DRUG ABUSE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

  • Lying
  • A decline in school or work performance
  • Missing money or valuables
  • Loss of interest in common activities (athletics, music, hobbies, family events)
  • Change in physical appearance (sudden weight loss, pale skin, pinpoint or hugely dilated pupils)
  • A change in friends
  • Missing or skipping school
  • Secretive or sneaky behavior (spending a lot of time locked in the bathroom or bedroom, being unclear about his or her whereabouts)
  • A reluctance to introduce new friends to parents
  • If it’s taking your child more time than usual to do ordinary things (getting home from school, going for a bike ride, running up to the store)
  • Changes in sleeping patterns
  • Withdrawn or depressed
  • Unusually forgetful
  • Angry or aggressive outbursts

 SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF SPECIFIC DRUGS


Marijuana

Marijuana is an extremely popular and prevalent drug. Marijuana is dried leaves and buds from the hemp plant, Cannabis Sativa. Common street names for marijuana include weed, grass, blunt, dope, hash, pot, ganja, or bud. 

                                                

Effects on Body

Marijuana directly affects certain parts of the brain, such as those governing emotions, memory, judgment, and alters the way a person experiences sight, hearing, smells, tastes and textures. Marijuana users experience many central nervous system effects such as delayed reaction times, increased heart rate, dilated blood vessels, sweating, dry mouth, breathing difficulties and frequent coughing.

Signs and Symptoms

  • Panic attacks
  • Red eyes
  • Intense food cravings
  • Sweaty palms
  • Dry mouth
  • Dazed, slow demeanor

Alcohol

Alcohol is the most widely used and accepted drug in our society. Also known as ethyl alcohol, alcohol is a central nervous system depressant which changes the body in various ways: slowing the heart rate, slowing breathing, and in large doses can even put certain body systems to “sleep”, causing them to stop functioning for a period of time. In addition to depressing physical activities, alcohol causes a change in emotions, judgment, and rational thinking.

                                               

Effects on Body

Alcohol has many negative short and long-term effects on the body. Upon drinking, alcohol is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream and speeds to the brain in approximately two minutes. Once alcohol reaches the brain we begin to experience the familiar relaxed sensation and euphoria which alcohol can produce. Being a depressant and an irritant, all body systems are affected by alcohol. Acute alcohol intoxication causes a mild delirium, thinking becomes impaired, memory loss can occur, and judgment is affected and motor skill coordination decreases. Long term, heavy use of alcohol is attributed to many kinds of cancer and potentially irreversible brain, kidney, and liver damage.

Signs and Symptoms

  • Slurred speech
  • Lack of Coordination 
  • Red eyes or flushed face
  • Morning headaches, nausea, weakness.
  • Becoming verbally or physically abusive towards others.
  • Mood swings, stealing.

Cocaine
Cocaine is a commonly abused stimulant. Cocaine comes as a white powder, or a more crystallized “rock-like” version, known as crack-cocaine. Common street terms for cocaine include blow, snow, powder, coke, rock (for crack).

                                             

Effects on Body

Once it enters the bloodstream, cocaine has an effect on the body. It quickly passes into the brain where it interferes with the reuptake of neurotransmitters associated with the body’s “reward system.” Interfering with this re-uptake causes these neurotransmitters to not be broken down by the sending neuron, and therefore cause a “rush” of pleasure associated with the high of cocaine.

With prolonged cocaine use, cocaine’s effect on the body will adapt to this interference, causing damage to the neurons and ultimately leading to the user needing cocaine to continue functioning normally.

Signs and Symptoms

  • Restlessness
  • Panic, hyper activity. 
  • Extreme talkativeness, dilated pupils.
  • Lack of sleep, increased temperature and heart rate.
  • Irritated nasal area. 
  • Decreased or absent appetite. 
  • Appearance of unexplained white powder over clothing or face. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

WHO IS AN ADDICT?

Image
Addicts are people who use any kind of mood altering or mood changing substance which causes a problem in any area of their life. Their life and thinking is centered in drugs in one or the other form - the getting, using and findings ways and means to get more. Very simply, an addict is a man or women controlled by drugs.  They isolate themselves from people and loved ones when they use and try and find ways to get more. Self seeking, hostile, resentful they cut themselves from the outside world. They use, misuse and abuse drugs and still don't consider themselves as addicts. They say to themselves "I can handle it." Drugs make them feel good, they manipulate and try to control everything around them. The conscience and the ability to love is affected by drugs.                                                They have a pattern of selective thinking and remember good drug experiences. The capacity to feel human is lost, living skills reduce to animal level. They lack the a
Read more

ADDICTION A BRAIN DISEASE

Image
Addiction is a Illness which involves more than the use of Drugs and expresses itself in ways that are anti- social and that makes detection, diagnosis and treatment difficult.  Addiction is a permanent,relapsing,complex Brain disease as per WHO.A common misconception is that addiction  is a choice or a moral problem,and all you have to do is stop.  But nothing could be further from the truth, t he brain actually changes with addiction, and it takes a good deal of work to get it back to its normal state. The more drugs or alcohol you’ve taken, the more disruptive it is to the brain.                                                          It's important to note that the inability to control the usage of drugs is the symptom of the Disease of Addiction. Addiction is a Permanent,Progressive,Powerful,Incurable illness which can be Arrested. Addiction is a  Physical, Mental & Spiritual illness which affects every area of an Individual's life:  1.Physical The physical aspect of
Read more