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The Scary Face of Drug Addiction

Do you know anyone who is addicted to drugs? Or, perhaps they aren’t addicted yet but you feel like they are going down the wrong path. I wanted to take a look at some addiction treatment options that are currently available as well as some reasons why drugs are a serious issue.

Drug addiction touches many people

I know many women who read Real Women’s Fitness are mothers. And, as mothers, I know you are worried about your children one day experimenting with drugs and alcohol. While for most kids it is a natural experimentation that won’t go beyond and isolated event, for many young people drug abuse becomes a serious problem.

When I was in high school I saw lots of my friends taking drugs around me. Most of them got over it when they realised it wasn’t “cool” and moved on to bigger and more healthy past-times. However, there is a handful of my old group of friends who didn’t manage to throw the habit away and are now addicts. They went from alcohol to dope and now they are on to harder stuff like meth.

And this is when the real problem starts.

A nurse told me earlier in the year that the Psychiatric Hospital that she manages has 145 beds and not one bed is being used by a person with a mental disorder. All of the beds are being taken up by meth adicts. This is a very sad state of affairs, especially because it means all those who really need mental care are not getting it.

It is an issue close to my heart as I have seen what drugs and alcohol can do to families. The statistics about alcoholic related abuse, prescrition drug addiction and meth addiction in America are scary.

As I mentioned, many women who read this site are mothers. If you aren’t a mother you are somebody’s sister, daughter, cousin or friend. And the best thing you can do for someone who you think is abusing drugs is to act early. Don’t wait until it is too late.

Where do I go?

This is really the heart of the issue. When you see something going wrong with a family member or friend you often feel quite alone and not sure where to go for help. This is where I wanted to talk about the importance of 1-800-No-Drugs and the vital role they play in the drug treatment process.

When you have made the decision to step in and help your loved one with their drug problem 1-800-No-Drugs should be your first contact. The organization is basically a free service where you can call and find the best place in your area to go for help. It might be a rehab clinic or the number of someone you can go and see for advice.

Knowing where to go in a difficult time like this is a huge obstacle overcome.

This service is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and is 100% free. They are staffed by trained people who are ready to give you the best advice to help you in your situation. And it isn’t only for worst case scenarios. If you need help with addiction recovery or some drug information they are able to accomodate.

How do I know if someone is addicted to drugs?

I wanted to finish this post by giving some warning signs that might hint to you that a person is addicted to drugs. While there are no hard and fast signs that are fully accurate, there are some thing you can watch out for.

- Massive mood swings that aren’t normal for the person

- Weight gain or loss over a short period of time

- Bruises on the arms

- Different social behavior; new friends, hang outs, etc

- Decrease in school grades

- Deep depression or violent tempers

- Trouble with police

- Panic about lack of money

- Change of skin complexion, red eyes, etc.

If you suspect that your child or loved one is having trouble with drugs then 1-800-No-Drugs is the first place to call. They will help you establish whether or not there is a problem or where else in your local area you can go for help. Drugs are a serious issue that need to be dealt with early on in the cycle. It is a problem that is only going to get worse in our community.

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