How to tell if someone is on Heroin

The Freedom Treatment Center has put together a great list of physical signs you can look for to see if someone might be on Heroin. The counseling certification community knows these signs very well and it's good to pass this information on to those who might know someone taking Heroin.

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1. Paraphernalia indicating heroin use is found – belts or shoelaces, foil or gum wrappers, needles (new or used), spoons, and syringes are examples of paraphernalia to look for if you suspect that a person has a heroin problem. Additionally, if they are smoking or snorting it, you will notice glass pipes, razor blades, and straws lying around.
2. Body mutilation – “tracks” from injecting heroin will start showing up over time and can be seen all over the person’s body and eventually become increasingly harder to hide.
3. Changes in peer groups – heroin addiction causes the user to seek out other people who use the drug and eventually they will walk away from long-term, trusted friendships.
4. Sudden changes in behavior – the individual is angry and sad all the time instead of being the fun-loving individual they once were. Getting professional help is a phone call away
5. Poor performance on the job or in school – a person’s focus and their priorities start to shift from schoolwork or work until maintaining a supply of the drug is their only concern, meaning that their performance in school or at work is most likely suffering.
6. Possessions come up missing – you’ll start to notice that numerous possessions start disappearing from the addict’s home because these valuables were sold in order to support their habit.
7. Financial problems – heroin addiction is expensive and can cost up to $200 a day, so the addict will eventually begin borrowing money from family members and friends until that option is no longer possible and they may start stealing to pay for their habit"

 Source: http://www.freedomdrugrehab.com/drug-rehab-blog/physical-signs-of-heroin-use/

If you or anyone you know is looking to help others by getting a counselor certification then please feel free to visit our Chemical Dependency Counseling Certificaiton website.