Behavior of a drug addict: how to recognize and prevent addiction?

Drug addiction is a very serious situation that, as a rule, faces people who are completely unprepared for it. For example, when a child or loved one starts taking drugs or it turns out that he has a drug addiction, then relatives have no plan on what to do in this situation. What can we say about the person himself who is addicted to drugs? Until the very end, he will not admit that he is addicted, and if he admits this fact, he will do everything possible to convince his loved ones that he can quit drugs on his own and does not need any help. But the truth is that only a tiny percentage of drug addicts can stop using drugs on their own, and even if they do, they will experience the negative consequences of drug use for life unless they complete a full rehabilitation program.

Facts about drugs and addiction

• Excessive use of alcohol and drugs causes mental and physical dependence.
• Social, psychological and neurobiological factors play an integral role in its development.
• Abuse causes a number of adverse consequences affecting the psyche and health of a person. This affects behavior, ability to work and learn.
• To stop abusing any drugs or alcohol, you need to enlist the help of a specialist.

Drugs and drug addiction

Drug addiction (drug addiction) is the abuse of psychoactive substances, which brings temporary and false positive emotions, but causes harm to a person’s health.
Provided that the use of the drug does not comply with any medical recommendations. Drugs are a spectrum of psychoactive substances that are addictive.

Psychological and physical dependence (withdrawal) are the most common motives for regular drug use.

How drug addiction manifests itself

Addiction can be either a mental or physical condition. It includes:

• Changes in character and way of thinking.
• Obsessive desire to get a dose of the drug.
• A feeling of psychological discomfort in the absence of a new portion of a narcotic substance.
• Changes in behavior, in particular the appearance of aggression against the background of withdrawal.

Depending on the type of substance abused by the patient, the development of stable mental and physical dependence occurs over a different period of time. For example, when using amphetamine it is 1-2 doses, and when chewing khat leaves it is several months.

Introduction

It is difficult to see changes in a person in the first days and weeks of drug use. There are different types of drugs, so any changes in the beginning of drug use will be different:

1. Sudden change of mood;
2. Lost sleep patterns;
3. Lethargy or constant activity;
4. Manners of speech and writing have undergone changes;
5. Excessive appetite or lack thereof.

Due to the modern lifestyle, absolutely anyone can seem like a drug addict, because everyone can have drowsiness, impaired appetite due to other diseases, mood swings, and so on.

You can distinguish an addict from a non-user by several factors:

1. Behavior. It is he who betrays a person who uses drugs. A sharp emotional change in a person and his character may indicate his drug addiction. He becomes paranoid, trusting no one and assuming that he is being watched.
2. External features. Appearance can say a lot about a person, but it gives away a drug addict right away, just look into his eyes, pay attention to his physique and skin. Scars and marks from injections on the elbows and knees, in most cases, indicate that this is a drug addict.
3. Drug test. Nowadays, drug tests are sold in the public domain in any pharmacy. This is the only relevant way to identify a drug addict.

Types of drug addiction

1. Mental dependence. This means that a person achieves a feeling of well-being and satisfaction from taking the drug. He regularly experiences a strong desire to take the drug again to maintain and enhance these feelings.
2. Physical dependence. This is the result of the body's adaptation to matter. Therefore, physical symptoms occur when the drug stops entering the body.

The most common symptoms are:

• nausea;
• diarrhea;
• tremor;
• headache;
• fever and even seizures.

These conditions are called withdrawal symptoms. Both mental and physical dependence contribute to the appearance of characteristic symptoms. This means that the addicted person uses more and more time and effort to obtain the drug.

How to recognize a drug addict by appearance?

There is an opinion that if a person has an unkempt appearance, then he is definitely a drug addict. This opinion is only half true. Yes, drug addicts are sloppy, unkempt people who wear old, dirty clothes, they do not shave, but recognition by these signs is possible only in the later stages of addiction, when it comes to hard drugs, for example, krokodil, heroin, cocaine.

Drug addicts are antisocial in appearance - this is a wrong and dangerous opinion. It often happens that an addicted person takes care of himself and his appearance, dresses in clean, fashionable clothes. They are polite in conversation and make a good impression.

It is quite simple to identify a drug addict: his politeness instantly disappears if he is not satisfied with something or does not like it. Subsequently, irritability and aggression set in. The addict reacts inappropriately to the words spoken, and psychotic laughter may appear. During a long conversation with a dependent person, anxiety comes over him, and gesticulation is accompanied by sudden movements. Drug addicts are unstable in their conversational style.

