How To Spot A Heroin User

Trying to spot that someone is using heroin can be difficult, especially if you don’t know exactly what you are looking for or how to pinpoint it. A heroin addiction tends to be a lot more sneaky than other types of addiction. I mean an addiction like alcohol is very visible. An addiction like cocaine can be obvious to someone half way decent at observation. However, when people are using heroin they tend to get extremely good at knowing exactly how to hide their addiction. They are known as the best liars, which brings me to a useful point. That being that heroin is one of the strongest drugs there is, and definitely in the top as far as addictiveness is concerned.

There is no doubt about it, this drug can hook its user so well that the person will do anything in order to keep using. And that means hiding the fact that they use from even the people they are closest with. We’ve all heard the horror stories about a spouse being absolutely clueless to the fact that their loved one, the one whom they share a life with, is in fact using heroin behind everyone’s back. Obviously if the spouse even suspected it for a minute, and then went through the proper information in order to know how to spot their spouse’s problem, then they might have been able to avoid such a tragic situation of not finding out until years down the line, etc.

Warning Signs of Heroin Use

So, there are definitely a few different things to look for when pinpointing a heroin addiction in somebody. Here are some physical signs of heroin abuse:

A persistent and hacking cough
Sudden weight loss
A loss of appetite or no interest in eating
Dry mouth
Extremely small pupils
Limbs that appear heavy or droopy
Cuts, bruises or scabs from picking their skin
Itching skin
Abscesses or infections
Sores on the nostrils or the lips (due to smoking)
Nosebleeds (from snorting)
Burn marks on the mouth or fingers (due to smoking)
Dark circles under the eyes
Puffiness under the eyes
Flu like symptoms (these include: a fever, being achy, always cold and vomiting)
A runny nose
Constant sniffing
Needle marks on the arms or legs (needle marks can look like red dots or small bruises)
Constipation
Loss of menstrual cycle

There are definitely going to be some changes in behavior that you will notice with someone who is using heroin. This person obviously won’t seem like their old selves. They might even have changed drastically in various ways. Here are some behaviors that could indicate heroin abuse:

Poor school or work performance
Slow or uncoordinated movement
Being disoriented
Being very alert or jittery which is followed by nodding off
Sleeping a lot
Slurring their speech
Garbled or incoherent speech
Not having any motivation
No interest in what was once their favorite activities
Apathy
Having hostility toward other people
Lying
Acting in a deceptive way
Avoiding eye contact
Lack of hygiene
A general disregard for their physical appearance
Withdrawal from friends and family
Being alone a lot of the time
Spending time with all new friends
Wearing long sleeves or long pants in order to hide needle marks (even if it’s hot outside)
Wearing sunglasses a lot or when it isn’t called for

Here are some signs that are more indirect which could be warning signs of heroin use:

Missing prescription pills (especially of an opiate variety)
A large increase in mileage on the car used by someone you share it with (this would be due to their trips to go buy drugs)
Missing money or valuable possessions
Being asked by them to borrow money often
Syringes or needles (usually hidden in drawers)
Tiny orange caps from syringes
Spoons with burn marks (this is because they use it to heat the heroin in water before injection)
Aluminum foil or gum wrappers with burn marks (pertains to smoking heroin)
Missing shoelaces
Rubber straps or bands
Straws (for snorting), or with burn marks (pertains to smoking)
Empty plastic pen cases (for either snorting or smoking)
Small plastic bags
Water pipes (smoking)
Bottled water
Bottle caps
Rolled up dollar bills (snorting)
Razor blades, IDs and credit cards which have powder residue on them (snorting)
Empty plastic/drug capsules
Antihistamine boxes (to counteract the histamine release from heroin use)
Small cotton balls, Q-tips or pieces of cigarette filter (used before injecting)

Heroin Withdrawal Symptoms

Another way to spot an addiction in someone is with withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawing from heroin is an extremely painful situation. It is basically like the flu but a bit more extreme. The various symptoms that someone is going to go through when they are withdrawing are:

Diarrhea
Severe muscle aches and pains
Cramping in their limbs
Nausea and/or vomiting
Sweating a lot
Intense cravings
Feelings of heaviness of the body
Pain in the muscles and bones
Crying jags
Insomnia
Cold sweats
Fever

It’s important to stay as observant as you possibly can during the duration of trying to spot whether or not your loved one is addicted to heroin. You don’t want to miss anything and you want to be careful. If you come across evidence such as burnt spoons, etc, then it is important to hold onto it until you can confront the person. Any type of evidence you can find should be utilized when you try to get this person help.

What To Do if a Loved One is Using Heroin

If you have figured out that your loved one in fact a heroin addict then taking action right away is crucial. Don’t wait on it, don’t sit on a theory of how to go about handling the situation. But instead just handle it as soon as possible. This is valid advice because heroin is a dangerous drug that can lead to death. If you wait then that could make a significant change in the course of things. When talking to your loved one about their problem you should definitely have compassion but at the same time be assertive that what they are going through is serious and that they need help.

Make sure they understand how important getting clean from heroin is, and how harmful a drug heroin can be. The more you inform them about heroin, the better. The more they know, the better they can think more decisively. There are many ways to get help from drug addiction. By discussing options with them you should allow them to feel causative over what is going on and how they are going to make positive change but in a willing fashion. Figure out with them where they can go to seek help immediately, even if that means they need to check into rehab right that instant. Abusing heroin is no light issue and shouldn’t be treated as such.