The United States is currently suffering from the opioid crisis, and a significant cause of the problem is prescription medications and heroin. If you have a son or daughter, you may think that they’ll never progress to heroin, but this is a great misconception. More and more young people are struggling with heroin addiction because they progress from prescription opioids. This is the reason why you need to be familiar with the various common signs of heroin abuse.
Why It’s Important to Know the Signs of Heroin Abuse
Heroin is the most deadly drug that people overdose from, and everyone knows that, but they still turn to it. It’s important to realize that not many people simply decided to pick up heroin one day, but eventually, they have to. Most people start their addiction by abusing prescription pain medications until they build up a tolerance. The price of heroin is much lower and it’s far stronger, so people begin searching it out for a more significant high.
Prescription medications are costly when you don’t have a prescription, and there’s a big crackdown on them. When someone begins to run out of money to fund their prescription drug addiction, withdrawal can be too much. Although they’re aware that heroin is dangerous, they will still choose to seek it out. This is why it’s extremely important to be sure that you know the signs of heroin use.
The Physical and Behavioral Signs of Heroin Abuse
If you’re wondering if your child needs the assistance of substance abuse programs, you can educate yourself about heroin. Heroin comes in a variety of different forms, which means it can be taken in through various methods. By understanding that heroin can be injected, snorted, or smoked, you can begin looking for more signs. Some of the common physical signs of heroin abuse include the following as well as more:
- Track marks on the arms or legs, but they may begin covering up their body more
- Used tin foils for smoking heroin
- Drug paraphernalia like needles
The other signs that you need to look for involve the behavioral changes of someone who is abusing heroin. If the person is getting sick a lot with flu-like symptoms, this is one of the most common signs because he or she is experiencing withdrawal. You may also notice that the person becomes more depressed and isolative. It’s also common for people abusing heroin to go through drastic mood changes from sad, to happy to angry depending on the last time he or she used.
Getting Help for Addiction at Zelus Recovery
Zelus Recovery is a heroin addiction treatment center located in Meridian, Idaho, and we can help. Our mission is to help young adults learn how to live successful lives without the use of drugs or alcohol. Many young people believe their life is over because of their addiction, but we’re here to give them hope. Some of the therapeutic methods we use here include:
Are you noticing signs of heroin abuse in your child? Call Zelus Recovery today at 208.518.0797.