Signs that will help identify a person under the influence of drugs:

1. Speech is excessively slurred, slow, or unclearly expressive;
2. Constant pallor of the face, followed by sharp redness, and vice versa;
3. Drug addicts are disoriented, their coordination of movements is impaired;
4. Salivation is either increased or decreased;
5. The addict’s motor functions are in a state of excessive activity or he is in a stupor, his movements are sluggish;
6. Psychotic laughter, which is quickly replaced by anger and an aggressive state;
7. A state of slight intoxication, but there is no smell of alcohol;
8. Inappropriate reaction to words or situations.

It is possible, in most cases, to identify a drug addict by external signs only when the person is under the influence of narcotic substances. After the cessation of their effect on the body, most addicted people turn into ordinary citizens, so identifying drug addiction without close attention becomes a problem.

What contributes to the development of addiction

To become addicted to a substance, it must be available in the community. In addition, there is a mixture of psychological and neurobiological conditions that may contribute to susceptibility to drug addiction.

Many substances (such as alcohol) make a person feel alert, well-being, relaxed and satisfied. It becomes an escape from the problems and difficulties of everyday life.

A number of medications relieve unpleasant symptoms, such as:

• pain - morphine-like substances;
• anxiety - benzodiazepines;
• sadness, depression and insomnia - antidepressants and sleeping pills.

These are the reasons why a person continues to take drugs, although he is well aware of their harm.

Why do some people develop drug addiction while others do not?

Why are you doing this? This is a question that friends and family often ask drug addicts. It is difficult to explain how drug addiction develops over time. Many believe that it is caused by a constant search for pleasure. But the pleasure from opioids such as heroin or stimulants such as cocaine decreases with repeated use. Moreover, some addictive substances, such as nicotine, may not produce a feeling of euphoria at all.

So, what are the reasons for drug addiction?

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There are two popular explanations for the development of drug addiction, and neither of them stands up to close scrutiny. The first is that drug use is a bad habit that addicts simply must overcome. However, to the brain, habit is nothing more than our ability to perform repetitive tasks, such as tying shoelaces or brushing our teeth, more and more efficiently. People don't usually find themselves hostage to a recurring compulsion to tie their shoelaces all the time.

Another theory states that coping with withdrawal symptoms when stopping drug use is too difficult for many addicts. Withdrawal syndrome is characterized by a number of unpleasant symptoms that develop as the drug is eliminated from the body. These symptoms may include sweating, chills, restlessness, and rapid heart rate. For some drugs, such as alcohol, withdrawal is associated with an increased risk of death if not managed properly.

Painful drug withdrawal symptoms are often cited as the reason why addiction seems inevitable. However, even with heroin use, withdrawal symptoms mostly go away after about 2 weeks. In addition, many addictive substances have mild withdrawal symptoms. This does not mean that pleasure seeking, habit formation, or withdrawal symptoms do not play a role in drug addiction. However, the question arises: are they necessary components for the formation of drug addiction, or will addiction persist even in their absence?

Back in the 1980s, researchers made an amazing discovery. Food, sex and drugs cause an increase in the production of dopamine, an internal pleasure transmitter, which was released in certain areas of the brain - pleasure centers, as was then believed.

However, this idea has since been debunked. There are pleasure centers in the brain, but they are not modulated by dopamine.

So what's going on? It turns out that the brain “liking” something and “wanting” something are two separate psychological experiences. "Liking" refers to the spontaneous delight with which one might eat a chocolate chip cookie. “Desire” is what we feel when we look at the plate of cookies in the center of the table during a meeting.

Dopamine is responsible for “desire” - not “like”. For example, in one study, researchers examined the behavior of animals whose brains were unable to produce dopamine. These animals lost the desire to eat, but did not refuse food when it was placed directly in the mouth.

All addictive substances provoke a surge in the production of dopamine in the brain, in other words “desire”. This makes us want to use drugs again and again. With repeated drug use, the “wanting” increases, while our “liking” for the drug seems to remain the same or even decrease. This phenomenon is known as tolerance formation.

Recent research has looked at a small subregion of the amygdala, known for its role in the development of fear and emotion. Activation of this region has been found to make experimental animals more likely to exhibit addictive behavior patterns: a narrowing of the attention span, a rapid increase in cocaine use, and even compulsive gnawing of the cocaine port. This subregion may be involved in the process of creating excessive "desire" in humans, causing us to make risky choices.

