Does someone you love need help?

Addiction is a chronic, relapsing brain disease that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences.

Every year, illicit drug and alcohol abuse contributes to the death of more than 100,000 Americans.

While the initial decision to use drugs may be voluntary, drug abuse can quickly take over one's life seriously impairing a person's ability to exert self-control and make sound decisions. What may start out as a pleasure-seeking experience becomes a necessity to simply feel normal.

Social, biological and genetic factors determine whether a person will become addicted.

The impact of drug addiction on one's health can be far reaching - cardiovascular disease, stroke, cancer, HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis B & C, lung disease, obesity and mental disorders.

Relapse is brought on by stress, cues linked to the drug experience (people, places, things, moods), and exposure to drugs.

Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse

How do I know if my loved one has an addiction?

Drugs affect the entire body, from blood pressure to heart rate. Stimulants “amp up” the body, increasing blood pressure and metabolism while reducing the ability to sleep. Other drugs slow down the body, reducing blood pressure, breathing and alertness sometimes to dangerous levels.

Physical, mental and emotional signs of abuse and addiction include:
  • Cycles of increased energy, restlessness, and inability to sleep 
  • Abnormally slow movements, speech or reaction time, confusion and disorientation
  • Sudden weight loss or weight gain
  • Cycles of excessive sleep
  • Unexpected changes in clothing (i.e., constantly wearing long sleeved shirts to hide scarring at injection sites)
  • Suspected drug paraphernalia (pipes, roach clips or syringes)
  • For snorted drugs, chronic troubles with sinusitis or nosebleeds
  • For smoked drugs, a persistent cough or bronchitis leading to coughing up excessive mucus or blood
  • Progressive severe dental problems - tooth decay and gum disease
  • Cycles of being unusually talkative, “up” and cheerful with seemingly boundless energy
  • Increased irritability, agitation and anger
  • Unusual calmness, unresponsiveness or looking “spaced out”
  • Apathy and depression
  • Paranoia, delusions
  • Temporary psychosis, hallucinations
  • Lowered threshold for violence

Source:  www.helpguide.org

Drug addiction can be overcome. It need not be a life sentence. If someone you love has an addiction, seek help now.