Indications of Drug Use

How Drugs Affect Behaviour

Even if they are in denial, the drug addict will attempt to withhold and hide the evidence of his drug use from friends and family members. Eventually (sooner than later), the drug addict will suffer the effects of his own dishonesty and guilt. Such noticeable effects include a withdrawn attitude, difficulty reasoning with others and strange uncharacteristic behaviour.

As the drug addict's drug and/or alcohol consumption increases, the guilt and the depression symptoms will also accentuate. It will eventually get to the point where the drug addict will sacrifice his/her personal integrity, relationships with family and friends, savings, retirement pension and anything else that can be used to get more drugs to feed the habit.

At this point, drugs have become the drug addict's uttermost priority. Consequently, aspects of his life such as relationships, job performance and his/her overall attitude will be sacrificed to kill the pain.

Drugs and Personality Changes

A "drug personality" can be described as an artificial personality which is created by the consumption of drugs. It's not the real person at all. Drugs bury the person into a world of their own where they no longer see the world of others. They have the effect of changing the attitude of an individual from his original personality to a false personality of one filled with hostilities and hatreds hidden and suppressed inside of him/her. The person abandons all responsibility and becomes a slave to the habit.

As a side note this can go a long way to explaining why society is experiencing more crime and more violent behaviour than we have ever had. The two events are what is called "date coincident" in other words their commencement and growth are matched and parallel.

An individual with a drug habit will demonstrate such characteristics as:

• Mood swings
• Withdrawing from loved ones
• Unable to finish things, projects, promises
• Withheld resentment which is not openly expressed
• Secret hatreds
• General lying and dishonesty, even to close friends
• Distancing themselves from others
• Bouts of depression. One day up another day down
• Stealing, even from family and friends
• Illogical reasoning and stupidity
• Dwindling responsibility for themselves, their friends and their stuff       

The following are some of the signs and symptoms of specific drug use:

Methamphetamine Effects:
"Wired"--sleeplessness for days and weeks at a time, total loss of appetite, extreme weight loss, dilated pupils, excited, talkative, deluded sense of power, paranoia, de- pression, loss of control, nervousness, unusual sweating, shaking, anxiety, hallucina- tions, aggression, violence, dizziness, mood changes, blurred vision, mental confu- sion, and agitation.

Cocaine Effects:
Impaired thinking, confused, anxious, depressed, short tempered, panic attacks, su- spiciousness, dilated pupils, sleeplessness, loss of appetite, decreased sexual drive, restlessness, irritability, very talkative, scratching, hallucinations, and paranoia.

LSD (Acid) Effects:
Dilated pupils, skin discoloration, loss of coordination, false sense of power, eupho- ria, distortion of time and space, hallucinations, confusion, paranoia, nausea, vomi- ting, loss of control, anxiety, panic, helplessness, and self destructive behaviour.

Inhalant Effects:
Short-lasting euphoria, giggling, silliness, dizziness. Then come the headaches and full-blown "fainting" or going unconscious. Long-term Use: Short-term memory loss, emotional instability, impairment of reasoning, slurred speech, clumsy staggering, eye flutter, tremors, hearing loss, loss of sense of smell, and escalating stages of brain atrophy. Sometimes these serious long-term effects are reversible with body detoxifi- cation and nutritional therapy; sometimes the brain damage is irreversible or only partially reversible.

Heroin Effects:
Chemically enforced euphoria. "Nodding," which is a dreamlike state, near sleep, drifting off for minutes or hours. For long-time abusers, heroin may act like a stimu- lant and they can do a normal daily routine; however, for others, it leaves them com- pletely powerless to do anything.

Marijuana Effects:
Compulsive eating, bloodshot red eyes that are squinty (they may have trouble kee- ping them open), dry mouth, excessive and uncontrollable laughter, forgetfulness, short term memory loss, extreme lethargy, delayed motor skills, occasional paranoia, hallucinations, laziness, lack of motivation, stupidity, sickly sweet smell on body, hair, and clothes, strong mood and behaviour changes when the person is "high".

Depressants (Tranquilizers and Barbiturates):
Decreased inhibition, slowed motor coordination, lethargy, relaxed muscles, stagge- ring gait, poor judgement, slow, uncertain reflexes, disorientation, and slurred speech.

If you think a loved one or someone you know has any of the above symptoms or signs, please don't hesitate to contact us.