What Are the Signs of Drug Use on Your Face?

What Drugs Do to Your Face

You may think that no one knows you are dealing with a substance problem. However, very often the signs of drug use are right there on your face. It is true that your physical appearance, even your face, can be greatly affected by drugs. Keep reading to learn about how drug use shows on your face.

How Drug Use Affects Your Face

Chronic drug use can take a heavy toll on your health and your looks. These substances are very toxic to the body overall, and the damage often shows up on your face. Consider how these substances leave signs of drug use on your face:

• Meth. No drug affects your face the way that meth does. Meth is a manmade stimulant composed of amphetamine plus assorted household chemicals. While meth can cause skin sores on the legs and arms, called meth mites, it also causes skin problems. Meth can cause dry, scaly patches on the face, and cause premature aging. Facial appearance is further impacted by “meth mouth,” which is severe tooth decay.
• Heroin. Heroin use suppresses the appetite, which leads to extreme weight loss. This causes the face to appear thin and gaunt and leaves dark circles under the eyes. Also, a poor diet that results from heroin use causes the skin to look wrinkled and saggy, and the skin to take on a gray pallor.
• Cocaine. Cocaine addiction can affect the face in several ways. Coke use causes dramatic weight loss and lack of sleep, which can affect the face. Eyes begin to appear sunken and the skin becomes pale and gaunt. By far the worst effect of coke abuse is the damage it does to the nose tissues and cartilage. It can be so severe that it causes the septum to collapse.
• Cannabis. Chronic cannabis use can result in bloodshot eyes and resin-stained teeth. In addition, marijuana can cause breakouts and hair loss, as well as speed up the skin’s aging process.

Why It’s Hard to Stop Drugs Even When You Want To

When you begin to notice the signs of drug use on your face, you may decide to stop using the drug. However, even though you desire to stop the drug, you find you just cannot stop. This is a sign that addiction has set in.

Once dependence or addiction takes root you will find yourself in an addiction cycle. Drug-seeking behaviors are spurred by the memory in the brain’s reward system, prompting you to keep using. Also, when the drug wears off, you find yourself feeling very sick or in much pain. These are withdrawal symptoms, and the only way to relieve them is to take more of the drug.

How to Break the Grip of Addiction

No matter how much you truly want to break free from the drug, you simply cannot do it without support. This is because as soon as you feel the withdrawal symptoms emerge, you will want to stop the discomfort.

Without professional help, you are likely to cave into this need to stop the pain and return to the drug. It is only with the support of a team of trained detox and addiction specialists that you can overcome the addiction.

The first stop on the journey back to health and wellness is detox. Detox should not be attempted on your own. Again, without support, you will simply return to the drug to put an end to any pain. A trained detox team can assist you through this first step in recovery.

Detox and Withdrawal

So what can you expect during detox and withdrawal? This depends a lot on the exact drug that you are quitting, as the withdrawal symptoms vary. Also, the severity of the symptoms can range from mild to severe, based on several factors. The detox timeline itself may last from five days to three weeks, again depending on those factors.

There are some common features of going through drug detox. As the body purges the drug from the system, the symptoms will cycle through three phases. These include the early symptoms, the peak symptoms, and the subsiding symptoms.

As you wind your way through detox, you can expect the detox team to pay close attention to your withdrawal symptoms. They watch these so they can foresee any complications during the detox. Also, as the symptoms emerge, they will provide meds to help ease the discomfort.

Outpatient or Inpatient Treatment: Which Is Best for You?

It is always best to follow detox up with a treatment program right away. Prior to starting detox, you can discuss with your doctor which level of care you will need, as there are several. This helps to tailor your treatment plan to your unique recovery needs.

Rehabs fall into two camps, outpatient treatment, and residential treatment. There are pros and cons for each, so it’s best to have an addiction specialist help you select the right level of care and treatment setting.

Outpatient works best for milder drug addictions, such as a recent drug problem versus an entrenched one. This is because the outpatient option doesn’t provide the same level of support and monitoring as the inpatient option. Outpatient is offered at a lower cost because you reside at home while in treatment.

Inpatient or residential rehab is best for moderate to severe drug addictions. These are more intensive and highly structured programs. During treatment, you will reside at the rehab, which offers added protection against relapse.

Treatment involves a medley of therapies, such as:

• Group therapy.
• One-on-one talk therapy.
• Classes
• Relapse prevention planning.
• 12-step program.
• Holistic methods.

Addiction is something you can overcome with the right treatment and support. Reach out for help today.

Capo by the Sea Leading Addiction Treatment Provider

Capo by the Sea is a premier source of addiction and dual diagnosis treatment. If you are struggling with substance use and see the signs of drug use on your face, we can help. Call our team today at (888) 529-2114.