What are the symptoms of drug addiction?
- Spending money you do not have on the drug
- Unable to quit
- Stealing to get the drug
- Feeling like you need the drug
- In teenagers – problems in school
- Changes in behavior
What are the risk factors of drug addiction?
- Family history of drug addiction
- Men are twice as likely as women to have a drug addiction
- Psychological problems – ADHD, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia, etc
- Peer pressure, especially in teenagers
- Type of drug – some drugs, such as heroin and cocaine, or more addictive than others
What are the treatment options for drug addiction?
- Treatment programs – in an individual or group setting, these are educational and therapeutic seminars on getting sober and staying sober
- Counseling – in an individual or group setting, counseling helps you cope with your addiction and overcome it, and may also include life counseling to identify any reasons why a person is addicted and how to improve his or her life
- Self-help groups: Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous are two examples; these emphasize that constant treatment is necessary to quit the drug
- Detoxification: helps you to quit the drug quickly; reducing the dosage of the drug or administering other chemicals that produce similar effects to the drug with less extreme side effects
What are the withdrawal symptoms of…?
- Depressants (Xanax, Valium, Ambien, Lunesta): restlessness, sleep problems, anxiety, hallucinations, seizures, increased blood pressure and heart rate, delirium
- Stimulants (cocaine, amphetamines, methamphetamines, Ritalin, Adderall) : depression, fatigue, anxiety, suicide attempts, paranoia
- Opioids (heroin, morphine, codeine, Oxycontin, Vicodin): fatigue, anxiety, runny nose, restlessness, depression, increased blood pressure and breathing, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhea
(reference: Mayo Clinic)