How to Tell If Someone Is High

How to tell if someone is high can be very difficult for a multitude of reasons. Sometimes the signs of substance abuse are very subtle. Addiction is a progressive disease. If your child, spouse or loved one is abusing substances, you want to be able to catch it as soon as possible. On the other hand, not knowing how to tell if someone is high can bring about fights and resentments, especially if someone has gone to treatment and is trying to stay clean. Different substances have different effects, so knowing what to look for will be helpful.

How to Tell if Someone is High on Depressants

The most popular types of substances people use are depressants. These types of substances bring a calm and mellow to the person. Many people turn to these types of substances because they feel anxious, fearful or have other emotions they don’t know how to handle. Some of the most common depressants include:

• Alcohol
• Prescription pain killers
• Benzodiazepines
• Heroin

The physical signs to look for when it comes to depressants could be a person’s mood. If they’re beginning to withdraw from social activities and isolate, this could be an effect of substance addiction. The person’s pupils will often be dilated as well. One must also realize that people take drugs in different ways, like injecting or sniffing. If the person is sniffing a lot or has unexplainable bruises on their arms or legs or track marks, it may be a sign that they’re getting high.

How to Tell if Someone is High on Stimulants

The most common stimulants that people use are cocaine, methamphetamines as well as medications for ADHD like Ritalin and Adderall. When a person takes these substances, they become very alert and have an unexplained amount of energy. The person’s thoughts race, so they might talk and ramble incoherently. Someone on stimulants also feels powerful, so they may have grandiose images of themselves. It’s also important to look for signs of withdrawal when a person is coming down. They may  become very irritable or they may sleep much longer than normal.

Getting Help for Substance Abuse and Addiction

If you think your loved one is having a problem with substance abuse addiction and the effects of drugs are turning their life inside out, allow Beaches Recovery to help you and your family begin the healing process. We’re a JCAHO accredited facility, and we work with some of the top insurance companies. While your loved one is in treatment, we’ll help him or her get to the bottom of why they’ve been turning to substances and how to live a better life. We also offer all of our clients family therapy so you can begin healing together. Take charge of addiction now by calling 866.605.0532.