Know What to Look For

Where drug abuse is concerned, sometimes the most obvious symptoms or warning signs become apparent because you are aware of the fact that something feels different or wrong with your life. In many instances, the individual who has a drug abuse problem is the last one to know, but most often, it is because they remain in denial and don’t want to admit it. Many individuals will claim that they can handle the consequences of drug abuse while others will just tell you that the only person they are hurting is themselves.

The problem with this is the fact that are becoming out of control and the drug is already taking over their lives. The following will give you an idea of what the symptoms of drug abuse are and when it is time for the individual to get professional help for their issues:

3 Important Signs

• The individual feels as though they cannot function and get through the day without using the substance.
• There are instances when they try to or want to stop using the drug but their abuse has progressed to the point where they cannot.
• They put themselves in potentially dangerous and harmful situation such as driving a vehicle or operating heavy machinery when they are under the influence of the drug.
• They will endeavor to keep a constant supply of the drug on hand.
• They will engage in certain criminal or fraudulent behavior in order to acquire more of the drug.

The person who is abusing drugs will typically continue to do so regardless of any adverse effects they start to suffer with such as health issues on the emotional, mental, and physical level as well as financial, legal, and social consequences.

There is a wide range of consequences that can result from drug abuse. It is well known that drug abuse eventually leads to addiction or dependency even though this never happens the other way around. However, drug abuse can also lead to financial problems, health problems (mental and physical), legal problems, and social problems. Additionally, the suicide rate is considerably higher when drug abuse is involved.

Granted, drug abuse refers to a maladaptive behavior pattern of excessive use of a substance and has not been categorized as addictive or dependent. One thing you want to remember is that drug abuse does not always infer that an individual is using a mind altering or psychoactive drug. It also refers to abusing substances such as steroids for growth and performance enhancement and even OTC (non-prescription) drugs.

Get Help Here

If you would like more information regarding the symptoms of drug abuse and the programs we provide to help individuals overcome this, please contact the Freedom Center at the toll-free phone number listed above to speak with one of our caring specialists. Our programs are some of the most effective drug abuse treatment and recovery programs in the US. Additionally, our recovery success rate is 70% or higher which means that at least 7 out of 10 clients return home and never relapse back into their abuse or dependencies.