Signs Of Heroin Abuse

One of the most commonly used drugs today is Heroin. Unfortunately this drug has been slowly making a comeback in mainstream America. Did you know that 560,000 people alone on the United States are using heroin? That is over half a million people that number is scary and it continues to grow. Would you know if someone you know is hooked on Heroin? You may not know, so here are some of the warning signs of someone who may be on heroin.

One of these warning signs is Performance, this doesn’t necessarily pertain to sports in could be a general reference such as schoolwork or job performance. If you see a friend’s grades start to drop off rather quickly there could be an underlying problem here. This is a good indicator of someone who is using drugs, if someone has been good at something and starts to lose interest or their abilities start to suffer then it could be a sign. Keep in mind that this not the only sign but a significant one too.

The next sign is Personal Care, if someone you know used to care about their appearance like fashion or just plain old hygiene habits and these habits start to fall then this could be a good sign of heroin abuse. The next sign could fall under this category as well; it is withdrawal from friends and family. If you notice any changes in the way they socialize or perhaps are keeping company with a new set of friends. This could be a sign or heroin use as well. If you also notice that they have lack of money, when they don’t have a lot of expenses this could also be a tell tale sign.

Some of the other signs of a heroin user could include but are not limited to the following.

· Runny Nose or perhaps constant sniffing. This would not include any type of cold or hay fever.
· Needle Marks on the arm and sometimes the legs. This would be a clean sign of a drug user.
· Slurred speech or fasttalking. Any noticeable changes in speech patterns could be a sign of a heroin or drug problem.
· Little or No Motivation. If this person was once active and now seems content to do nothing but sit around all day then this could be a sign.
· Hostility. This is a sign of many things but if this person is hostile towards friends and family for no real reason it could be a sign of heroin use.
· Lastly, if they have any drug paraphernalia.

Heroin use is on the rise and even if you don’t think that someone you know could be capable of using, all we can say is be vigilant and keep your eyes open to changes. Most of the time we notice these changes a bit too late and the damage has been done. Try not to be confrontational when asking someone if they are using. You want to make sure that you have all of the facts first. If you think someone you know needs help, contact a school counselor and find out how you can help without naming names.