Author: James Anderson

What Are the Early Signs of Addiction?

It involves family and friends and sometimes co-workers, clergy or others who care about the person struggling with addiction. When they first use a drug, people may perceive what seem to be positive effects. Some people may start to feel the need to take more of a drug or take it more often, even in the early stages of their drug use. If your drug use is out of control or causing problems, get help. The sooner you seek help, the greater your chances for a long-term recovery.

1. Someone with a serious addiction problem may allow, ignore, or trivialize these outcomes in favor of continuing their habits.
2. They often have several steps that vary from person to person.
3. Cannabis often precedes or is used along with other substances, such as alcohol or illegal drugs, and is often the first drug tried.
4. Sometimes called the “opioid epidemic,” addiction to opioid prescription pain medicines has reached an alarming rate across the United States.
5. The best way to prevent an addiction to a drug is not to take the drug at all.
6. Drug addiction can start with experimental use of a recreational drug in social situations, and, for some people, the drug use becomes more frequent.

Keep in mind that someone with an addiction will almost always understate the seriousness of their condition. If there’s no other explanation, then there’s an increased chance of an underlying addiction problem. A healthy person can usually identify a negative behavior and get rid of it. Rather than admit the problem exists, they’ll find ways to justify and continue the behavior.

Drug addiction (substance use disorder)

These drugs are not all in the same category, but they share some similar effects and dangers, including long-term harmful effects. The fact that this critical part of a teen’s brain is still a work in progress puts them at increased risk for trying drugs or continuing to take them. Introducing drugs during this period of development may cause brain changes that have profound and long-lasting consequences. When it comes to common social behaviors like drinking or smoking, it might be difficult to determine if there’s an addiction problem. What looks like addiction could be an experimental phase or a form of stress management. But a real addiction, if left untreated, can develop into a debilitating habit or increased risk of illness.

Barbiturates, benzodiazepines and hypnotics are prescription central nervous system depressants. They’re often used and misused in search for a sense of relaxation or a desire to “switch off” or forget stress-related thoughts or feelings. Signs and symptoms of drug use or intoxication may vary, depending on the type of drug.

Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available. While you can treat addiction, in most cases, someone with addiction must want to change for recovery to be successful. Make your tax-deductible gift and be a part of the cutting-edge research and care that’s changing medicine.

Drug Misuse and Addiction

The most common hallucinogens are lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and phencyclidine (PCP). Substituted cathinones, also called “bath salts,” are mind-altering (psychoactive) substances similar to amphetamines such as ecstasy (MDMA) and cocaine. Packages are often labeled as other products to avoid detection.

If your health care provider prescribes a drug with the potential for addiction, use care when taking the drug and follow instructions. Despite the name, these are not bath products such as Epsom salts. Substituted cathinones can be eaten, snorted, inhaled or injected and are highly addictive.

This impairment in self-control is the hallmark of addiction. People struggling with addiction usually deny they have a problem and hesitate to seek treatment. An intervention presents a loved one with a structured opportunity to make changes before things get even worse and can motivate someone to seek or accept help. Use of hallucinogens can produce different signs and symptoms, depending on the drug.

These drugs can cause severe intoxication, which results in dangerous health effects or even death. Two groups of synthetic drugs — synthetic cannabinoids and substituted or synthetic cathinones — are illegal in most states. The effects of these drugs can be dangerous and unpredictable, as there is no quality control and some ingredients may not be known.

Stimulants include amphetamines, meth (methamphetamine), cocaine, methylphenidate (Ritalin, Concerta, others) and amphetamine-dextroamphetamine (Adderall XR, Mydayis). They’re often used and misused in search of a “high,” or to boost energy, to improve performance at work or school, or to lose weight or control appetite. Similar events can occur in the lives of people without an addiction problem. But these can become more common when an addiction is present. Before approaching someone you think may have an addition, determine if the problem is a result of a single incident or a growing problem with the addiction. You’ll soon start receiving the latest Mayo Clinic health information you requested in your inbox.

Once you’ve been addicted to a drug, you’re at high risk of falling back into a pattern of addiction. If you do start using the drug, it’s likely you’ll lose control over its use again — even if you’ve had treatment and you haven’t used the drug for some time. The best way to prevent an addiction to a drug is not to take the drug at all.

Charitable Care & Financial Assistance

This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data.

Signs and symptoms of inhalant use vary, depending on the substance. Some commonly inhaled substances include glue, paint thinners, correction fluid, felt tip marker fluid, gasoline, cleaning fluids and household aerosol products. Due to the toxic nature of these substances, users may develop brain damage or sudden death. They often have several steps that vary from person to person. These steps can include detoxification, behavioral counseling, and long-term follow-up.

Despite manufacturer claims, these are chemical compounds rather than “natural” or harmless products. These drugs can produce a “high” similar to marijuana and have become a popular but dangerous alternative. People use cannabis by smoking, eating or inhaling a vaporized form of the drug. Cannabis often precedes or is used along with other substances, such as alcohol or illegal drugs, and is often the first drug tried. But with continued use, a person’s ability to exert self-control can become seriously impaired.