HOW LONG MOST COMMON DRUGS STAY IN YOUR SYSTEM AND WHEN YOU WILL MOST LIKELY TEST POSITIVE :
• ALCOHOL 3- 5 days in urine, up to 90 days in hair and around 10 - 12 hours in your blood.
• AMPHETAMINES 1 - 3 days in urine, up to 90 days in hair and around 12 hours in your blood.
• BARBITURATES 2 - 4 days in urine, up to 90 days in hair and 1 - 2 days in your blood.
• BENZODIAZAPINES 3 to 6 weeks in urine, up to 90 days in hair and 2 - 3 days in your blood.
• CANNABIS 7 to 30 days in urine, up to 90 days in hair, two weeks in your blood.
•COCAINE 3 - 4 days in urine, up to 90 days in hair, 1 - 2 days in your blood.
• CODEINE 1 day in urine, up to 90 days in hair, 12 hours in your blood.
• HEROIN 3 - 4 days in urine, up to 90 days in hair, up to 12 hours in your blood.
• LSD 1 - 3 days in urine, up to 3 days in hair, 2 - 3 hours in your blood.
• MDMA (ecstasy) 3 - 4 days in urine, up to 90 days in hair and 1 - 2 days in your blood.
• METHAMPHETAMINE (crystal meth) 3 - 6 days in urine, up 90 days in hair, 24 - 72 hours in your blood.
• METHADONE 3 - 4 days in urine, up to 90 days in hair, 24 - 36 hours in your blood.
• MORPHINE 2 -3 days in urine, up to 90 days in hair, 6 - 8 hours in your blood.
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF DRUG ABUSE AND DRUG ADDICTION:
Although different drugs have different physical effects, the symptoms of addiction are similar. See if you recognize yourself in the following signs and symptoms of substance abuse and addiction. If so, consider talking to someone about your drug use.
Common signs and symptoms of drug abuse
• You’re neglecting your responsibilities at school, work, or home (e.g. flunking classes, skipping work, neglecting your children) because of your drug use.
• You’re using drugs under dangerous conditions or taking risks while high, such as driving while on drugs, using dirty needles, or having unprotected sex.
• Your drug use is getting you into legal trouble, such as arrests for disorderly conduct, driving under the influence, or stealing to support a drug habit.
• Your drug use is causing problems in your relationships, such as fights with your partner or family members, an unhappy boss, or the loss of old friends.
WARNING SIGNS THAT A FRIEND OR FAMILY MEMBER IS ABUSING DRUGS:
Drug abusers often try to conceal their symptoms and downplay their problem. If you’re worried that a friend or family member might be abusing drugs, look for the following warning signs:
Physical warning signs of drug abuse
• Bloodshot eyes, pupils larger or smaller than usual
• Changes in appetite or sleep patterns. Sudden weight loss or weight gain
• Deterioration of physical appearance, personal grooming habits
• Unusual smells on breath, body, or clothing
• Tremors, slurred speech, or impaired coordination
Behavioral signs of drug abuse
• Drop in attendance and performance at work or school
• Unexplained need for money or financial problems. May borrow
or steal to get it.
• Engaging in secretive or suspicious behaviors
• Sudden change in friends, favorite hangouts, and hobbies
• Frequently getting into trouble (fights, accidents, illegal activities)
Psychological warning signs of drug abuse
• Unexplained change in personality or attitude
• Sudden mood swings, irritability, or angry outbursts
• Periods of unusual hyperactivity, agitation, or giddiness
• Lack of motivation; appears lethargic or “spaced out”
• Appears fearful, anxious, or paranoid, with no reason.
WARNING SIGNS OF COMMONLY USED DRUGS
•MARIJUANA: Glassy, red eyes; loud talking, inappropriate laughter followed by sleepiness; loss of interest, motivation; weight gain or loss.
•DEPRESSANTS (including Xanax, Valium, GHB): Contracted pupils; drunk-like; difficulty concentrating; clumsiness; poor judgment; slurred speech; sleepiness.
•STIMULANTS (including amphetamines, cocaine, crystal meth): Dilated pupils; hyperactivity; euphoria; irritability; anxiety; excessive talking followed by depression or excessive sleeping at odd times; may go long periods of time without eating or sleeping; weight loss; dry mouth and nose.
•INHALANTS (glues, aerosols, vapors): Watery eyes; impaired vision, memory and thought; secretions from the nose or rashes around the nose and mouth; headaches and nausea; appearance of intoxication; drowsiness; poor muscle control; changes in appetite; anxiety; irritability; lots of cans/aerosols in the trash.
