Mental signs of addiction

• Defensive against others.
• Inability to concentrate.
• Increased states of agitation and confusion.
• Poor decision-making.
• Memory problems.
• Poor performance or attendance at school or work.
• Withdrawal from social activities.
• Poor sense of responsibility.
• Continuing to practice addiction despite its negative consequences and health problems.
• Try to stop addiction and fail many times.
• Sacrificing important things in life for the sake of addiction.
• Using addiction in an attempt to deal with various life problems.
• Obsessed with addiction, spending time and energy to get it.
• Taking risks to obtain narcotic substances.
• Engage in dangerous activities such as violence and fast driving.
• Inability to stop.

The signs of addiction vary depending on the addicted person himself, the substance he uses, and the patterns of abuse he follows, for example: Not all people who struggle against addiction use these substances on a daily basis, nor do not all of them rely on these substances physically, so it should be known that the symptoms vary from person to person. [1][2]

The signs of addiction from a health point of view as

• The appearance of withdrawal symptoms.
• Appetite swings.
• Diseases caused by abuse.
• Phenotypic symptoms.
• Insomnia.
• Change in appearance.
• Increased resistance of the body.

The appearance of withdrawal symptoms: The withdrawal symptoms appear on the addicted person when the levels of access to the substance on which he depends fall below a certain level, then he can experience health symptoms that vary in severity according to the substance and its level, for example:

• Burning desires or craving certain things.
• Constipation.
• Diarrhea.
• Quivering.
• bouts of loss of consciousness.
• Convulsive seizures.
• Sweating.
• Uncharacteristic behavior such as violence.

Appetite fluctuations: Some substances change the appetite of the addicted person, for example: the use of marijuana causes a significant increase in appetite, while cocaine causes a lack of appetite.

Diseases resulting from abuse: Narcotic smoking substances such as tobacco or cocaine can lead to incurable respiratory diseases and lung cancers, and the injection of illegal narcotic substances can lead to damage to the limbs and problems in the arteries and veins, and in some cases may reach the development of some type of infection, and possible loss of limbs, in addition, regular use of increased amounts of alcohol can lead to chronic liver problems.

Visible symptoms: The addict often shows clear and common symptoms of addiction, most of which include: permanent drowsiness, trembling, red eyes, dilated pupils, loss or increase of appetite and dark circles under the eyes.

Insomnia: Insomnia or lack of sleep is a common symptom of withdrawal, and the use of illegal stimulants can also encourage irregular sleep cycle because the addicted person usually stays awake for several consecutive nights to use.

Change in appearance: A person can begin to look different from what he is used to, as abuse leads to a loss of interest in the external appearance, and the addicted person may look disheveled, tired and neglected; this is usually because important parts of the day, such as taking care of personal hygiene or washing clothes, are replaced by abuse.

Increased body resistance: The body experiences fewer effects of narcotic substances over time, so the addicted person feels the need to use more of them to achieve the same effect as before.

One of the signs of addiction from a psychological point of view

• Mood swings.
• Violent emotions or increased anger.
• Cases of paranoia.
• Low self-confidence and a sense of self-worth.
• Feeling of worsening hopelessness.
• Exacerbation of any existing mental illnesses, such as depression, anxiety and stress.
• Lack of trust in others.
• Fraudulent or deceptive actions.
• Having a state of denial that there is a problem.
• Loss of interest in important activities, hobbies or events.
• Increased isolation from the outside world and family.

Addiction can cause persistent psychological problems and may worsen in the long term, for example: depression and anxiety, statistics show that almost half of people with mental disorders, can often suffer from substance abuse disorder at some time in their lives.

Some signs of addiction are similar to the usual behavior of adolescence, and adolescents are one of the most vulnerable groups to addiction, so parents should pay close attention to the appearance of signs and symptoms of addiction on their children, and while this is proven, medical help should be sought immediately to determine how to treat the problem.

People who have experienced certain difficult life experiences are among the most vulnerable to addiction, including poverty, homelessness, unemployment or early exposure to drugs and alcohol, as well as people who have experienced abuse, abuse or early trauma.

Aspects in which the effects of addiction appear

• Social relations.
• Physical aspect.
• Professional side.
• Recreational aspect.

Some people can engage in substance abuse periodically or binge drinking alcohol, however, they experience the same negative effects of a daily user, and an important warning sign of addiction is to continue using narcotic substances after causing problems and bad results in one or more important aspects of life, for example, among the aspects in which the effect of addiction can appear:

Social relationships: for example, frequent conflicts due to substance abuse, lack of social interaction and increased isolation.

Physical aspect: for example: the loss of the ability to pay bills, or to maintain a place of residence and take care of living expenses, due to the high cost of drugs or alcohol.

Professionalism: For example, absenteeism from work or study, late attendance, late delivery of work or projects and inability to focus on required tasks.

Recreation: For example, giving up hobbies or social activities in order to use time to use.

Health and psychological complications of addiction

• Direct effects of abuse.
• Severe injuries.
• Overdose.
• Cardiovascular health.
• Psychotropic drugs.
• Depression.
• Unity.
• Suicide.

Direct effects of abuse: For example, using cocaine through the nose can destroy nasal cartilage, and opioid intake can lead to chronic constipation, a fatal type if not treated, in addition, cocaine can cause various types of cancer.

Severe injuries: Injuries can occur during use depending on the method used, for example: injecting heroin can lead to the destruction of muscles and skin in the injection area, as well as drug smoking, which causes destruction of the lungs and respiratory diseases.

Overdose: Taking a large amount of the drug or mixing two substances together can lead to an overdose, which can cause coma and death.

Cardiovascular health: Many narcotic substances cause high blood pressure and high heart rate, which increases the pressure on the heart and blood vessels, increasing the risk of stroke or cardiac arrest and then death.

Psychotropic substances: Many drugs directly cause hallucinations and serious psychological effects in the long term, which can lead to acute and chronic psychological problems.

Depression: A 2014 study found that excessive use of different types of substances is associated with higher levels of depression, which can also result in anxiety, guilt, insomnia and feelings of shame.

Loneliness: Addicted people tend to push close people away from them, which in turn significantly reduces or erases the supportive network of individuals around them, which can lead to an increase in their consumption of substances.

Suicide: Addiction leads to financial problems, increased criminal activity or loss of residence, which increases anxiety, stress and depression, pushing the addict towards the abyss of suicide.