How to
Identify Drug Abuse
COCAINE, CRACK AND AMPHETAMINES
A person on cocaine
or speed will usually have glassy eyes and very, very large pupils. He may try
to hide this condition by constantly wearing sunglasses or other dark glasses.
His behavior will be erratic. He cannot relax or confront and is restless.
One will observe uncharacteristic activity, irritability, nervousness or
aggression. Remember, stimulants speed up the body's functions and the
person may have trouble sitting still, remaining inactive or controlling his or
her temper. For this reason, there may be long periods without sleeping.
The body, quickened by the chemicals avoids sleep for extended sleep for
extended periods of time. The person may exhibit this tendency of
insomnia and then "crash" and sleep for similarly long period of time.
The
person will tend to move fast and ramble or be non sequitur in his
conversation-jumping from one topic to another.
He of she will also
experience "cotton mouth" and my drink in ordinate amounts of water to satiate
thirst and constantly be licking his lips.
He may constantly be sniffing
despite the lack of a cold or allergies.
The person might exhibit
unexplainable changes in appetite or weight. Stimulants diminish the
user's appetite (which is why they are found in diet pills.) One might see a
sudden lack of interest in food.
If the person is injecting cocaine or
stimulants you will probably be able to see fresh needle marks. He might try to
hide these by wearing long-sleeved shirts, even in hot weather.
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OPIATES
A person on an opiate such as heroin or
morphine will have constricted pupils that will look like pinpoints or small
dots.
Someone on opiates usually itches and you can see the person lightly
and frequently scratching himself.
If the method of ingestion is sniffing,
his nostrils may appear raw and red.
If the method of ingestion is by
injection there will be needle marks in arms, behind the knees or ankles.
Heroin users have been known to inject themselves under the tongue, or directly
into open sores. These locations are not as easy to detect.
They may get
very pale and sweaty or extremely thirsty.
Opiates affect people in
different ways: some may get very "hyper"(active or frantic) and run around
working or looking busy while others get very lethargic (nodding or doping
off).
The person may go around asking others for money. This will
not be small change for cigarettes, but more like $20 or $40 here or there.
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CANNABIS MARIJUANA
HASH
People on marijuana,
pot, hash or hash oil will have irritated eyes.
They may be bloodshot or
appear to have a dazed or expressionless appearance and will also experience
dry lips and "cotton mouth."
They can walk around in a daze or euphoric
stupor staring out into space or at nothing and may go into fits of laughter or
laugh when there is nothing to laugh about.
Marijuana has a strong,
pungent, virtually unmistakable odor. It's long lasting and difficult to mask.
This is a telltale sign that a person has either smoked marijuana or it
has been smoked in his or her presence.
The person may attempt to
eliminate this sign by putting clothes in the wash immediately upon coming home
or taking a quick shower before being around other people.
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LSD and
HALLUCINOGENS
A person who has take
LSD or other psychedelics will manifest glassy eyes and have a blank, vacant
stare.
Often he appears to be daydreaming and needs to be spoken to
several times before responding.
He will be found to have inappropriate
and extended interest in common objects.
For example, examining an ashtray
or a drawing for a long time, turning it, viewing it from different angles.
The person may also have a similar interest in body parts, such as a
finger, hand or food. Conversation tends to be esoteric, like a "head trip."
He will hallucinate.
He will experience anxiety for no apparent
reason.
PCP users may experience sweating episodes, salivate heavily and
have flushed skin.
They may have dilated pupils and may be inexplicably
high-strung.
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DEPRESSANTS
A person under the
influence of depressants such as barbiturates or Valium may act intoxicated
(slurred speech, stumbling gait, droopy eyes, etc).
Depressants slow down
the body's functions, which my prompt unwarranted sleep episodes.
There
will be pronounced tendency to fall asleep in unusual situation such as at
dinner and the person will show signs of overall listlessness.
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INHALANTS
An inhalant abuser
may leave evidence of paint or glue on his face.
He will have a runny nose
and eyes and inappropriate drowsiness.
The odor of the substance that he
inhaled will be on his clothes or his body.
They might try to not give
themselves away by attempting to walk slowly and straight, but this effort is
very obvious.
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ALCOHOL
Alcohol can be
detected on the breath. A user mayl attempt to mask it with extraordinary
use of mints, mouthwash or even garlic.
Speech will be slurred. Watch for drawn-out speech and rambling,
sometimes illogical talk.
Symptomatic of alcohol abuse are headaches and
nausea.
Watch for telltale signs of hangover, disinterest in breakfast,
late sleeping and an overall grouchiness throughout the day.
In all instances of substance abuse, watch for a tendency on
the part of the abuser to refrain and shun conversation and face-to-face
meetings with others.
You are watching for behavior that represents a
somewhat dramatic change in character from previous experience.
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