Parents: Signs & Symptoms

We have listed the major signs and symptoms for the following drugs.

1. General Signs and symptoms
There are some general signs to watch out for which may be linked to drug use.
However, all of the signs listed below could be caused by a variety of reasons other than drug use e.g. puberty, social changes or medical conditions. It is very important not to jump to conclusions regarding drug use, as you may be wrong and further isolate the person concerned

• Secrecy about activities / slyness / caginess

• Unusually late hours

• Succession of new friends, perhaps an older crowd

• Lack of interest in old hobbies and pastimes

• Memory loss

• Mood swings - quite suddenly, perhaps uncharacteristic fits of temper

• Short attention span

• Stealing from home/outside (money and sellable items)

• Not taking care of personal appearance

• Wearing sunglasses to hide effects of drugs on the eyes

• Using deodorant or incense to hide the smell of drugs

• Always being broke and trying to borrow money

• Using slang associated with drugs

• Deterioration of social/personal/family relationships

• Deterioration in work or school performance, perhaps absenteeism

• Loss of appetite and loss of weight

• Becoming withdrawn and uncommunicative. [Top] 

2. Amphetamines

The following symptoms may occur, but some are not definite.

• Hyperactivity

• Unusual confidence

• Jerky movements

• Insomnia

• Very talkative

• Grinding of teeth

• Very large pupils

• Sweating

• Thirsty

• No appetite

• Staring

Comedown:
May Cause: Depression, fear, listlessness, apathy, muscle aches, cramps, mood swings. [Top] 

3. Benzodiazepines (Sleeping tablets and tranquillisers)

• Aggression (when used with alcohol)

• Slurred speech

• Gentle, monotone voice

• Distracted

• Tranquil

• Agoraphobia

• Passiveness (when used with opiates)

• Reclusiveness

• Fear of people and the street

Comedown: (long time usage)
May Cause: Reclusiveness, agoraphobia and fear of people becomes highly exaggerated, tension in neck, idiosyncratic behaviour becomes exaggerated, twitching of eyes. [Top] 

4. Cocaine
Signs and symptoms are similar to amphetamines with the addition of:

• Nose irritation (runny, itchy - due to snorting)

• Extremely rapid heartbeat after use

Comedown:
May Cause: Unlike ecstasy and other amphetamines in which the effects can last up to six hours, the rush of cocaine lasts about 2-3 minutes and effects wear off in 12 - 13 minutes. The comedown effects are similar to amphetamines but are far more intense. [Top] 

5. Ecstasy

The following symptoms may occur, but some are not definite.

• Hyperactivity

• Unusual confidence

• Jerky movements

• Insomnia

• Very talkative

• Grinding of teeth

• Very large pupils

• Sweating

• Thirsty

• No appetite

• Staring

• "Spittin' cotton", spit is like a cotton ball

• Small folded square of paper in an envelope shape

Comedown:
May Cause: Depression, fear, listlessness, apathy, muscle aches, cramps, mood swings. [Top] 

6. Hash

• Bloodshot eyes

• Giggling (especially in the early stages of using)

• Distracted

• Introverted

• Short attention span

• Verbal tangents (hard to follow smoker's train of thought)

• Loss of short term memory (resumes when person stops smoking)

• "Bomb" burn on clothes (multiple burn marks caused by falling bits of ash)

• Torn off bits of cardboard from cigarette packets or other cardboard objects to make a "roach" (a sort of filter)

• Bits of loose cigarette tobacco around the home

• Butts of cigarettes minus filter stains

• Cigarette papers e.g. rizla and cigarettes together

• Knives with burn marks (from heating and inhaling hash smoke "hot knives").

Comedown:
May Cause: Anxiety, restlessness. [Top] 

7. Heroin: (after a fix or after smoking it)

• Very small pupils when stoned

• Light coloured eyes turn bright blue

• Eyes take on a glassy appearance

• "Goofing" (looks like nodding off, it's hard for the person to keep eyes open)

• Inability to finish sentences

• Slurred speech

• Shallow breathing

• Scratching

• Excessive smoking

• Loose facial muscles

• Blood stains on clothes (due to using needles)

• Bloody tissues

• "Track" marks on body (marks left by needles, especially on hands, arms and legs although any vein can be used)

• Burnt holes in furniture, bed linen or clothes caused by "goofing" when smoking a cigarette

• Burnt tin foil (due to "Chasing the Dragon" - smoking heroin)

• Spoons going missing in house, spoons with a blackened underside (due to cooking heroin)

• Cut filters from cigarettes

• Ties or laces in pockets (tourniquets)

• Long sleeves in warm weather (hiding track marks on arms)

Comedown:

• Runny nose and eyes

• Excessive yawning

• Agitation

• Cold sweats / hot flushes

• Overeating / Undereating

• Severe diarrhoea after constipation

• Dry retching which produces bile

• Constant knot in stomach

• Nausea

• The shakes / spasms in arms and legs

• Highly enlarged pupils

• Severe cramps in stomach and back of legs

• Panting

• Sleeplessness

• Lack of energy

• Crankiness

• Depression

• Gooseflesh skin

• Spontaneous orgasms in men and women

• Violent spasms in the small of the back causing back to arch. [Top] 
  

8. Effects on Family

Due to be enlarged later this year with the aid of an E.U. project known as ENCORE.

