How to spot a junkie (from user and non-user perspectives)...

[FunctionlJnkieGal]

My fiance never cared for opiates. He just drinks, tokes up, and takes xanax occasionally. He says he can always tell when I'm pinned out from my eyes. He said its not just the tiny pupils (that can also be caused by bright lighting), its a certain look. Maybe its the heavy, puffy-eyelids that tend to come with it? Another thing is that my skin is olive-toned and I've always had dark circles to an extent, but when I started taking opiates it became more noticeable and many people find it unappealing. Oh well. I could be addicted to a drug like meth that seems to leave its mark on peoples face even after just a year or less of use. It seems every drug from nicotine and alcohol to heroin and meth does some damage to your physical appearance in its own way. A smoker usually ages faster, has more wrinkles, and looks slightly older than their age, alcoholics seem to have red complexions and bloated faces/bodies, I guess heroin/opiates give people an unhealthy palor and dark circles under their eyes (looking sickly, more or less), and when it comes to meth you only have to look at their face and teeth to see what kind of irreversible damage it does to a persons visage. I'm guessing the only drug that doesn't change your appearance would be weed. Maybe I'm just talking out of my ass and there really is no way to tell if a person has a drug problem. I use to think I was good at hiding my problem but I guess I'm not as clever as I thought. As my fiance told me when I was trying to hide the fact that I was pinned-out, "the eyes don't lie". There's even a scene from The Man With The Golden Arm where he was trying to hide his high but his girlfriend could tell he was lying by his eyes. That scene hit close to home because I've been in the same situation with my significant other.

 

[Tubbs]

Just to point out, not everyone on meth picks thier skin. Worse I ever got was dark circles under my eyes and my face looked overly thin.

 

[FunctionlJnkieGal]

What causes the rotted-teeth though? Is it the drug itself or is it due to external factors? Almost all the meth addicts I've known have nasty teeth (or what's left of them). I can understand that not all of them pick their skin. I always thought they did it because meth can make people fidgety. To be fair, as an opiate-addict there's been a couple of times I've gotten carried away picking at a zit to the point that my face swelled because I like taking the opportunity to pop zits while I'm feeling no pain...but I've always been a picker when I see a zit or any blemish. Its kind of a funny issue because its hard for me to resist the urge to pop anything that looks remotely like a zit/cyst, even if its not on my own body. You could say its another addiction of mine. I wish I had Dr. Pimple-Popper's job. Haha. I guess if tweakers pick they do so because they're over-stimulated, but if a junkie picks its probably because they're numb and what better time is there to go to town on a pimple than when your high?

 

[Spcd_dysphoria]

@FunctionlJnkieGal it's most do to the person themselves....the lack of saliva and jaw clenching, etc. from the substance itself contribute greatly to it though, but the real contributing factor is lack of hygiene. Most (not all) heavy meth users tend to be too caught up in other tasks and too distracted, or simple just too lazy and careless to take care of daily things...such as brushing there teeth regularly for days or weeks at a time!! As well as the fact most users go long periods without eating well to replenish vitamins needed for healthy teeth and bones...and that neglect puts a toll on your body on top of the side effects of the drug already

 

[Tubbs]

Yep, alot of tweakers never brush thier teeth (or shower), and you crave sweets like crazy so it goes hand in hand, along with cracked teeth from grinding and dry mouth from not drinking enough water. I used daily for 2 years and have all of my teeth in good shape.

 

[Patrickforsterter]

you gotta look after your teeth man I heard that meth can basically turn your teeth into dust which makes me wince thinking about it.. what does grinding mean by the way bp?

 

[Tubbs]

Grinding your teeth, meth can cause alot of tension in the jaw, leads to tooth grinding.

 

[falsifiedhypothesi]

It's hard to hide it from people who really know you. I've been getting high for all of my adult life so no one can tell when i'm high, sober, or just naturally chilled out, or they just don't care.

I've made the assumption that either no one really gives a fuck whether i'm high or they just don't care to know me well enough to be able to tell. If you are normally a very emotionally driven person and then get chilled out when high people are gonna be able to tell. I always just explain away any physical changes, but people usually don't notice them.

 

[CfZrx]

^Wearing a mask helps imho.

 

[FunctionlJnkieGal]

I can vouch for the tooth-grinding thing. I never cared much for meth, but I've had it before and was prescribed ADD meds from highschool through junior college and it had that effect on me as well. I quit taking Concerta and Adderall willingly once I dropped out. It served its purpose and I simply didn't need it anymore after that. Didn't need any weaning, didn't have any withdrawals, so quitting was a cakewalk. I'd probably be clean from opiates if the withdrawals weren't so unbearable. Falsifiedhypothesi, I'd say the people that its hardest to hide my high from is my fiance and my mother. They're the 2 who see me the most. I'm normally a wound-up person when I'm sober, so I guess they can tell when I'm not because I'm more quiet, relaxed, and at ease with my surroundings even if I'm somewhere I don't want to be. Outside of maybe that and my eyes, I don't think I behave or look much like what the entertainment industry portrays junkies to act and look like.

 

[MDPV_Psychosis]

I'm guessing the only drug that doesn't change your appearance would be weed

It sometimes can become obvious when somebody has been smoking too much weed for too long. After awhile they kinda appear and act perma-stoned even when sober, atleast in my experience. You may be able to see it in their eyes, in their mannerisms and in the way they speak and the way they articulate their thoughts and feelings.

But yeah, it's not so physically telling as like it would be for a heavy stimulant or opioid user.

Some people are very very good at daily using while maintaining an outwardly clean cut appearance. Most of us probably have friends/neighbors/family that we would be surprised to discover are users... Even with our keen ability to usually spot fellow users. Some people are just really good at hiding it.

