Substance Use Disorder & Addiction

What is Substance Use Disorder

Drug addiction, also called substance use disorder, is a disease that affects a person’s brain and behavior and leads to an inability to control the use of a legal or illegal drug or medicine. Substances such as alcohol, marijuana and nicotine also are considered drugs. When you’re addicted, you may continue using the drug despite the harm it causes.

Drug addiction can start with experimental use of a recreational drug in social situations, and, for some people, the drug use becomes more frequent. For others, particularly with opioids, drug addiction begins when they take prescribed medicines or receive them from others who have prescriptions.

The risk of addiction and how fast you become addicted varies by drug. Some drugs, such as opioid painkillers, have a higher risk and cause addiction more quickly than others.

As time passes, you may need larger doses of the drug to get high. Soon you may need the drug just to feel good. As your drug use increases, you may find that it’s increasingly difficult to go without the drug. Attempts to stop drug use may cause intense cravings and make you feel physically ill. These are called withdrawal symptoms.

Help from your health care provider, family, friends, support groups or an organized treatment program can help you overcome your drug addiction and stay drug-free.

Symptoms

Drug addiction symptoms or behaviors include, among others:
  • Feeling that you have to use the drug regularly — daily or even several times a day
  • Having intense urges for the drug that block out any other thoughts
  • Over time, needing more of the drug to get the same effect
  • Taking larger amounts of the drug over a longer period of time than you intended
  • Making certain that you maintain a supply of the drug
  • Spending money on the drug, even though you can’t afford it
  • Not meeting obligations and work responsibilities, or cutting back on social or recreational activities because of drug use
  • Continuing to use the drug, even though you know it’s causing problems in your life or causing you physical or psychological harm
  • Doing things to get the drug that you normally wouldn’t do, such as stealing
  • Driving or doing other risky activities when you’re under the influence of the drug
  • Spending a good deal of time getting the drug, using the drug or recovering from the effects of the drug
  • Failing in your attempts to stop using the drug
  • Experiencing withdrawal symptoms when you attempt to stop taking the drug

    Recognizing unhealthy drug use in family members

    Sometimes it’s difficult to distinguish normal teenage moodiness or anxiety from signs of drug use. Possible signs that your teenager or other family member is using drugs include:

    • Problems at school or work — frequently missing school or work, a sudden disinterest in school activities or work, or a drop in grades or work performance
    • Physical health issues — lack of energy and motivation, weight loss or gain, or red eyes
    • Neglected appearance — lack of interest in clothing, grooming or looks
    • Changes in behavior — major efforts to bar family members from entering the teenager’s room or being secretive about going out with friends; or drastic changes in behavior and in relationships with family and friends
    • Money issues — sudden requests for money without a reasonable explanation; or your discovery that money is missing or has been stolen or that items have disappeared from your home, indicating maybe they’re being sold to support drug use

      Opioid painkillers

      Opioids are narcotic, painkilling drugs produced from opium or made synthetically. This class of drugs includes, among others, heroin, morphine, codeine, methadone, fentanyl and oxycodone.

      Sometimes called the “opioid epidemic,” addiction to opioid prescription pain medicines has reached an alarming rate across the United States. Some people who’ve been using opioids over a long period of time may need physician-prescribed temporary or long-term drug substitution during treatment.

      Signs and symptoms of narcotic use and dependence can include:

      • A sense of feeling “high”
      • Reduced sense of pain
      • Agitation, drowsiness or sedation
      • Slurred speech
      • Problems with attention and memory
      • Pupils that are smaller than usual
      • Lack of awareness or inattention to surrounding people and things
      • Problems with coordination
      • Depression
      • Confusion
      • Constipation
      • Runny nose or nose sores (if snorting drugs)
      • Needle marks (if injecting drugs)

        Barbiturates, benzodiazepines and hypnotics

        Barbiturates, benzodiazepines and hypnotics are prescription central nervous system depressants. They’re often used and misused in search for a sense of relaxation or a desire to “switch off” or forget stress-related thoughts or feelings.

         

        • Barbiturates. An example is phenobarbital.
        • Benzodiazepines. Examples include sedatives, such as diazepam (Valium), alprazolam (Xanax), lorazepam (Ativan), clonazepam (Klonopin) and chlordiazepoxide (Librium).
        • Hypnotics. Examples include prescription sleeping medicines such as zolpidem (Ambien) and zaleplon (Sonata).
        Signs and symptoms of recent use can include:
        • Drowsiness
        • Slurred speech
        • Lack of coordination
        • Irritability or changes in mood
        • Problems concentrating or thinking clearly
        • Memory problems
        • Involuntary eye movements
        • Lack of inhibition
        • Slowed breathing and reduced blood pressure
        • Falls or accidents
        • Dizziness

          Meth, cocaine and other stimulants

          Stimulants include amphetamines, meth (methamphetamine), cocaine, methylphenidate (Ritalin, Concerta, others) and amphetamine-dextroamphetamine (Adderall XR, Mydayis). They’re often used and misused in search of a “high,” or to boost energy, to improve performance at work or school, or to lose weight or control appetite.

          Signs and symptoms of recent use can include:

          • Feeling of happy excitement and too much confidence
          • Increased alertness
          • Increased energy and restlessness
          • Behavior changes or aggression
          • Rapid or rambling speech
          • Larger than usual pupils, the black circles in the middle of the eyes
          • Confusion, delusions and hallucinations
          • Irritability, anxiety or paranoia
          • Changes in heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature
          • Nausea or vomiting with weight loss
          • Poor judgment
          • Nasal congestion and damage to the mucous membrane of the nose (if snorting drugs)
          • Mouth sores, gum disease and tooth decay from smoking drugs (“meth mouth”)
          • Insomnia
          • Depression as the drug wears off