The recent epidemic of opioid use is associated with the emergence of so-called involuntary addicts. Opioids such as oxycodone, Vicodin, and others are very effective in treating intractable pain. However, they also cause an increase in dopamine production.

Most people start taking opioids not for pleasure, but as prescribed by a doctor to relieve severe pain. Any pleasure they may experience is somehow related to the relief of pain.

However, over time, patients develop tolerance. The drug becomes less and less effective, which requires increasing the doses of the drug taken. This leads to a significant surge in dopamine levels in the brain.

As the pain subsides, patients find themselves unexpectedly dependent on drugs and forced to take more and more of them. The result of this regular use of large amounts of drugs is a hyperreactivation of the "desire" system. The sensitized "desire" system produces intense attacks of desire whenever it gains access to the drug or is exposed to signals associated with it. These cues may include attributes of the drug, negative emotions such as stress, or even specific people and places that remind one of the drug. Drug cues that activate the craving system are one of the biggest problems because they make it harder to quit.

These changes in the brain can be long-lasting, if not permanent. Some people are likely to be more susceptible to these changes than others. Research suggests that genetic factors may predispose certain individuals to developing addiction. This explains why a family history of drug addiction is associated with an increased risk of developing addiction. Early childhood stressors, such as physical abuse, also increase the risk of developing addiction.

Many of us regularly use drugs such as alcohol or nicotine. But in most cases this does not qualify as an addiction. This is partly because we manage to maintain balance by choosing alternative forms of reward, such as spending time with family or enjoying non-drug-related hobbies.

However, for those who are susceptible to excessive “desire”, it can be difficult to maintain this balance. Today, researchers are working to figure out what makes a person susceptible to overreactivation of the desire system. This may help clinicians better manage the risk of addiction and avoid exposing susceptible patients to drugs with strong addictive potential.

In the meantime, many of us need to reconsider our views on drug addiction. Our misconceptions in this matter can do a disservice, increasing the risk of developing drug addiction in ourselves. In many cases, an individual suffering from addiction does not lack the willpower to quit drugs. He is aware of the pain and suffering that addiction creates around him. Addiction simply creates a “want” that is often stronger than any individual can overcome alone.

Based on materials from www.livescience.com

Who is prone to addiction?

Anyone, regardless of age and gender, can succumb to temptation. Some are much more vulnerable to abuse than others. Often these are people who have a lot of unresolved problems or individuals with low self-esteem. They may have difficulty communicating or feel that the demands placed on them by the environment are greater than they can meet.

In this context, it seems that individual personality characteristics, past life experiences and upbringing conditions may play a decisive role. However, no clear conclusions can be drawn on this basis. Drug abuse and addiction can develop in people who previously seemed stable and well-adjusted, or even in children from seemingly affluent families.

In recent years, it has been discovered that neurobiological changes also occur in the human brain, which subsequently become dominant. This leads to the fact that an addicted person cannot fully feel comfortable and experience positive emotions without using a portion of drugs. If he does not take a drug to which he has developed an addiction, then the world around him seems gray and hostile, and life loses its meaning.

Drug addiction treatment methods

There are many methods of treating drug addiction that are effective and safe for health. In search of help, relatives and friends of drug addicts turn to healers and psychics, and often become victims of scammers. There is no magic drug or procedure that will completely eliminate drug cravings and restore your health overnight. To get the result you need:

• painstaking work;
• complete detoxification;
• comprehensive treatment in a hospital setting, aimed at strengthening the immune system and eliminating the consequences of taking hazardous substances;
• rehabilitation;
• working on your own inner world.

It is impossible to cure an addicted person without his consent. Compulsory treatment gives a short-term effect, partially solves the problem on a physical, but not on a psychological level. Often, drug addicts who were forced by their relatives to go into code or undergo therapy begin to use dangerous substances after discharge.

To solve the problem of drug addiction, strong motivation of the sick person is necessary. Experienced narcologists know how to convince an addicted person to seek help; they advise patients not only in the clinic, but also at home, talk about health risks, and motivate them to start treatment.

Social aspects of drug addiction

Drug abuse usually develops at a relatively young age. Statistically, the risk of addiction in adulthood decreases. Young people love to gather in an environment where they find friends with similar views and interests. In such a society, it is easier to enter a state of dependence by following the bad example of peers.

At the initial stage, it is an interest in which curiosity forces a person to try. After consuming several portions of a narcotic substance, a persistent physical and mental dependence is developed. Further, the range of interests of such a person is reduced only to the extraction and use of drugs, and the dependence on them becomes stronger.

