Top 10 Signs You (Or Someone You Know) May Be A Drug Addict (Part 1 of 2)

February 13, 2012 By Leave a Comment

People often ask how to tell whether a friend, family member, colleague or loved one is addicted to drugs. Drug abuse and drug addiction are serious issues with many telltale signs, including these Top 10:

1. There are obvious social changes and changes in habits, including but not limited to:

  • Changes in friends or groups of friends
  • New friends who seem to suddenly appear
  • Isolation when previous nature was more outgoing, social – or vice versa: More friends when previously was more quiet, alone
  • Increases in kinds of frequency of communications such as phone calls, text messages, emails. Also, constant checking of such communications and devices.
  • New activities at odd hours
  • Thrill-seeking activities without attention to rules, potential dangers, norms, laws
  • Sneaking around, lying, making up stories to explain away new activities

2. The drug abuser is usually the last to notice he or she has a problem.
Drug abusers and drug addicts are usually the last ones to recognize, notice and/or admit they have a problem. Even those who do admit their problem are hesitant to seek treatment and many fear symptoms of withdrawal from the substance(s). Drug abuse is often characterized by a chronic habit of downplaying the use and hiding/concealing signs, symptoms and tell-tale habits.

3.    The physical signs are obvious.
There are as many physical signs of drug abuse or addiction as there are kinds of abuse and addiction (or more!). Some of these physical signs include:

  • Minor illnesses that become more frequent and seem to be unexplained: nausea, headache, flu-like symptoms, vomiting, tremors
  • Weight and appetite changes: Lose weight, gain weight, greater appetite, no appetite. Also changes in when they eat, what they eat, how often they eat.
  • Significant changes in sleep patterns and energy level
  • Bloodshot eyes, dilated pupils
  • Changes in appearance, often with signs of neglect such as unwashed hair/body, unshaven face, change in pallor of skin.
  • Uncoordination
  • Slurred speech
  • Rapid speech
  • Issues with memory, cognition (e.g., confusion)

4. They are getting in more trouble
A loss of control or a disregard for rules is an all-too common by-product of drug dependence of addiction. Some of the troubling situations drug addicts can get into include:

  • Stealing for money to buy more drugs (sometimes from family members, also shoplifting from stores)
  • Skipping school, work
  • Publicly displaying obvious signs of drug abuse
  • Poor/irresponsible use of money

5. A pre-occupation with the drug
As social/casual use increases and tolerance is heightened, drug abusers need more and more of the drug to achieve the same high. At some point, usually sooner rather than later, they become slaves to the drug, needing a relatively high dosage to stave off withdrawal symptoms.

The pre-occupation with the procurement and use of the drug includes characteristics such as:

  • A never-ending feeling that you must use the drug regularly
  • An inability to stop use – or to stop thinking about use
  • Constant thinking about the supply of the drug, where the next round will come from
  • Spending money regardless of whether they have the money to spend
  • Feeling that problems and issues cannot be dealt with without the aid of the drug
  • Spending significant time and energy finding doctors who will prescribe (if a legal drug) and procuring/picking up prescriptions (“doctor shopping”)
  • Stories about losing prescriptions

 Be sure to check out Part 2 (signs 6-10) of the Top 10 signs you or someone you know may be a drug addict.

Filed Under: blog, Drug Addiction, Uncategorized

Norco Drug Abuse

February 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Norco is a prescription pain killer that supplies the body with opiates in order to reduce pain.

The drug is made of hydrocodone and acetaminophen. Acetaminophen, the main active ingredient in Tylenol, is a much less potent pain killer and is used as an activating agent in Norco to make the hydrocodone more effective. Although it’s normally prescribed for physical pain, patients can become dependent due to physical pain, emotional pain or anxiety.

Unexpected side effects of Norco
Like other prescription pills, Norco abuse has been called an “unexpected side effect” of taking the pain reliever.  Many patients are surprised to find that they’ve become dependent. They didn’t choose to become addicted, but, as with other pain killers, when it’s time to quit, they find that they can’t stop. What may have started as a way to relieve back pain or intense muscle aches becomes a way to escape negative feelings, thoughts and other emotional trauma.

If you have a friend of family member who you suspect is dependent on Norco, here are some of the Norco drug abuse side effects to watch for:

  • Detachment from others – Norco creates a “bubble” that surrounds users and cuts them off from the people around them emotionally
  • Disinterest or lack of enjoyment – Because it dulls emotional pain, Narco drug abuse can make users feel less interested in life
  • Emotional or sexual apathy – This is part of the “bubble” that Norco creates that surrounds a user
  • Fear of dosage rupture – The addictive qualities of Norco are so strong that individuals start to worry when their supply gets too low.
  • Poor work performance and lack of drive – Since Norco abusers do not take interest in the world around them, their work suffers and they want to avoid accomplishments.

