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List specific examples of your loved one’s behavior that have you worried and urge them to seek help. Being aware of any signs of dependency can help identify prescription drug problems at an early stage and help to prevent them progressing into an addiction. People from all walks of life can experience problems with their drug use, regardless of age, race, background, or the reason they started using drugs in the first place. Some people experiment with recreational drugs out of curiosity, to have a good time, because friends are doing it, or to ease problems such as stress, anxiety, or depression.

What Are the Four Stages of Drug Addiction?

Women are more susceptible to intense cravings and repeated relapses. A teen’s circle of friends can also shape their beliefs and behavior regarding substance use. Teens are constantly trying to figure out how they fit into their world.

More in Addiction

In general, the more risk factors a person has, the greater the chance that taking drugs will lead to drug use and addiction. Protective factors, on the other hand, reduce a person’s risk. Risk and protective factors may be either environmental signs of drug use or biological. The clinical manifestation of abrupt cessation of a substance of abuse is withdrawal. Symptoms of withdrawal range from sweatiness, shakiness, tremors, and seizures to upset stomach, diarrhea, and vomiting.

Medical consequences

• If you have reason to suspect use, don’t be afraid to err on the side of caution.
• This article reviews statistics, risk factors, health effects, signs, and treatment for teenage drug addiction.
• It’s important to remain calm when confronting your teen, and to only do so when everyone is sober.

Prescription medications such as painkillers, sleeping pills, and tranquilizers can cause similar problems. Addiction to opioid painkillers can be so powerful it has become the major risk factor for heroin abuse. While drug use may increase the risk of mental health disorders, it’s also important to note that these disorders can lead to substance abuse to self-medicate or numb the emotional https://ecosoberhouse.com/ pain. If you suspect that a teenager is experiencing either, consult a pediatrician or mental health professional as soon as possible. Caregivers can prevent teen drug abuse by knowing the signs and talking to their children about the consequences of using substances. This article reviews statistics, risk factors, health effects, signs, and treatment for teenage drug addiction.

What are some early signs of teen drug abuse and addiction?

• People from all walks of life can experience problems with their drug use, regardless of age, race, background, or the reason they started using drugs in the first place.
• The risk of addiction and how fast you become addicted varies by drug.
• Likewise, alcohol is consumed widely around the world with meals and in social situations without resulting in addiction.
• Another way to recognize addiction is to pay attention to your friend or family member’s mental and physical health.
• It can significantly impact your emotional well-being, relationships, education and career.
• Opioids include legal prescription medications such as hydrocodone, oxycontin, and fentanyl, as well as illegal drugs such as heroin.

Eventually drug abuse can consume your life, stopping social and intellectual development. Recovery from drug addiction is a long process that often involves setbacks. Relapse doesn’t mean that treatment has failed or that sobriety is a lost cause. Rather, it’s a signal to get back on track, either by going back to treatment or adjusting the treatment approach. A relapse is returning to a substance after stopping it for a period of time. You’ll need to detox again and restart your treatment cycle from the beginning.

Your healthcare provider should review your treatment plan regularly. This may mean you try a different type of therapy or a new medication. A provider can help you make adjustments throughout your life as needed. Because of the ups and downs involved with drug abuse, you may notice that this person is showing more depressive side effects, especially when they’re coming down from a high.

Next step: Getting help for drug abuse or addiction

There is no real difference between physical addiction and psychological addiction. Addiction is one of those conditions that demonstrates it is not possible to distinguish between physical and psychological aspects of behavior. There are both physical and behavioral clues that someone might be experiencing a problem with substance use. None of them is definitive, and there may be many other causes, but the presence of multiple signs merits special consideration. On the physical side, a sustained neglect of personal appearance, poor hygiene, and listlessness may be signs. Bloodshot or glazed eyes and slurred or rambling speech can result from drug use.

Substance-Specific Early Signs of Addiction

Substituted cathinones can be eaten, snorted, inhaled or injected and are highly addictive. These drugs can cause severe intoxication, which results in dangerous health effects or even death. Drug and alcohol addictions are diseases, but they are treatable. However, starting during childhood or adolescence is linked to an increased risk of dependence on the substance, where they feel like they need the drug to function normally. The information contained on this website is not intended to be a substitute for, or to be relied upon as, medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.