Friends/Family
Know the Signs
How can you tell if a friend
or family member is using cocaine? Sometimes it's tough to tell.
But there are signs you can look for. If your friend has one or
more of the following warning signs, he or she may
be using cocaine or other illicit drugs.
•
Red, bloodshot eyes
• A runny nose or frequently sniffing
• A change in eating or sleeping patterns
• A change in groups of friends
• A change in school grades or behavior
• Acting withdrawn, depressed, tired, or
careless about personal appearance
• Losing interest in school, family, or
activities he or she used to enjoy
• Frequently needing money
What
can you do to help someone who is using cocaine?
Be a real friend. Save a life.
Encourage your friend to stop or seek professional help.
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Typically,
not one of us intends to become a drug addict or alcoholic.
But, often many of us do. Addicts do not set out to destroy themselves
and everyone and everything in their path. These things are an effect
of the cycle of addiction.
The addict lies to everyone, things start
missing around the house, the dishonesty conveyed is proportionate
to the severity of the drug addiction, but these things are all apparent
to the person living with an addict in their life. Our experiences
show that the drug addict or alcoholic is usually an intelligent
and most often creative person with much hope for the future, which
only adds to the calamity of their downfall. As the addict slips
down the spiral, their loved ones try to deny the problem exists,
sometimes for years. This is a part of the vicious cycle of addiction.
The person usually enters into this dangerous affliction because
they attempt to compensate for some personal deficiency or life
situation. They are depressed, unhappy or incapable of dealing with
their life situations. It could be as simple as the rejection of
a significant other, the loss of a loved one, or as complex as a
major life crisis. This causes the person to seek "help"
in the form of drugs or alcohol. Thus, the cycle of addiction begins.
Drugs are essentially a painkiller. They avert emotional and physical
pain providing the user with a temporary and illusionary escape
from life. When a person is unable to cope with some aspect of their
reality and is introduced to drugs they feel they have perhaps solved
the problem itself.
The more a person engages in drug or alcohol abuse, the more inflated the problem
becomes. More problems are created by their use. This becomes the
center of their focus. Soon enough the person feels the need to
use consistently, and will do anything to get high.
They are now caught in the cycle. The person begins to display the
physiological symptoms of addiction. They become difficult to communicate
with, withdrawn and begin to exhibit the strange behaviorism associated
with addiction.
The more the person uses to counter this effect, the larger the
burden of his guilt becomes. This results in a discontented, depressed,
and desperate individual.
Their use begins to affect their personal relationships, their job,
their bank account, and anything of previous value to the addict.
Now the person's entire focus becomes centered on getting, using
and getting more drugs, regardless of the cost. They sacrifice everything
to avoid the pain of withdrawal
Connecting People with People that Can Help!
Call
Cocainehotline.com at 1-800-Nodrugs
1-800-663-7847
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2004 cocainehotline.com. All rights reserved
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