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 Signs of Substance Use Disorder (SUD) 

Stressed Woman

Recognizable signs of someone suffering from Substance Use Disorder:

CHANGES IN BEHAVIOR

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  • Skips classes, misses work

  • Spending a lot of cash, asking for cash, missing cash

  • Changes in friends and relationships

  • Friends report they are worried about the individual

  • Unusually quiet, withdrawn, more irritable, cranky

  • Argumentative, moody

  • Withdrawn from family

  • Missing items or cash from house

  • Secretive behavior, lying, stealing

 

PHYSICAL SIGNS

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  • Pupils smaller or larger than normal

  • Frequent sneezing

  • Weight loss

  • No appetite

  • Sleeping all the time

  • Lack of  personal hygiene

  • Unexplained disappearances

  • Sweaty or shaky hands

  • Runny nose, persistent cough, nausea, vomiting

                   

WHO CAN YOU GO TO FOR ADVICE?   

                         

  • A Parent, family, a friend, or someone you know that may be going through or has gone through the same experience.

  • School counselor, teacher

  •  Doctor, social worker

                

You may decide to talk to the individual directly regarding your concerns, if you do:

 

  • Make sure you are fully prepared before you have the talk. Have in mind, or even write down what you are going to say.  This will help you to stay on track and cover what you intend to say.

  • Ask individual how they feel. Remember this is about them.

  • Make sure not to add shame or guilt, they already feel it inside.  Even if they don’t show signs of shame it is highly likely they feel it.

  • Don’t initiate your conversation when the person has used.

  • Don’t have the talk when you or the other person are angry.  This only provokes more anger with negative results.

  • Talk about what you have seen—how they’ve been acting.

  • Have some examples of why you are concerned, and make sure they know that you love them and are concerned for them.

  • Remember this is about the person’s well-being.

  • Stay calm.

  • This could be the first step in the right direction if they are willing to admit that they have a problem.

  • Have some options for help on hand in case they are ready at that moment to get help.

How Can I Dispose Of Unwanted Opioids And Other Medications?

DO YOU WANT TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR SOMEONE YOU KNOW  BECOMING ADDICTED TO OPIOIDS OR WORSE?

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Did you know that opioids often enter the hands of family, friends, and community through the family medicine cabinet? We must all be aware of this fact and do our part to prevent this from happening.

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KEEP ALL MEDICATIONS LOCKED IN A SAFE PLACE

 

This prevents the chance of:

  • medication getting into the hands of children

  • pets finding and ingesting medications

  • curious family members or houseguests taking it, and possibly becoming addicted and/or passing it out to friends

 

PLEASE DO YOUR PART

 

Don't be naive and think, "That would never happen in our house." Because it can and does happen in many homes.​

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  • To dispose of unneeded or expired medicines, take your medicine to DEA-registered collectors deadiversion.usdoj.gov

  • or visit safe.pharmacy/drug-disposal

  • These sites safely and securely collect and dispose of pharmaceuticals containing controlled substances and other medicines.

  • Some of these community collection sites may have collection receptacles, referred to as “drop-boxes.” These boxes assist consumers in safely disposing of their unused medicines.

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