Signs of Substance Abuse

If you see a family member, a friend or a relative falling into addictive patterns of substance abuse, you should do your bit to help them fall out of this self-destructive habit. The best way for you to be able to help out is by recognizing the early signs of substance abuse. There are major symptoms of substance abuse that you need to look out for. This includes mental changes, behavioral changes, a difference in one's appetite, isolation and secrecy.

The mental changes to watch out for includes poor memory, learning impairments, a lapse in cognitive functioning and losing interest in the usual activities that the person likes. Teens may also fall victim to the trap of substance abuse, and declining grades could be an early symptom of it. When it comes to the behavioral changes, excessive depression, hopelessness and having suicidal tendencies are some of the signs to watch out for. Getting in trouble with the law, having blackout episodes wherein a person totally forgets what happened the previous night, habitual lying and showing signs of selfishness – anything which is totally out of the individual's personality are other behavioral symptoms to watch out for.

Other symptoms include missing money and valuables and the presence of paraphernalia which may be drug related. If a person forgets his or her obligations with the family, at work or in school, doing things that they would not normally do and an alarming drop in weight or a sudden change in appearance, irritability, impulsiveness, nervousness, restlessness and not being able to sleep – these are all of the signs that you need to look out for to determine whether your loved one could be falling into the trap of substance abuse.