members at drug abuse hotlines are knowledgeable about the different types of addiction treatment available.  If you have relapsed or fear that you will, the counselor you call at the drug abuse hotline can help determine what kind of treatment will help you avoid falling back into active addiction.
• No charge:  You pay nothing to call a toll-free drug abuse hotline, and you can talk as long as you need to about your cravings or what happened that made you want to relapse.
• Anonymity.  Everything you say on the phone to your drug abuse hotline operator stays between you and the person on the other end of the line.

What is Drug Addiction?

Drug addiction is a chronic disease characterized by compulsive or uncontrollable drug seeking and use despite harmful consequences and changes in the brain, which can be long-lasting. These changes in the brain can lead to unhealthy behaviors seen in people who use drugs. Drug addiction is also a relapsing disease. Relapse is the return to drug use after an attempt to stop.

The path to drug addiction begins with the voluntary act of taking drugs. But over time, a person’s ability to choose not to do so becomes compromised. Seeking and taking the drug becomes compulsive. This is primarily due to the effects of long-term drug exposure on brain function. Addiction affects parts of the brain involved in reward and motivation, learning and memory, and control over behavior. Thus, addiction is a disease that affects both the brain and behavior. Fortunately, there’s a lot of drug abuse treatment obtainable for all kinds of addiction.

Skip To:

• Drug Abuse Treatments
• Does Drug Abuse Treatment Work?
• Principles of Effective Drug Abuse Treatment

Learn More:

• Signs Of Drug Abuse
• Prescription Drug Abuse
• Resources For Drug And Alcohol Abuse
• Drug Abuse Treatment Centers
• Best Therapy For Drug Addiction Treatment

Top Treatment Options for Drug Abuse

There is no one treatment for drug abuse. This fact reflects the complexity of the condition and its diverse manifestations, highlighting the importance of the assessment process, which is critical in helping determine the best treatment for a given individual. In addition, drug abuse treatment may occur in different settings, with varying degrees of professional assistance (e.g., self-help/12-step and professional help) and other modalities of professional services (e.g., individual therapy, group therapy, family therapy, and pharmacological treatment).

Drug abuse treatment may be characterized as specialized treatment with one main goal: to stop using the substance. Treatment is primarily talking therapy—counseling and psychotherapy; in addition, medications may be employed to manage detoxification from some drugs and to treat coexisting psychological or medical conditions.

• Addiction is a complex but treatable disease that affects brain function and behavior.
• No single treatment is suitable for everyone.
• People need to have quick access to treatment.
• Effective treatment addresses all of the patient’s needs, not just their drug use.
• Staying in treatment long enough is critical.
• Counseling and other behavioral therapies are the most commonly used forms of treatment.
• Medications are often an essential part of treatment, especially when combined with behavioral therapies.
• Treatment plans must be reviewed often and modified to fit the patient’s changing needs.
• Treatment should address other possible mental disorders.
• Medically assisted detoxification is only the first stage of treatment.
• Treatment doesn’t need to be voluntary to be effective.
• Drug use during treatment must be monitored continuously.
• Treatment programs should test patients for HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B and C, tuberculosis, and other infectious diseases and teach them about steps they can take to reduce their risk of these illnesses.

Medications and Devices Used In Drug Abuse Treatment

Medications and devices can be used to manage withdrawal symptoms, prevent relapse, and treat co-occurring conditions.

• Withdrawal: Medications and devices can help suppress withdrawal symptoms during detoxification. Detoxification is not in itself “treatment,” but only the first step in the process. Patients who do not receive any further treatment after detoxification usually resume their drug use. One study of treatment facilities found that medications were used in almost 80 percent of detoxifications (SAMHSA, 2014). 

• Relapse prevention: Patients can use medications to help re-establish normal brain function and decrease cravings. Medications are available to treat opioids (heroin, prescription pain relievers), tobacco (nicotine), and alcohol addiction. People who use more than one drug, which is very common, need treatment for all substances they use.

• Cognitive-behavioral therapy: which helps patients recognize, avoid, and cope with the situations in which they are most likely to use drugs
• Multidimensional family therapy: developed for adolescents with drug abuse problems as well as their families, which addresses a range of influences on their drug abuse patterns and is designed to improve overall family functioning

• Motivational interviewing: which makes the most of people’s readiness to change their behavior and enter treatment
• Motivational incentives (contingency management): which uses positive reinforcement to encourage abstinence from drugs

• Drug addiction can be treated, but it’s not simple. Addiction treatment must help the person do the following:
  • Stop using drugs
  • Stay drug-free
  • Be productive in the family, at work, and in society
• Successful treatment has several steps:
  • Detoxification
  • Behavioral counseling
  • Medication (for opioid, tobacco, or alcohol addiction)
  • Evaluation and treatment for co-occurring mental health issues such as depression and anxiety
  • Long-term follow-up to prevent relapse

• Medications and devices can be used to manage withdrawal symptoms, prevent relapse, and treat co-occurring conditions.

• Behavioral therapies help patients:
  • Modify their attitudes and behaviors related to drug use
  • Increase healthy life skills
  • Persist with other forms of treatment, such as medication
• People within the criminal justice system may need additional treatment services to treat drug use disorders effectively. However, many offenders don’t have access to the types of services they need.

Drug abuse treatment can help many drug-using offenders change their attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors towards drug abuse, avoid relapse; and successfully remove themselves from a life of substance abuse and crime.

Many of the principles of treating drug addiction are similar for people within the criminal justice system and those in the general population. However, many offenders don’t have access to the types of services they need. Treatment that is of poor quality or is not well suited to the needs of offenders may not be effective at reducing drug use and criminal behavior.