Discovering whether a friend or a loved one has a problem with hallucinogens or any drugs isn’t always easy. Children as young as fourth graders sometimes begin experimenting with drugs. How can you know if friends are using LSD or PCP and what should you do to find out if they are? The following may help you decide:
People who have drug problems, most of the times try to cover it up. Some people who have difficulties in life, go to drugs as a solution rather than to seek help.
There are signs that can alert us to an individual with substance abuse. If you know someone who is exhibiting any of the following behavioral changes, that person may need help:
1. Dilated pupils - this means pupils that stay much wider than usual. Of course, you would have to be familiar with this person in order to judge whether this is the usual size of this person’s pupil or not.
2. Dramatic change in weight or eating habits. You have to ask yourself, is there a sudden weight gain or a sudden loss of weight.? Is there a reason for this change? If a person is binge eating or if there is a loss of appetite, this could be a reason to be alert as to what may be causing this change.
3. Does the behavior of this individual seem hyperactive to you? Is he /she talking a great deal, almost uncontrollably. Is the talking more than usual? Does it seem that this individual is having a difficult time focusing on one subject or does the conversation seem to be rattling on and on?
4. Does there seem to be a loss of coordination? Is this individual stumbling, staggering, or walking much slower than usual?
5. Is there a loss of memory or an increase in forgetfulness?
6. Is there a marked change In sleeping habits? Is this person sleeping more than usual or hardly sleeping at all?
7. Are the hands shaking or does there seem to be shaking in general? Is the heart beating too fast? You don’t have to be a doctor or nurse to recognize an unusually fast heart beat.
A person’ behavior can be another indication of drug use. Is this individual missing more school or work than usual? This person may exhibit depression. Of course, there can be many other reasons for unusual behavior. If here is any doubts about behavior, a parent should consult a guidance counselor, a therapist, a doctor, nurse, a teacher, or any qualified adult.
Some hallucinogen users may need emergency hospital treatment. In cases like this, the patient is usually placed in a darkened, quiet room. Here is where a staff member can provide reassurance and support and ensure that the patient doesn’t injure him or herself.
Doctors may administer medication to increase the rate at which the drug is eliminated from the body. For severe physical symptoms or psychotic episodes, physicians may administer medication to counter the effects of hallucinogen. If the patient displays psychotic behavior, the doctor may prescribe an antipsychotic drug.
If you or anyone else are unable to persuade a hallucinogen user who is in distress to be taken to the hospital, every attempt should be made to keep this person calm.
Hallucinogen use can cause an individual to experience perceptual distortion that can make sounds seem very fast and high-pitched. Slowing ones speech and lowering the voice may have a calming effect on the user. It is suggested to keep your movements slow and make sure your hands are visible. This can prevent the drug user from misinterpreting your actions as an attack. A PCP abuser who feels threatened may respond by attacking.
If possible, try to keep the drug user talking. Keeping him/her engaged in something like this can distract this person and stave off delusional thoughts that could lead to violent outbursts. For this reason, the person shouldn’t be left alone. Try to encourage this individual to sit up or walk around. Closed eyes often amplify the effects of the drug. Keep reassuring the drug user that the effects will soon wear off soon. One must remember that the person’s sense of time may be altered. A few minutes may seem like hours and this individual may become more panicky.
Hallucinogen users with severe problems, may need to be placed into a residential program . They may have to be there from three to five weeks. Residential programs provide in-patient treatment, which allows patients to escape from the surroundings that are a part of their drug world, as they band with peers, counselors, and staff. Therapy helps the user from using drugs again. The following are some therapeutic options: There is long term treatment for persistent anxiety or depression. A doctor may prescribe an antidepressant or anti-anxiety medication. Even with cooperative patients, there is no guarantee that medication can help users from abusing drugs again. Therefore, most long term treatment involves therapeutic counseling.
Some of the goals in keeping the patient from using drugs repeatedly, is to educate this person as to the dangers of drug use. It may be difficult, but the patient has to learn to live without drugs. They have to learn how to use spare time, make friends who aren’t drug users, and how to reconnect with family.
