Debilitating pain leaves us vulnerable and can quickly lead to prescription painkiller addiction. Here are 5 Oxycontin addiction signs that often fly under the radar.
When you think of a drug addict, you may not envision a former athlete who was injured and prescribed Oxycontin. However, that’s how most addictions to the drug start. When pain leaves us vulnerable and hurting, it can lead to a reliance on painkillers.
Oxycontin is a potent synthetic opiate painkiller that is used for people in moderate to severe pain. OxyContin can be a great source of relief for those struggling with chronic pain. Patients with bone pain, cancer, and severe burns benefit from the drug.
The drug has a time-released formula that can offer many hours of continuous relief for people in relentless pain. While these are available only through a prescription from a doctor or physician, large amounts of Oxycontin have been diverted and are sold on the drug market.
Someone you love might be suffering from drug addiction and you’d never know it because they are high-functioning addicts.
Oxycontin addiction signs can be hard to spot, but we’ve done the research for you and have compiled a list of 5 signs of an addict that might go unnoticed:
1. Trickery
People addicted to drugs, including prescription drugs, often require specialized care like prescription drug rehab. Professionals in the world of addiction can attest to the lengths some individuals will go to deceive others to achieve their goal. You might not ever notice the tricks a drug addict will play to get around being caught. They might use the pills before or after social events, one of the more common Oxycontin addiction signs you might not notice.
Sometimes a person will admit to the use of a lesser drug just to throw their loved ones off. When harder drugs are the real issue, people like to claim weed as their substance of choice.
Addicts and alcoholics strategize well. They will manipulate family members by telling different people different things. These half-confessions accumulate into one heaping pile of non-truths. No one family ever gets to know everything.
Oxycontin addiction signs might be hard to spot because magician and trick elements are always in effect. If you feel like you are being told lies or your family is getting caught up in stories, it’s time to focus your efforts.
2. Bathroom Games
Perscription drugs are normally stored in the bathroom. If you notice someone constantly scrounging in other people’s bathroom counters, they might be on a drug hunt. If the person you’re worried about is constantly making excuses to go to the bathroom, you might have a problem on your hands.
If the bathroom trips are especially long, they might be taking the pills or finding where to store them on their body. Listen for abnormal bathroom sounds when they enter, like running water for extended periods of time or the opening and closing of cabinets repeatedly. These are tell-tale Oxycontin addiction signs.
Serious addicts will even consider attending real estate open houses just so they can go in the home’s various bathrooms and look in their medicine cabinets. From cocaine to prescription drugs, bathrooms are usually a major battlefield.
3. The Boy Who Yelled “Pain!”
Perscriptions drug addiction is one of the most common types of drug addiction because it’s easy to obtain the drugs. As abusers learn how to use deceit and dishonesty to feed their addiction, they become professionals at getting prescriptions.
Back pain, for example, is an extremely common type of pain that doctors will prescribe pain medication for. After someone is addicted, they will come up with every reason in the book for needing Oxycontin. Continually claiming pain and the need for the drug is one of the Oxycontin addiction signs.
Not only is back pain fairly nondescript and hard to show evidence for, it’s also pretty easy to fake. If a young person you think might be addicted says they are suffering from chronic back pain and need narcotics, it’s time to consider a rehab program.
4. Storytime- Oxycontin Addiction Signs
You might not normally think of this a sign of addiction, but when someone you’re concerned about launches into stories and dramatics on a regular basis, this can be one of the Oxycontin addiction signs.
If a person proclaims they haven’t taken a pill or had a drink in many weeks and keep repeating so, they might be an addict. The sad part is that they probably don’t realize they keep deflecting and stating how they aren’t using anymore to everyone they come in contact with. It’s possible that they just don’t remember saying it over and over.
As they continue to lie to family members, they might start lying to their bosses, cops, doctors, and even spouses. Oxycontin addiction signs extend well into abusing their family members as they try to convince doctors they are trying to get the prescription for someone else.
5. Blame and Shame
Another one of the Oxycontin addiction signs it the constant blaming of other people for their own misery. As insanity overtakes a drug addict, it can seem to infect an entire family. Why? Because addicts needing to deny addiction leads them to start placing blames and problems on everyone else.
As addicts guilt-trip and blame other people, it is important to recognize this as a sign of addiction and a cry for help. As they continue to blame people, the conflict levels will rise with their loved ones. Even the most peaceful of families can start to feel torn apart and irreparable.
It’s easy to spot an addict if you carefully watch how often and for what reasons they are blaming other people.
S.O.S.
If you want the high-functioning addict you know to get help, then let the person know at the right time. Wait until the addict appears sorrowful over some of their bad choices or behavior to bring it up.
Do not discuss addiction with an addict while they are on painkillers, as they won’t be in a coherent place to receive what you’re saying. If you need to involve family or friends for an intervention, do so. When they are ready for help and a plan of action to get them back on a healthy path, contact us today.