This page looks at the effects on the family when someone within the family is misusing alcohol or other drugs. In many cases the person is not an addict or an alcoholic. He or she is just drinking or taking drugs in a way which upsets others. With this in mind we look at the following five scenarios:

(i) How a parent with a drug or alcohol problem affects the whole family.

It is well known that a parent with a drug or alcohol problem can have a marked effect on the other family members. The person with the problem has been described as being like someone stuck in a bog. The other family members, in their efforts to help, often get pulled down into the bog too. The first step in putting things right is when the others start to get their own feet on solid ground. Only after they have done this, will they be able to help tackle the addiction problem.

Sharon Wegscheider (USA) has pointed out some of the ways in which the other family members can be affected. (Reference: Sharon Wegscheider The Family, Trap Johnson Institute, Minnesota U.S.A., 1976).

(ii) How a partner with a drug or alcohol problem affects the other partner.  

It is not easy to live with a person whose drinking or drug use is causing problems. The drinker or drug user is often full of conflict, torn between wanting their drug or alcohol and not wanting the harm that always seems to follow. They often blame others when things go wrong.

The partner or spouse of the addict or alcoholic often doubts herself (or himself). Am I not a good enough partner? How can I get her or him to stop taking that drug? How can I protect my children? How can I hide this from my family and neighbours?

The partner often feels hurt, ashamed, fearful, and has an overwhelming sense of failure. Unfortunately, many partners then work all the more strenuously, taking on extra responsibilities, trying to cover up the mess…fighting a losing battle.

If you are that partner, the first step towards putting things right is to take some time for yourself, and get support for yourself. A good friend or a counsellor can be a great help. See "family support" below. [Top]       

(iii) How a parent's addiction may affect their son or daughter.

The son or daughter of a parent misusing alcohol or drugs can also end up bogged down. They often adopt a role which helps the family, but they get stuck in the role and neglect their own needs. Sharon Wegscheider describes the following roles. Can you see yourself in one of these roles, or in a combination of a couple of them? You can change! It’s easier if you get support.

B1 The Family Hero. This is often the eldest in the family. This person is responsible, works hard for approval, and often appears successful. But inside, this person often feels insecure, as if things are always going to go wrong, and feels incompetent, confused and angry.

B2 The Scapegoat. This person feels blamed when things go wrong. Everyone focuses on this person’s faults, which provides the family with a distraction from the real problem. So this person often seems rebellious, troublesome, law-breaking, tough…and may be at risk of misusing drugs. Inside, this person is often full of fear, hurt, rejection and loneliness, feeling angry at the unfairness of how they are treated.

B3 The Lost Child. This son or daughter appears as a dreamer, drifting above the troubled waters that bother other people. But inside, the person is not as contented as they appear. They are quietly hurt, angry, lonely with a feeling of being inadequate.

B4 The Mascot. Sometimes also referred to as the clown, the person in this role is often charming and cute, fun to be with, quick to make a joke. Sometimes they are quite hyper-active and flit from one interest to another; sometimes quite fragile and easily hurt. But they are good at hiding the hurt, and other feelings of loneliness, insecurity, fear and low self esteem.

If you recognise any of these roles as being ‘you’, the first step to putting things right is the same as for the Partner – to take time for yourself, to talk to a friend or a counsellor. Stop thinking about the addicted person for a while (easier said than done!) and pay attention to your own real needs. See the "family support" section below.

If you recognise any of these roles as being you, the first step to putting things right is the same as for the Partner – to take time for yourself, to talk to a friend or a counselor. Stop thinking about the addicted person for a while (easier said than done!) and pay attention to your own real needs. See the “family support” section below. [Top] 

(iv) How a son or daughter with an addiction problem affects the whole family

Whole families can seem to go to pieces when there is a son or daughter using drugs or alcohol. Parents fall out with each other over how to handle the situation, while other sons or daughters can get blamed for being a bad example. The drug user gets so much attention that others are neglected. Rows and bad language upset the peace. If peace and love are the oxygen of life, then the whole family is gasping for breath.

In an airplane, if the oxygen masks are released, parents are supposed to put on their own masks before attending to their children’s masks. The same is true here. Family members must attend to their own needs before helping the one causing the problem.

Even if you are the only person in the family who recognises the alcohol or drug problem, it is worth while getting support for yourself, from a friend or a trusted teacher or a counsellor. [Top] 

(v) Family Support

Support for families is available from a number of sources:

D.A.P. Crosscare offers Support/ Counselling and Referral. Phone (01) 836 0911 or contact our Live Help services on this site.

Citywide, Tel. (01) 836 5090, has a network of Family Support groups in Dublin and in other parts of Ireland. Family support groups have enabled many families to hold their heads up again, when they had been bowed down with embarrassment and shame due to a son or daughter using drugs and causing trouble for neighbours.

Community Alcohol Services and Community Drug Services are run by many Health Boards and are generally free. Many provide support and information for families to maintain their dignity and sanity when a family member is misusing drugs or alcohol

There are many Addiction Treatment services which provide support for families.

For a list of services providers click on the map relevant to the addiction you are seeking information on and select the appropriate county.

For further information contact IAAAC [Irish Association of Alcohol and Addiction Counsellors], Tel. (01) 797 9187.

For information about counsellors other than addiction counsellors, contact IACP [Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy], Tel. (01) 230 0061.

For counsellors trained in Reality Therapy contact WGII [William Glasser Institute Ireland], Tel. (041) 988 7564 Monday to Friday 2.00-4.00pm, Saturday 10am-12 noon. [Top]