When you or someone you love is misusing heroin, the signs and symptoms will not always look the same. In fact, your desire for their addiction to not be true may cloud your perspective as you wish things were different. Heroin addiction is serious, though, as it is an extremely addictive drug that can impact anyone’s life. It does not discriminate based on your age, race, gender, or income. Because it affects millions of people and their families each year, California treatment center facilities like Clear Life Recovery have identified red flags for heroin addiction.

What Does Heroin Addiction Look Like In Your Loved One?

California treatment center facilities stress the importance of each individual’s misuse and addiction as being unique. Addiction in one person may look entirely different than addiction in another, as many who suffer from substance abuse will hide their symptoms. This is why it’s important to know the red flags of heroin addiction and pay attention to your friend or family member if they begin showing some of the symptoms.

Physical Red Flags for Heroin Addiction

Physically, you may notice several things. Your friend or family member may begin to have flushed skin and talk about their dry mouth if they are misusing heroin. You may see that they seem to be suffering from more gastrointestinal issues than usual, as well as insomnia, vomiting, twitching leg movements, cold flashes, and goosebumps. These are often physically present signs when one is trying to use less heroin than they typically do, or if they’re trying to go cold turkey and stop using heroin altogether.

An individual using heroin will also have a different appearance in their eyes. Their pupils may be tiny, almost like the point of a needle, and they may have difficulty staying present in a conversation. It might be as if they’re falling asleep and waking back up seconds later for no apparent reason. Someone misusing or abusing heroin may also have difficulty carrying on a coherent conversation. You will notice they may either repeat things or not remember things just said.

Most often noticeable when it comes to physical red flags of heroin use are the track marks you may see on their body. Don’t be fooled into thinking that they’d be inside of the arm, though that’s the most common place you’d find them. Heroin users looking to hide their use often will inject themselves behind their knees or even between their toes to keep the track marks out of sight.

Behavioral Red Flags For Heroin Addiction

In addition to physical symptoms, there are many other red flags for heroin addiction that you may see in a friend or family member. You may begin to see the people with whom they’re hanging out change. Changes in social circles—in-person or online—can be a significant red flag. When you’re doing something you’re not necessarily proud of, you may worry about judgment and push your community away.

If it looks like there’s a new group of friends in your friend or family member’s life, pay attention. Also, do so if you see different behaviors in their talk online or in-person. If your friend or a family member has long ranting posts on social media or rants in person, they may be struggling, especially if you see paranoid behavior or outright references to drug use.

Additionally, if you see insomnia symptoms in your loved one, this may be a red flag for heroin use. They may be up at all hours posting random things that may indicate their strange sleeping hours.

Obviously, if you find heroin paraphernalia—needles and cotton and small bowls—that’s a sign. If their language references heroin talk or street slang that refers to heroin, this may be a sign. If your loved one loses interest in things that they used to focus on—school, work, or family responsibility—they may be struggling with heroin use. New patterns of criminal activity may also indicate drug use.

Clear Life Recovery: A California Treatment Center To Help Heroin Addiction

If you worry a friend or loved one suffers from heroin addiction, seeking help is the next step. A California treatment center like Clear Life Recovery can undoubtedly make a difference.

But what if it’s you who is struggling? If you find you’re relying more on heroin to cope with day-to-day life, Clear Life can help you. Maybe you’ve tried to quit before but were unsuccessful. You may feel like your financial woes, legal problems, or fractured relationships are irreparable, and you’re to blame.

At Clear Life Recovery, we want you to know that heroin addiction does not have to be a life sentence. We offer heroin addiction treatment options that follow a holistic approach to recovery. You getting clean needs to be more than just not using anymore. We want to help you learn to love the new life you’re going to live. You can build skills and habits that will allow you to grow physically, mentally, and spiritually while you work toward sobriety.

Clear Life Recovery wants to help you heal. Remember, there are hope and joy to be found every day. But the first step is deciding to turn your direction to the right path. Red flags don’t have to mean the end; they may be the beginning of your new life if you choose to get help. Contact us today, and let us walk this path together.