Norco withdrawal symptoms

Withdrawing or detoxing from Norco can include symptoms such as:

  • Depression
  • Cold sweats
  • 
Nausea
  • 
Vomiting

Detoxing from Norco

Norco abuse can be impossible to overcome without professional help. Addiction treatment can help patients overcome the physical withdrawal symptoms as well as the underlying emotional issues that lead to the drug abuse.

Filed Under: blog, Prescription Drug Abuse

Top 10 Signs You (Or Someone You Know) May Be An Alcoholic (Part 1 of 2)

February 1, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Have you ever wondered about the difference between social drinking and all-out alcohol abuse or addiction? There is a difference, though it is often a fine line, between responsible and occasional social drinking and alcohol abuse that damages health and leads to alcoholism.

Here are some signs that you or someone you know many be an alcoholic:

1. It no longer seems like a choice.
An alcoholic may feel, physically, mentally and emotionally, that he or she has no choice in the matter. Drinking becomes essential in order to function “normally,” and the amount of drinking needed to maintain this normal level generally increases over time. The craving to drink, both physically and emotionally, becomes stronger and more important than anything else. An alcoholic feels he or she is unable to stop drinking, despite the often significant and severe side effects, symptoms and consequences of alcoholism.

2.  The physical and mental symptoms are getting worse.
There are many potential symptoms and side effects that can come about from excessive alcohol abuse. These include but are not limited to:

  • Insomnia or oversleeping, sleeping disorders
  • Tremors, shaking
  • Nausea
  • Redness of the face or cheeks; Capillaries (small blood vessels) in face and nose can appear prominent
  • Numbness or tingling in hands and/or feet
  • Irritability, anger, violence
  • Obvious signs of neglecting daily grooming and habits, such as diet, hygiene, appearance
  • Bloating in face, abdominal area

3. You have ongoing conversations about your drinking.
The dialogue, whether it is with someone else or even internally inside your own head, could include statements and questions like these:

Have you been drinking too much?
Can you go a day without a drink?
Maybe I shouldn’t have lied about those drinks I had…
I wonder if my shakes and tremors are drinking-related?
I hate feeling hungover every single morning.
That probably wasn’t the best idea to have a bottle of alcohol in my desk at work.
Drinking in the car is stupid, I don’t know what I was thinking.
Blacking out is scary – I don’t like not remembering what I was doing or who I was talking to.
Why do I always feel the need to BYOB to parties, others’ homes, get-togethers?
Why do I feel so nauseous all the time?
Driving after a drink or two is no big deal.

4. You have even more ongoing conversations about your drinking.
It’s better not to tell my friends and family about my drinking. Deny, deny, deny when they ask.
I feel so bad when I miss important family and friend events because I’m passed out or too drunk to go.
Was there really a time when one or two drinks was enough?
Drinking loosens me up. Period.
I wish drinking didn’t always seem to take time away from work, school or my family.
I feel invincible when I drink. I can say things I am too scared to say when I am totally sober.
Often it is just easier to drink alone.
The constant nagging about my drinking makes me want to stay away from all of them.
Passing out is no big deal.
I just can’t relate to my friends who don’t drink.

5. You agree with at least some of these statements.

Three beers is nothing.
One DUI is no biggie.
Soda just doesn’t do it for me – it is definitely no substitute for my cocktail!
Everyone calls in sick with a hangover sometimes.
My friends think I am an alcoholic. I know I am not.
Too many people are nagging me about my drinking too much.
I can stop whenever I want.

 

Filed Under: Alcoholism, blog, Healthy Sobriety, Uncategorized

Top 10 Signs You (Or Someone You Know) Is An Alcoholic (Part 2 of 2)

February 1, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Click here for Part 1 of this series.

6. Excuses, excuses, excuses
Some alcohol-addicted people come up with excuses to explain away their drinking habits, their alcohol-related symptoms, their behaviors and their reasons for drinking in the first place. The become proficient in making excuses, in telling stories and in rationalizing behavior that is uncharacteristic, uncomfortable or just plain “bad.”

7. Your drinking is a secret
You or a loved one may find it easier to drink alone, in secret, and to not discuss it with others. If you or someone you know feels the need to be what some might call a “closet alcoholic,” chances are alcohol abuse is present, and potentially a serious issue. Some people who fit this description may hide their bottles and cans in unusual places, from a desk at work to a dark corner in your car trunk to a pile of trash, for that matter.

