This is the first part of a series of articles about recognizing substance abuse in your spouse, partner, or significant other.
Substance abuse is a silent epidemic in our country, affecting hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people and their families. According to the Dangerous Drugs Board, many of people abuse more than one kind of drug, which includes alcohol, marijuana, and meth (shabu).
To help you determine if your own spouse or partner might be abusing drugs or have already sunk into addiction, it is best to look out for the many tell-tale signs.
Here are the 90 signs your partner has a substance abuse problem:
Physical signs of substance abuse
1. Sudden change in weight or appetite – Some drugs cause them to eat more, while others suppress their appetites. There are also drugs that can increase their metabolic rates, causing sudden weight loss.
2. Sudden change in sleep patterns – They may experience insomnia, or days of wakefulness followed by long sleep.
3. Disregard for hygiene – They may stop caring for their appearance, or be too lethargic to shower, bather, shave, or even brush their teeth.
4. Physical impairments – There may be instances when their speeches are slurred, or they have poor coordination, become clumsy, or even experience tremors, shaking, and grinding teeth.
5. Changes in energy levels. They may be very hyperactive one moment and then lethargic the next. Drugs often cause them to have increased alertness and brain activity.
6. Eye appearance. One good tell-tale sign is the eye. People who use drugs will reflect changes in their eyes, such as bloodshot or changes in the size of their pupils.
7. Sniffling. Those who snort drugs such as cocaine may experience nosebleeds and/or unexplained sniffling.
8. Marks on skin. There will also be changes in the skin, such as injection marks and meth marks, or scabs from picking at imaginary bugs that allegedly crawl under their skin.
9. Skin color. Certain substances, such as alcohol, when abused, can cause skin discoloration.
10. Seizures. Many substances can cause seizures and even cardiac arrest.
11. Paraphernalia. Another obvious sign of substance use is finding drug paraphernalia, and even traces of powders or other drugs.
Behavioral Signs of Substance Abuse
12. Suspicious acts. They may be suddenly secretive or mysterious. They may lock themselves in their rooms or in the bathroom for long periods of time and become very private with where they are going or who they are meeting.
13. Spending habits. Addiction costs money, often a lot of money. They may have unexplainable spending habits, and they may be spending big sums of money frequently. Cash may go missing, bills become unpaid, debt accumulated, and even personal belongings may become pawned or sold to support their habit.
14. Sudden personality changes. They may become moody, restless, irritable, and maybe even aggressive and violent.
15. No interest in old hobbies. They may not be interested in the things they used to do before, such as hobbies or pastimes.
16. No interest in socializing. They may seem indifferent towards their friends or may not become as interested with social activities as they were before.
17. New friends. They may suddenly have a new set of friends, whether old ones or new ones who may probably have substance abuse problems or are able to provide them supplies or sources.
18. Low motivation. They may suddenly act irresponsible or demotivated. They have lost the drive at work, in school, and even at home. Signs include not attending to responsibilities and significant low performance.
19. Criticisms from others. You may receive complaints or criticisms from their peers at school or in the office, or even from teachers or superiors. This can be due to many incidents, such as tardiness, absences, poor performance, quarreling, and many other issues.
20. Problems with authorities. They may have brushes with the law or with authorities, such as DUIs, theft, brawls, assault, and many other issues. They may also have outbursts and arguments with other people due to their extreme responses.
In our next blog, we will continue with psychological tell-tale signs as well as other indication of addictions. Watch out for out next blog.
If you or someone you know fit into these categories very easily, chances are substance abuse may really be a problem. Seek help now and call or text our confidential helpline: 09175098826.
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