Signs of addiction: change in appearance and behavior

Parents should always be aware of the problems of their children, are obliged to actively observe their lives, know what they have desires, what they are striving for. Also, parents are obliged to catch the changes occurring in children, to be able to understand the peculiarities of their behavior and reactions. This is necessary in order to identify the first signs of drug addiction in time. For clarity and convenience, they are divided into two groups: external manifestations and behavior change.

External signs

1. First of all, the addict changes his complexion (pallor), and the skin becomes painfully greasy ("greasy plaque") or dry.
2. When inhaled, irritation appears in the corners of the mouth or around the lips. Possible redness and swelling of the face, as well as difficulty breathing through the nose. Sometimes there is a revival of facial expressions, or, conversely, the face becomes puffy, hypomimous and masklike.
3. There are other external signs of drug addiction. On the eyes, too, you can determine a lot. These can be dark circles, redness, and too wide or narrowed pupils.
4. Teeth become yellow, becoming covered with indelible plaque. The tongue becomes thick and loses its natural color. Deep cracks appear on it.
5. The appearance of unusual smells from clothes and from the mouth. For example, the smell of cannabis is fundamentally different from the smell of tobacco smoke. Hemp has the smell of a damp basement, mustiness and stray straw.
6. There is a runny nose and a fever. It is clearly visible the state of intoxication, although the smell of alcohol is absent. The walk becomes not flat, but staggering.
7. The most obvious indicator, which eclipses all the above signs of drug dependence, is the presence on the body of traces from injections (arms, armpits, hips, inguinal region and others) and the appearance of objects for use (ampoules, syringes, hookahs, various tubes). This also includes items that help compress the veins (tape, tourniquet, cord and stuff).

Behavior change

Signs of addiction in emotional terms: lack of initiative, indifference, indifference, loss of enthusiasm and interest in learning and their previous hobbies, solitude, secrecy, absenteeism in school. The contact with parents is lost, and alienation from friends and traditional collective is noted. Falseness increases. Quite likely leaving the house. It happens that a teenager shudders at a hail or sits in a dreamy pose for a long time. The capacity for logical thinking is lost. Often failures in memory. What other signs of addiction in adolescents? First of all, the changes concern the character: they become impatient and unstable. There are causeless outbursts of irritability, sharply changing mood. The inhibition can quickly turn into vigor, and excitation - into passivity. Changing handwriting, manners, daily rhythm (drowsiness during the day and insomnia at night). There may be a predilection for a particular food. For example, opium addicts at certain periods eat extremely sweet. The reception of other food is fraught with nausea for them. As soon as you notice your child's first signs of addiction, immediately consult a specialist. After all, except for you no one will help him!