8.    Your tolerance gets higher and higher
In most cases, alcoholics develop a higher and higher tolerance for alcohol as their disease and addiction progress. Sometimes they drink more and more in terms of volume. Other times, the types of alcohol become harder and stronger, too, as time goes on. A tolerance that continues to increase over time is indicative of a liver that is unable to keep up with the sometimes-significant amounts of alcohol being consumers. A poorly functioning liver is not a sign of good health.

9. Everything may be falling apart, but you still have your alcohol

  • Love & Friendship: Your relationships are in trouble.
  • Law & Authority: You have had some run-ins with the law, with law enforcement, with any authority in your life, such as your boss.
  • Work Isn’t Working: Work is no longer manageable. Arriving on time is tough, staying put without drinking for an entire day even tougher.
  • Money: Financially, things are scary and tight. Anywhere I can get my drinks for free?

10.    Existing health conditions are getting worse and I seem to have new health issues every day.
Some of these conditions or symptoms (new or worsened) could include:

  • Overwhelming fatigue
  • Memory loss (especially short-term memory)
  • Liver disease and related issues, including cirrhosis of the liver (which is irreversible). Also higher chance of developing hepatitis.
  • Gastrointestinal issues, including pancreas damage and gastritis. These conditions and others affect the body’s ability to absorb vitamins and nutrients; digest food and produce certain hormones.
  • High blood pressure
  • Cadiovascular issues: Higher chance for heart failure, stroke, cardiomyopathy (weakened/damaged heart muscle)
  • Diabetes: Higher chance of developing new case (Type 2) and worsened condition for diabetics who drink heavily. The effects of alcohol on blood sugar can be devastating to individuals who already have issues with their blood sugar.
  • Reproductive: Women’s menstruation (period) can be negatively affected, even stopped. In men, erectile dysfunction (ED) is not uncommon.
  • Cancer: Alcoholics are known to be at a higher risk for cancers such as colon, liver, rectum, mouth and esophagus.
Filed Under: Alcoholism, blog, Healthy Sobriety

The Truth About Addiction To Roxicet

January 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Roxicet, which is not as well known as some other prescription painkillers, is a powerful substance that, when abused, can result in an addiction in a relatively short period of time.

Percocet vs. Roxicet

In the same family as opiates such as morphine, Oxycontin, Vicodin and Heroin, Roxicet (also known as “Roxy,” “Roxi” or “blues”), is a combination of oxycodone (a narcotic) and acetaminophen (the main ingredient in Tylenol), both pain relievers. Roxicet is known as a Schedule 2 drug and is in the class of drugs known as “narcotic analgesics.”

Roxicet is virtually identical in make-up and effect to Percocet, and it is sometimes used as a lower-cost or generic brand substitute for Percocet, which is made by another manufacturer. Other brand names of the same or virtually the same prescription pain medication include: It is available in other brand names as well, which include: Narvox and Tylox.

Used orally usually in pill form, Roxicet is prescribed frequently for management of moderate to severe pain, especially immediately following surgery or surgical procedures. Roxicet, like other powerful prescription painkillers, is meant to be used for a short term, no more than a few weeks at a time. After just a few weeks or months of use, addiction/dependence can occur.

Prior to taking Roxicet, you should let your doctor know if you have an allergy to either Oxycodone or acetaminophen. You should also let him or her know if you have or had any of these conditions:

  • Underactive thyroid
  • Liver disorder
  • Enlarged prostate
  • Asthma
  • Kidney disorder
  • Epilepsy (or another seizure disorder)
  • Mental illness

Roxicet Side Effects

Some common side effects of Roxicet abuse or addiction include:

  • Constipation
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Otherwise unexplained skin rashes
  • Mood swings
  • Unexplained changes in vision
  • Lightheadedness, dizziness
  • Decrease in testosterone (which could lead to impotence)
  • Cold and clammy skin (could be a sign of overdose)
  • Altered thinking

Some Roxicet users experience severe allergic reactions, including hives, difficulty breathing, changes in urine color, jaundice and/or swelling of the mouth or tongue. Even recreational use of Roxicet can lead to liver damage (especially when taken in combination with alcohol). Roxicet overdose can lead to respiratory failure, dangerously low heart rate/blood pressure, seizures, coma or death.

Roxicet Withdrawal Symptoms

Withdrawal from Roxicet is not unlike withdrawal from other narcotic painkillers, such as Percocet. Some withdrawal symptoms could include:

  • Chills
  • Anxiety
  • Insomnia
  • Loss of appetite, nausea
  • Stomach troubles (e.g., vomiting, nausea)
  • Hot flashes
  • Sweating
  • Mood swings
  • Fever, chills and/or other flu-like symptoms
  • Hallucinations

 

Filed Under: Addiction Resources, blog, Prescription Drug Abuse
« Older Posts