What Are Four Symptoms of Drug Addiction?

In 2008, The National Institute on Drug Abuse estimated that substance abuse in the United States cost more than $500 billion per year. Drug use carries serious social, emotional and physical implications for both the user and everyone around him. Knowing the warning signs may help you prevent someone you love from sinking into the depths of addiction.

The Facts

• Drug use affects your entire body, from your heart rate and blood pressure to brain function. Barbiturates (like sleeping pills or sedatives) and opiates (like morphine or heroin) depress your central nervous system, slowing your breathing and lowering your blood pressure and awareness.

  Cocaine and methamphetamines, on the other hand, are stimulants which raise blood pressure and increase alertness. Because of the profound effect of drugs on the human body, some lasting physical and emotional changes may indicate drug use and abuse.

Sign 1: Physical Changes

• Some physical warning signs indicate drug abuse or addiction including unusual changes in personal hygiene, changes in choices of apparel (i.e. wearing long sleeved shirts even in very warm weather to hide injection marks), abnormal changes in energy levels (either insomnia and increased energy or fatigue and excessive sleeping), decreased reaction time, altered mental state, moving abnormally slow, consistent disorientation, confusion, slow speech, unexplained weight gain or unexplained weight loss.

  Drugs that are inhaled often lead to chronic sinus infections and nosebleeds. Drugs that are smoked often result in chronic bronchitis or coughing. Methamphetamine leads to serious dental issues.

Sign 2: Mental/Emotional Changes

• Mental and emotional symptoms of drug addiction include neglecting responsibilities, social withdrawal, becoming secretive, defensiveness, delusions, agitation, being abnormally talkative, indifference, paranoia, boundless energy, decreased concentration, depression, increased anger, hallucinations, being abnormally unresponsive, irritability, increased sensitivity, inexplicable calmness and the appearance of being "spaced out."

Sign 3: Tolerance and Addiction

• Drug abuse is characterized by addiction. Part of that addiction is developing a tolerance to the drug. This means that your body requires increasing amounts and/or frequency of the drug to stave off withdrawal effects and to achieve a high. Increasing amounts means increasing costs of addiction. To feed the habit, some people will sell personal items (even sentimental ones), and ask to borrow money without being specific as to why. These can be possible signs of addiction.

Sign 4: Dependence

• Addiction is characterized by physical and/or emotional dependence on a drug. As a result, your body will undergo physical manifestations of withdrawal if you discontinue drug use and in between fixes. Staving off withdrawal symptoms leads to increasing drug-seeking behavior.

  Severity of the withdrawal symptoms are dependent on the type of drug being abused, but generally include chills, pain, agitation, tremors/shakes, depression, sleep problems and acute body aches. Avoiding withdrawal symptoms is often the primary reason for the cycle of addiction.

Addiction Signs in Teens

• It may be difficult to differentiate between "normal" teenage behavior and signs of possible drug abuse. If you think that your teenager may be abusing drugs, watch for significant behavioral changes, abnormal changes in his appearance and significant health issues (insomnia or hypersomnia). Sudden problems in school, new friends or increased isolation may also be signs that your teen is using drugs.

Risk Factors

• Many factors contribute to someone's risk of becoming addicted. The inability to soothe yourself and the desire to self-medicate in order to alleviate physical or emotional pain are two significant factors. Other risk factors for developing an addiction include a familial history, personal history of mental problems, physical pain that is left untreated and peer pressure.