Drug Addiction Behavior: Common Behaviors of a Drug Addict

Trying to understand drug addiction behavior can often be a perplexing and frustrating thing. Because there is no rational explanation for the behaviour of a drug addict since drug addiction is an unpredictable and complex illness that revolves around that next hit or high.

Moods range from one extreme to the next (often from moment to moment) - and behaviour is at best irrational and at worst highly unpredictable and volatile. So forget trying to make sense of the behaviour of a drug addict, and know that there isn’t any sense to it, other than them being driven by the compulsion to use.

Addiction is a cunning, complex and powerful illness that will have an addict behave in ways you would never even dreamt possible. What then are some drug addiction behaviours to look out for?

• Mood Swings – these can range from extreme happiness and euphoria ... to the absolute depths of despair and depression, sometimes turning to violence and physical abuse.
• Change in Behavioral Patterns – spending time with new ‘friends’, spending less time doing things previously enjoyed, more time spent sleeping, becoming increasingly difficult and irritable ... are all behaviours to look out for.
• Secrecy and Isolation – withdrawing and isolating are often behaviours of a drug addict, especially when trying to hide their addiction, with much of what they do then being clouded in secrecy.
• Lies and Manipulation – an addict will do anything to protect their addiction ... lie to your face without flinching and manipulate you into turning things into your fault when you confront them ... or have you believe you’re imagining things when you raise concerns about their behavior.
• Stealing and begging – to fund their habit, addicts will often turn to extreme behaviours to ensure they can generate money to buy their next stash. This might involve begging on the street, working scams to get people to give them money; and in severe cases when using highly physically addictive drugs like crack and heroin, resort to stealing, often from those closest to them. The most extreme cases involve drug addicts resorting to prostitution to fund their addiction.

Because drug addicts are usually quite good at hiding what they do so as not to get caught out, it can often take a while before it becomes clear what is really going on. So watching out for some of these drug addiction behaviors and trusting your instincts is generally a good place to start.

Because prolonged drug addiction changes your brain chemistry, severe long-term consequences of drug addiction include things like psychosis and schizophrenia. So getting proper treatment for drug addiction is the critical first step in successfully overcoming it.