What begins as a harmless, occasional activity when socializing with friends slowly turns into overuse and substance abuse. This gradual change in your alcohol or drug habit makes it hard to recognize early signs of a problem.
But as occasional use becomes more frequent, all addictive substances (whether alcohol, hallucinogens, stimulants, or opioids) cause physical, behavioral, and emotional symptoms.
As an experienced addiction medicine specialist and family physician, David Leszkowitz, DO, at White Lake Family Medicine, has helped many people overcome substance abuse and offers effective and safe outpatient addiction treatment.
Let’s look at five early and subtle signs, then explore progressive symptoms that appear as substance abuse and become an addiction.
Five subtle signs
Signs of substance abuse tend to sneak up on you. Though early signs are subtle, recognizing them can help you know that you need to take steps to curtail overuse before you develop a dependence.
Five of the earliest signs include:
1. Decline in personal appearance
As substance use increases, many people neglect their personal grooming habits. For example, you may not brush or wash your hair, skip brushing your teeth, or wear dirty, wrinkled clothes.
2. Increasingly secretive
You start covering up your substance use. You may stop talking and sharing about your day or resort to lying about your activities.
3. Withdrawing from family and friends
As substance use becomes more frequent, people isolate themselves from their friends and family, partly to hide their habit and also because they’re meeting new people who share it or going places they don’t want their friends to see.
4. Changes in sleeping or eating habits
Substance abuse often leads to loss of appetite and insomnia.
5. Eye signs
Your family and friends may notice that your eyes appear red, bloodshot, glossy (glazed over), and/or watery. It’s also common to have large, dilated pupils. Some substances may cause involuntary eye movements.
Symptoms leading to addiction
Let’s go beyond the early, subtle signs and explore other symptoms that appear as you progress from overuse to addiction.
Physical signs
In addition to red, watery eyes, substance abuse causes other physical symptoms. A few examples include:
- Gaining or losing weight
- Shaking hands
- Runny nose
- Excessive talking
- Slurring words
- Hyperactivity
- Poor coordination
- Skin rashes and infections
- Red face or ruddy complexion
- Memory loss or blackouts
It’s common to feel sick from overuse, but you may also have body aches, headaches, and weakness as the substance leaves your system.
Behavioral and emotional signs
In addition to isolating yourself from family and friends and turning down social activities that you usually enjoy, you may experience:
- Declining performance at school or work
- Neglecting daily responsibilities
- Feeling irritable and angry
- Having volatile emotions
- Having mood swings
- Becoming depressed or anxious
Continuing to use the substance despite physical and behavioral changes is a major sign of substance abuse.
Dependence signs
Your brain changes as you keep using addictive substances because they trigger the release of chemicals and rewire nerve communication in your brain. As a result, your brain becomes dependent on the substance and three signs develop:
- Uncontrollable cravings
- The need to keep increasing the dose (to get the same results)
- Withdrawal symptoms
These three signs mean that substance abuse has turned into an addiction. At this stage, it’s important to seek addiction treatment so we can help you break free of substance use and recover without cravings and withdrawal.
Connect with the team at White Lake Family Medicine if you need help with substance abuse. Call the office or book online today for an appointment at our White Lake, Michigan office.
