What method can be used to detect drug addiction in a teenager?

Our country is a country with a high level of drug addiction among teenagers. The urgency of the problem lies in the fact that drug addiction occurs in young people aged 15 to 30. Almost all addicted people admitted that they first tried drugs at the age of 10-12. Unfortunately, the parents of a teenager with drug addiction very often do not even know about the lifestyle of their child. How to identify drug addiction by appearance and behavior? What method will allow you to quickly determine at home belonging to drug addiction?

5 groups of drugs that cause drug addiction

There are 5 groups of narcotic substances, the use of which will definitely cause drug addiction of a physical or mental nature.

1. Hallucinogens. There are synthetic and natural origin. They affect the perception of the surrounding reality, can lead to persistent addiction and suicide. Hallucinogens include smoking mixtures and certain types of mushrooms.
2. Psychostimulants. They are able to increase the working capacity of a person, blocking the manifestations of mental and mental overwork. These include drugs containing amphetamines, which are highly addictive.
3. Antidepressants. They act on the nervous system, calming it and causing a hypnotic effect. These include barbiturates, which cause mental and physical dependence.
4. Opiates. Represented by such substances as morphine, opium and codeine. They cause feelings of euphoria, forming a persistent drug addiction.
5. Marijuana. It is a separate group of plants that have a narcotic effect.

Most of these substances are available only on prescription, but some of them are now available in pharmacies without special permission. This fact paves the way for the development of drug addiction, which in most cases is detected in adolescents.

Degrees of drug addiction. When is addiction treatment possible?

There are 3 degrees of development of drug addiction:

• 1 degree – psychic dependence is formed. Narcotic substances are used irregularly in order to get pleasant sensations. Stopping does not cause bad feelings, there is no physical dependence yet.
• 2 degree - characterized by the formation of physical dependence on drugs. Drugs are used to prevent the painful sensations of not taking them.
• Stage 3 – complete physical and mental degradation of the personality.

Drug addiction can be cured only in the first degree of drug addiction, provided that the patient himself is aware of his condition and wants to get rid of it. Family doctors who are in close contact with families should pay attention to the possible presence of drug addiction in adolescents. To do this, you need to know how a person who is addicted to drugs looks and behaves.

How and why is drug addiction formed in adolescents?

It has been found that the majority of adolescents try drugs after "recommendations"; and stories of peers about incredible sensations. People with psychological problems in society, who want to declare themselves to the whole world, who imitate others in everything, are more inclined to use narcotic drugs.  Adolescents are often prone to such conditions due to their age.

After the first use of narcotic substances, the patient often does not get the expected sensations, which makes him try again and again. Thus, drug addiction is formed on the placebo effect - a teenager does not experience the expected sensations, but their expectation affects the formation of addiction more than the drug itself.

What are the signs to recognize drug addiction in a teenager?

It is rather difficult to identify a drug-dependent patient among adolescents, since most of the changes in behavior are attributed to the transitional age. But still there are some features that will indicate the presence of drug addiction:

• Unwillingness to communicate with family, secrecy, alienation. This is a subconscious defensive reaction in order not to give out your lifestyle. Adolescents accuse their parents of inattention or, conversely, of being overprotective.
• A sharp change in social circle, the teenager starts skipping school, wanting to communicate more with the new company.
• Sudden mood swings are present against the background of the action of narcotic substances on the central nervous system - complete calmness, peace and euphoria are replaced by aggression and apathy.
• Physical changes – weight loss or gain, frequent exacerbation of chronic diseases, chronic rhinitis, hand tremors, redness of the nostrils, red whites of the eyes, stuttering, change in emphasis, dilated pupils.

If a teenager has at least one symptom, action should be taken immediately. You can quickly identify drug addiction at home or in an outpatient clinic. For this, special test cassettes have been created, which, when in contact with human urine, show the content of end products of narcotic substances. This way you can identify drug addiction in the early stages and save a person's life.