Symptoms of drug addiction

The disease can be recognized by a number of signs. These include:

• expressed need for use, restless state;
• narrowing the range of interests, a person’s conversations are focused on a new habit;
• tendency towards criminalization;
• dilated or constricted pupils;
• increased aggressiveness or inhibition;
• gradual decline of intelligence.

If such symptoms are present, you should not hesitate to consult a narcologist. You can make an appointment on the clinic’s website or by phone. The first consultation is free.

What substances are addictive

People become addicted not only to illegal substances, but also to the drugs they receive from their doctor. It is also possible to become dependent on medications that are not considered drugs or on alcohol.

The most common illegal drugs that are abused are;

• cannabis;
• hallucinogens (PCP, LSD);
• amphetamine;
• ecstasy;
• cocaine;
• crack;
• heroin

and this is not a complete list.

Among the drugs is a group of sedatives and painkillers. For example, benzodiazepines or morphines.

How to identify addiction

If you find that you are using substances:

• leads to health problems;
• affects performance;
• causes discord in the family;
• affects the mood;
• impairs memory and concentration;
• worsens relationships with loved ones;
• requires a large amount of material resources;
• cannot be terminated on its own;
• leads to discomfort when absent.

It means you're not doing well.

Even the presence of some of these symptoms already indicates a pronounced drug addiction and requires medical attention.

What is the danger of drug addiction?

If a substance is used over a long period of time, personality changes occur. As a rule, the addict becomes indifferent and rude. He begins to neglect education, work and relationships, and behaves aggressively.

1. Discontinuation of the drug provokes serious adverse reactions. This causes unpleasant physical symptoms and in advanced cases is fatal.
2. Drugs provoke mental problems and cause acute and chronic psychosis. They manifest themselves in the form of hallucinations, persecution mania and clouding of consciousness.
3. The number of suicides among drug addicts is also increasing.
4. Those who use syringes are susceptible to HIV, AIDS and hepatitis.
5. In a state of drug intoxication, the risk of getting into an accident or becoming a victim of an accident increases.
6. The constant desire to obtain additional medications leads to financial problems. They push people into crime and prostitution.
7. Relatives suffer from the behavior of an addict. Most often these are children, spouses, parents.

Signs of using various drugs

There are many drugs, but the most famous drugs are divided into 5 groups:

1. Opiates. After consuming opiates, a short-term state of euphoria occurs, which is subsequently replaced by drowsiness; the drug addict’s speech is slow and he lags behind the topic of conversation; a person becomes flexible, he can be completely subjugated; the pupils after consuming opiates are constricted and do not respond to light; the addict strives to be alone; Sexual desire decreases along with appetite and thirst.
2. Hallucinogens. Drug intoxication with hallucinogens increases blood pressure and heart rate; pupils are dilated, hands are shaking; the perception of the world changes - the addict sees and hears what is not in reality; they are overwhelmed with happiness, they are in an overexcited state; self-control and the instinct of self-preservation disappear; coordination of movements is impaired.
3. Stimulants. Euphoria and a feeling of serenity accompany those who use stimulants; their blood pressure and heart rate are elevated; pupils dilated; if sexual desire decreases when using opiates, then when using stimulants it increases; The sleep pattern is disturbed, and the feeling of hunger is simply absent.
4. Cannabis preparations. When using cannabis preparations, a person finds himself in a state of complete euphoria, while experiencing intense thirst and hunger; with a large dose, psychotic laughter appears, and the perception of space disappears; the whites of the eyes turn red and the pupils dilate; coordination of movements is impaired; movements are excessively slow; unconscious fear appears.
5. Sedatives and hypnotics. When using sedatives and hypnotics, a person becomes confused, his speech becomes slurred, and he himself becomes depressed and irritable; The speech of such drug addicts is slurred.

How does the fight against drug addiction work?

As the negative effects of drug abuse become more apparent, longer and more intensive treatment is required.

The most important thing is identifying the problem and the person’s desire to work on it.

The process of getting rid of drug addiction comes down to the following steps:

1. Dependency detection.
2. Awareness of the problem and willingness to work on it.
3. Seeking qualified help from a narcologist.
4. Cleansing the body of drugs.
5. Working with a psychologist and getting rid of psychological addiction.
6. Subsequent preventive measures and restoration of health.

A big role in this process is played by the support of loved ones, necessarily non-drug addicts, and a change in social circle.