Signs of Intoxication

You’re friend has been laughing like a maniac for hours and the neighbor girl looked a wreck when she got out of that guy’s car this morning to come home.  What’s going on with them?  Are they on drugs or what?

It can be difficult to determine if someone close to you is abusing drugs or, worse, struggling with an advanced addiction that he/she can’t handle.  You don’t want to come right out and accuse someone of something like that without a good indication that there’s truly a problem.   If you suspect drug activity, check for some of the following signs.

Alcohol

Instability, clumsiness, struggling to walk, speech is slurred, poor judgment, dilated (wide) pupils, sluggishness.

Marijuana

A sweet herbal smell, glassy stare, red puffy eyes, attention seems distant or spaced out, random laughter, sleepiness, loss of interest and motivation, mindless munchies (usually crunchy foods).

Cocaine, Crack, Meth, and other Stimulants

Hyperactive behavior, being irritable or anxious, euphoria, highs and lows like spurts of energy followed by crashing sleepiness at strange intervals, long stretches of time without sleep or eating, twitching, weight loss, dry red nose.

Heroin

Signs of use (needle marks), unusual sleeping patterns, excessive sweating, sickness signs (coughing, vomiting, sniffles), twitching, contracted (small) pupils that don’t respond to light, loss of appetite.

Inhalants (glue, aerosols, vapors)

Impaired vision, memory, and thinking, watery eyes, odd secretions from the nose or dry rashes near the mouth, nausea, headaches, sluggishness, reduced muscle control, anxiety or irritability.

Depressants (tranquilizers)

Can appear drunk as though under influence of alcohol but with no odor of drinking, concentration problems, clumsiness, slurring speech, bad judgment, and contracted (small) pupils.

Hallucinogens

Extremely dilated pupils, strange or irrational behavior such as paranoia or aggression, visual or auditory hallucinations, detachment from people and regular behavior, mood swings, absorbed with self or objects, confusion, a general spaced out look in the eyes, moments of epiphany they have trouble explaining.