What are the symptoms of drug use?
Sometimes it can be hard to know what are the symptoms of drug use in a person. There are many physical and behavioral symptoms in someone who uses drugs. They may not always be clear signs, but they will be there. Sometimes though, symptoms of drug use can also seem like symptoms for something else. So use your common sense when it comes to figuring out if someone is using drugs.
In addition, recognizing the common symptoms of drug abuse and addiction can prevent some of the negative consequences in your loved ones life. Some consequences of drug addiction include:
- getting arrested for drug crimes
- injuring yourself and causing damage to your body
- injuring someone else (either unintentionally or intentionally due to the effects of drugs on the mind and body)
- DWI or DUI charges
- drug possession charges
- having to deal with going to court
- felony charges or misdemeanor charges
- rehab
If you are ready to learn about the symptoms of drug use, then we will do our best to answer all of your questions! Read on to learn everything you need to know!
The Main Physical Symptoms of Drug Use
There are many physical symptoms that can come with drug use. Some of them are minor and can be hard to pick up on. In comparison, others of these signs are pretty blatant. Regardless of which physical signs you notice, you can not always rule out other possibilities. Here are some of the main physical symptoms you can notice in someone using drugs.
- The person cannot sleep, or they awaken at weird times. It is essential to know if this has how they always have been, though. Many people suffer from sleeping disorders and are not on drugs.
- There is a change in their eating habits. They could either be eating more than usual or even less than usual. This is not always a sign that will occur with drug usage, but it is one of the more common ones.
- The person you suspect of using drugs has red and watery eyes. This tends to be one of the biggest physical signs that someone is using drugs. First, however, you should see if the red, watery eyes last over a week or so. Any less than that, and it could have just been something else causing them.
- They have visible needle marks anywhere on their bodies. This tends to be a sign of heavy drug usage. Unless you know they have to take medicine regularly that requires a needle, you can be fairly certain they are using drugs.
- They are frequently rubbing their nose. Once again, this is also a fairly common thing some people do. You can not always assume they are using drugs when they do this. Best to look for other drug usage symptoms as well.
- They suffer from excessive sweating. Sometimes people sweat a lot, but if it is all the time, then they could be using drugs. So if someone you know is always sweating, no matter the temperature or time of day, they could be someone on drugs.
The Main Behavioral Symptoms of Drug Use
Besides physical symptoms of drug use, there are also behavioral symptoms usually for drug users. Here are some of the main behavioral symptoms of drug use. Always remember, though, sometimes these symptoms can be because of something else.
- There is a sudden change in personality for no clear reason. Sometimes there could be something going on you do not know about, but if you know there is no other reason, drugs could be the reason.
- They have a change in their activities and hobbies. People naturally change over time, but when done quickly typically means something is up. If you have a reason they could be doing drugs, this can be a major sign.
- The person is suddenly over-sensitive and easily angered. When people become more volatile for no apparent reason, drugs are sometimes the reason. This is another one of the biggest signs of drug usage in a person.
- They are easily forgetful or lose attention quickly. Some people are naturally like this, so be sure this is not how they have always been. If it occurs quickly and over a short period of time, they could be on drugs.
- One of the biggest giveaways is if they own drug paraphernalia. It can be any form of drug paraphernalia. If you find someone in possession of such things, there is a reasonably high chance they use drugs themselves. Very rarely will someone possess drug paraphernalia and not actively use drugs themselves.
- They have an unexplained need for money all the time. If you do not give it to them, they may resort to stealing it. If they are unable to steal it, you may find them selling different belongings. This is often one of the biggest signs of someone using drugs. So keep an eye on someone who is constantly asking for money with no apparent reasoning.
Conclusion:
It can be hard at times to recognize if someone is on drugs or if there is just something else going on. The unfortunate truth is that tragedies happen when you put drugs in your body. A person who might normally be calm and peaceful may become violent and end up with assault charges. In addition, things such as hit and run and other legal problems are very often linked to drug and alcohol use.
There are many questions you will want to ask your criminal lawyer if you or you someone you know are arrested for drug charges. However, hopefully this post will clarify what your loved one is going through.
In addition, there are enough signs that if someone has multiple of them, there is a high chance they are using drugs. You now know what are the symptoms of drug use.