•HALLUCINOGENTS (LSD, PCP): Dilated pupils; bizarre and irrational behavior including paranoia, aggression, hallucinations; mood swings; detachment from people; absorption with self or other objects, slurred speech; confusion.
•HEROIN: Contracted pupils; no response of pupils to light; needle marks; sleeping at unusual times; sweating; vomiting; coughing, sniffling; twitching; loss of appetite.
WHEN A LOVED ONE HAS A DRUG PROBLEM
If you suspect that a friend or family member has a drug problem, here are a few things you can do:
• SPEAK UP. Talk to the person about your concerns, and offer your help and support, without being judgmental. The earlier addiction is treated, the better. Don’t wait for your loved one to hit bottom! Be prepared for excuses and denial by listing specific examples of your loved one’s behavior that has you worried.
• TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF. Don’t get so caught up in someone else’s drug problem that you neglect your own needs. Make sure you have people you can talk to and lean on for support. And stay safe. Don’t put yourself in dangerous situations.
• AVOID SELF-BLAME. You can support a person with a substance abuse problem and encourage treatment, but you can’t force an addict to change. You can’t control your loved one’s decisions. Let the person accept responsibility for his or her actions, an essential step along the way to recovery for drug addiction.
BUT DON'T...
• Try to be a martyr. Avoid emotional appeals that may only increase feelings of guilt and the compulsion to use drugs.
• Cover up or make excuses for the drug abuser, or shield them from the negative consequences of their behavior.
• Take over their responsibilities, leaving them with no sense of importance or dignity.
• Hide or throw out drugs
• Argue with the person when they are high.
• Take drugs with the drug user.
• Feel guilty or responsible for another's behavior.
Adapted from: National Clearinghouse for Alcohol & Drug Information
People who experiment with drugs continue to use them because the substance either makes them feel good, or stops them from feeling bad. In many cases, however, there is a fine line between regular use and drug abuse and addiction. Very few addicts are able to recognize when they have crossed that line. While frequency or the amount of drugs consumed don’t in themselves constitute drug abuse or addiction, they can often be indicators of drug-related problems.
• Problems can sometimes sneak up on you, as your drug use gradually increases over time. Smoking a joint with friends at the weekend, or taking ecstasy at a rave, or cocaine at an occasional party, for example, can change to using drugs a couple of days a week, then every day. Gradually, getting and using the drug becomes more and more important to you.
• If the drug fulfills a valuable need, you may find yourself increasingly relying on it. For example, you may take drugs to calm you if you feel anxious or stressed, energize you if you feel depressed, or make you more confident in social situations if you normally feel shy. Or you may have started using prescription drugs to cope with panic attacks or relieve chronic pain, for example. Until you find alternative, healthier methods for overcoming these problems, your drug use will likely continue.
• Similarly, if you use drugs to fill a void in your life, you’re more at risk of crossing the line from casual use to drug abuse and addiction. To maintain healthy balan-ce in your life, you need to have other positive experiences, to feel good in your life aside from any drug use.
• As drug abuse takes hold, you may miss or frequently be late for work or school, your job performance may progressively deteriorate, and you start to neglect social or family obligations. Your ability to stop using is eventually compromised. What began as a voluntary choice has turned into a physical and psychological need.
With the right treatment and support, you can counteract the disruptive effects of drug use and regain control of your life. The first obstacle is to recognize and admit you have a problem, or listen to loved ones who are often better able to see the negative effects drug use is having on your life.
how drug use and addiction can develop
As with many other conditions and diseases, vulnerability to addiction differs from person to person. Your genes, mental health, family and social environment all play a role in addiction. Risk factors that increase your vulnerability include:
• Family history of addiction
• Abuse, neglect, or other traumatic experiences in childhood
• Mental disorders such as depression and anxiety
• Early use of drugs
• Method of administration—smoking or injecting a drug may increase its addictive potential
Why do some drug users become addicted, while others don’t?
Understanding drug use, drug abuse, and addiction
People experiment with drugs for many different reasons. Many first try drugs out of curiosity, to have a good time, because friends are doing it, or in an effort to improve athletic performance or ease another problem, such as stress, anxiety, or depression. Use doesn’t automatically lead to abuse, and there is no specific level at which drug use moves from casual to problematic. It varies by individual. Drug abuse and addiction is less about the amount of substance consumed or the frequency, and more to do with the consequences of drug use. No matter how often or how little you’re consuming, if your drug use is causing problems in your life—at work, school, home, or in your relationships—you likely have a drug abuse or addiction problem.