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You may notice many physical or emotional changes in someone who is using drugs. Common changes include:
- Red eyes, sore throat, dry cough, and fatigue (in the absence of allergies).
- Changes in sleeping or eating habits.
- Moodiness, hostility, or abusive behavior.
- Lying and having poor family relationships.
- Work or school problems, poor attendance.
- Loss of interest in favorite activities.
- Social withdrawal or changes in friends.
- Problems with the law, such as arrests for stealing, driving under the influence (DUI), or driving while impaired (DWI).
- Decreased interest in sex.
- Failure to stop substance
- Lying about usage
- Stealing
- Decreased attention to personal hygiene
- Deteriorating family and friendly relationships
- Disturbances in the sleep cycle
- Seclusive behavior and seeking self-isolation
- Involvement on the wrong side of the law
Causes of Addiction
According to Philip J. Flores in his book "Addiction as an Attachment Disorder," interpersonal relations cause individuals to become dependent on addictive substances. Humans are driven by need for human attachment and comfort driven by our inherent need for pleasure and gratification. When individuals are unable to establish these interpersonal relationships, they turn to substances and eventually become addicted. Addiction may cause psychiatric symptoms, while psychiatric symptoms may mimic addiction. Patients with mental disorders have an increased risk for substance abuse, and patients with substance abuse disorders have an increased risk for mental disorders.
High self-esteem correlated to nurture and good parenting decreases the risk of addictive behavior. People with low self-esteem are more susceptible to addictive disorders. Though low-self esteem may trigger addiction, narcisissm may also lead to substance addiction.
A typical addicted individual will show attachment, conflict, unrestraint, and lack of self-control towards the substance. In "Excessive Appetites: a Psychological View of Addictions," Orford refers to addiction as "the apparent loss of control over a form of activity which, for most people, serves as a pleasurable and moderate indulgence." This cause of addiction Orford tries to explain an addiction as an excessive appetite, constant cravings for more of the substance.
Some of the substances that one can get addicted to are:
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