Early signs of drug addiction

(Baonghean.vn) - It is possible to quickly recognize a person who is addicted to drugs through symptoms such as: shortness of breath, trembling, eyes rolling back and forth, dilated pupils, obvious dark circles under the eyes, and frequent nosebleeds.

Drugs are substances that, when introduced into the body, affect the central nervous system, causing changes in perception, sensation, and function of the brain system. If used repeatedly, it will lead to physical or mental dependence or both. Drug users, due to their inability to control themselves, will have behaviors that cause serious consequences for themselves, their families, and society.

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Drug origin:

- Natural drugs: opium, marijuana, cocaine….

- Semi-synthetic drugs: Heroine, codeine, LSD…

- Synthetic drugs: Methadone, Mépéridine, Amphetamine…

Reason:

- Because drug users lack knowledge about the harmful effects of drugs, they are lured and enticed by bad people to try drugs. Even if they only try it once, they still become addicted to drugs.

- Because of personal pride, family honor, and clan honor, they cover up and hide it, but once they start, they have to see it through, from mild to severe addiction.

- Lack of knowledge about drugs combined with curiosity, inquisitiveness, and the desire to show off at restaurants and nightclubs to be known as sophisticated playboys lead to voluntary drug use and then becoming addicts.

- In addition to family conflicts (parents' divorce or separation), children become bored, drop out of school, run away from home and form gangs of vagrants, thieves, pickpockets... who are lured into drug use by bad guys and taken advantage of to illegally transport drugs.

How to recognize drug addicts:

I. Signs of heroin addiction:

1. Early signs of heroin addiction:

- Irregular changes in daily routine: staying up late, sleeping little at night, waking up late, sleeping a lot during the day...

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- Often hang out with people who have a loose lifestyle such as not working, not studying... or are close friends with heroin users.

- Regular movement: Every day, at a certain time, no matter how busy you are, find a way and an excuse to leave the house.

- Likes to be alone, rarely or reluctantly interacts with people (including family members).

- Often anxious, restless, sometimes talkative, often lying, often showing signs of opposition, more irritable than before. Often yawning, lethargic, tired, reluctant to work, neglecting personal hygiene. If still going to school, often late for school, skipping school, skipping class (usually at a certain time): often falling asleep in class, academic performance rapidly declining.

- Increasing need to spend money, using money without good reason, frequently asking relatives for money and often selling personal and family belongings, having a lot of debt, petty theft, or rummaging through other people's pockets...

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- In pockets, shirts, briefcases, and bedrooms there are often silver paper, cigarettes, chewing gum, gas lighters, syringes, pills, opium, and small packets of heroin.

- There are needle marks on the back of the hand, wrist, inside of the elbow, inside of the ankle, in the groin, in the neck...

- For heavy heroin users, there are also obvious signs of declining health, frequent yawning, lethargic eyes, pale skin, dark lips, body odor, reluctance to bathe, sloppy dressing...

2. Common symptoms of people who have just used heroin:

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After 5 - 10 minutes:

When first using the drug, addicts often have red and wet eyes. After that, they will fall into a state of 'high', eyes half-closed, scratching their heads, pulling their hair and scratching their limbs continuously. The symptoms will be more obvious if the addict uses drugs mixed with seduxen.

After 10 - 20 minutes:

Continuing the 'high' process, the addict's eyes remain red, at the same time the pupils shrink and the body craves cold water. On the other hand, due to the excitement of the spirit, they often have imprecise actions and gestures, even talking a lot but the voice is a bit hoarse compared to normal.

In particular, at this stage, the signs to identify drug addicts with those with bad habits such as nail biting, nose rubbing, ear picking, beard plucking... are that these bad habits are expressed at a higher frequency and level.

After 90 minutes:

After finding a quiet place to comfortably enjoy the high, the addict will lie still as if dead but not sleep but instead smoke a lot of cigarettes. That is the reason why in the addict's residence, you will see a lot of cigarette butts scattered around the bed, and there are also holes in the blanket, curtain or furniture due to cigarette butts falling on them. On the other hand, their residence is also very closed and smelly because drug addicts are often afraid of noise and afraid of bathing.

II. Signs of a drug addict

Crystal meth, also known as rock, is the general name for synthetic drugs containing methamphetamine (meth) and amphethamine (amph), even niketamid, which are complex mixtures of natural ingredients and various chemicals, of which the main and common ingredient is methamphetamine.

This type of drug is called "ice" by users because its external appearance looks like stone - it is a crystallized into tiny fragments, similar to MSG (monosodium glutamate) or salt grains and shiny like stone. In addition to the common form above, ice is also sold illegally on the market in the form of blocks, powders, and tablets. This is a new type of drug that exists in the form of crystals.

Synthetic drugs. Illustration photo

Synthetic drug addicts often experience symptoms that manifest themselves both physically and mentally as follows:

- Eyes rolling back and forth, pupils dilated

It is often said that the eyes are the windows to the soul, and can reflect the current state of any individual. For people on drugs, the eyes are the first place to betray them. Addicts' eyes often dart back and forth and their pupils dilate.

- Wrinkled skin, many acne ulcers on the body

Not only the eyes but also the skin helps you recognize a meth addict. When “high on meth”, the blood vessels in the body constrict, white blood cells also die, causing the skin to lose elasticity and become vulnerable. That is why people who are often “high” on this drug have wrinkled skin, many large acne and ulcers.

- Damaged tooth enamel, dry mouth and bad breath

Furthermore, anhydrous ammonia, red phosphorus and lithium mixed in crystal meth are mortal enemies of teeth. They erode tooth enamel, causing addicts to have dry mouths and produce less saliva. Without saliva, addicts are susceptible to tooth decay, gingivitis and bad breath.

- Frequent nosebleeds

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On the other hand, if addicts “sniff” the drug through the nose, they often get nosebleeds. Methamphetamine when exposed to the outside can corrode the inner lining of the nose, leading to frequent nosebleeds and even skin burns.

- Have strange habits: going to the toilet/being thirsty constantly, washing hands constantly

Crystal meth makes users happy continuously for 6-8 hours during the first few uses. However, when not using, addicts become restless, tense, and extremely anxious. As a result, these people sometimes have very strange habits, like getting thirsty/going to the bathroom or washing their hands every few minutes.

- Lose weight and become thin very quickly

Another thing that is very easy to notice is that almost all people who are “high on meth” lose weight and become thin very quickly. The reason is because Methamphetamine causes the brain to release the happy hormones dopamine and adrenaline 15 times higher than normal. These substances make the body “high” to the point that you can not eat but still feel full for many days.

- Sweat smells like urine

Not only does it cause weight loss, not wanting to eat for a long time makes the addict's body lack energy to excrete waste as usual. Ammonia will therefore be excreted through the skin, causing the addict's sweat to be secreted a lot and smell like... cat urine.

- Dark circles appear clearly

Continued use of methamphetamine will almost completely destroy the brain's dopamine secretion mechanism. After the "high", the addict may not sleep for a week. However, people around can completely recognize this through the phenomenon of dark circles or bags under the eyes.

- The body has the illusion of "ants crawling under the skin" syndrome

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Finally, hallucinations and mood swings are the most obvious symptoms of long-term crystal meth addicts. They often experience “crawling ant syndrome,” which means constantly feeling itchy as if insects are crawling under the skin. As a result, addicts scratch until the skin bleeds and ulcers without getting better.

Pear Flower

(Synthetic)