 

[envoy]

just look at their eyes. usually you can tell. that or compare their behavior. people behave differently when they are high and on drugs than when they are sober. i know you must know what that person is like sober...

 

[FunctionlJnkieGal]

Right. The eyes say a lot about a person, from personality to drug use. I remember one of my stoner buddies was laughing at how she could tell a friend of ours and I were both fucked up just by sitting side by side, yet on completely different drugs. My eyes were pin-holes and hers were saucers. Haha.

 

[techn0hippy]

For methamphaetamine, the most telling effects of someones use can be measured by observing the teeth and sores around the nose. I ingest meth (occasionally, i swear!) in capsules to avoid these effects, but I also know people who smoke and snort as their method of administration and manage to avoid sores and rotten teeth in exchange for regulatory use, which is easier to control with amphetamines imo. As for opiates, pupils and arms. However, personal experiences stemming from my own experimentation as well as being around others who've descended their recreational escapes into vicious lifestyles have shown me that "junkies" display little to no awareness in their own well being and/or current situation and neglect their responsibilities as a result. Absorbing as much of the euphoria and numbing bliss before it slips away is all that begins to matter, and it shows. I've never done heroin, but the opiates I've used in high doses (Hydrocodone, Methadone, Oxycontin and Tramadol) leave me in semi-catatonic "nodding" states that allow me to physically and emotionally feel content with just not giving a fuck about anything. All of the ridiculous self-loathing and constant overthinking that keeps me up till 3 - 4 AM, seems to just flood out of my head with such delicacy and ease before being replaced with towering 2-4 hour waves of euphoria. With that said, comparing my opiate experiences with well documented pharmacological studies and current users of heroin has lead me to believe that dissociation with one's reality is a common theme for opioid addiction, the results being about as easy to notice as the track marks and pupils. Someone who's content with living a life of severe addiction (junkie status) can't really hide it, not because they don't try, but because they can't. Withdrawing from life as a "junkie" leads to addicts not being able to grasp the gravity of how serious their situation has gotten, so much so that everyone EXCEPT the addict themselves see how much of a fucking mess they are and how badly they need to change. Much more noticeable than tracks or pupils imo

 

[FunctionlJnkieGal]

Techn0hippy, the needle definitely changes the situation it seems, which is why I also don't use them. I've known people that were trustworthy and never stole from me til they switched to needles. I guess it brings a whole new level of desperation.

 

[freesolo123]

If you look at a addicts hands its a good indicator of what they use anyone who is smoking crack or heroin is likely to have calluses and burns on there hands from using a lighter so often.

 

[TropicalPsychedelicBear]

I think that there are many types of junkies and have different characteristics depending on the drug they have an habit.

In my case I am not a junkie but can notice changes in my from different drugs, some maybe are not notice by others and some go notice.

Cannabis: If I am high on cannabis the most common effect I have is mild anxiety combined with not wanting to socialize with people. Sometimes I move wierd but it go unnoticed by people. I get more quiet and sometimes have been ask by people that I look like I am overthinking (that is true most of the time). Stoners tend to talk a lot of shit when they are high.

LSD-25 and other psychedelic: I act pretty normal really, I can have a pretty normal conversation with people an move my body with out any problem. The only thing that reveals my drug use is the sweating and sometimes having a higher body temperature, I don't get my pupil dilated, I never do no matter how much I do and is the same for every other drug that do it. Things that most psychedelic aficionados do a lot is thinking that they are spiritually and philosophically superior just because they did DMT once. Most of them start to practice an Occidental religion and can really be really annoying sometimes. I love psychedelic, I can be sure my drug of choice is LSD-25 but I don't like the subculture much.

Amphetamines: Well if there something I love after psychedelic is my good old pal amphetamine pills! And like every stimulant his effects are very noticeable, especially because sober I am quite, serious and have an eternal resting bitch face. I get more sociable and have conversations with people I might feel shy if I were sober. Very energetic and is noticeable, not like tweaking but definitely energetic.

Methamphetamine: Wierdly enough I get really relaxed, calm but at the same time very energetic. I can pass unnoticed if I am high on methamphetamine, the only thing that is noticeable is that I sometimes start to play with my beard hair. Normaly went I am sober I do it, but with my head hair and at home, done it since been a baby so. But sometimes I do the beard thing in public mostly went people are not around. Methamphetamine is a very scary drug and I have the most higher respect with Tina the Mistress, surely is something that can turn you into a full tweaker in less then a year. I don't hang out with tweakers, I don't want to have impulsive people in my drug use.

 

[Zonxx]

What causes the rotted-teeth though? Is it the drug itself or is it due to external factors? Almost all the meth addicts I've known have nasty teeth (or what's left of them). I can understand that not all of them pick their skin. I always thought they did it because meth can make people fidgety. To be fair, as an opiate-addict there's been a couple of times I've gotten carried away picking at a zit to the point that my face swelled because I like taking the opportunity to pop zits while I'm feeling no pain...but I've always been a picker when I see a zit or any blemish. Its kind of a funny issue because its hard for me to resist the urge to pop anything that looks remotely like a zit/cyst, even if its not on my own body. You could say its another addiction of mine. I wish I had Dr. Pimple-Popper's job. Haha. I guess if tweakers pick they do so because they're over-stimulated, but if a junkie picks its probably because they're numb and what better time is there to go to town on a pimple than when your high?

grinding will fuck teeth up, or bad habits when youre high, you won't even notice youre doing them either unless someone points it out, but it occurs when you knock yourself out from stims too, just because you took a benzo to sleep doesn't mean the stimulant isn't still active i've only started grinding my teeth when i sleep since i've started using stims, and i feel it in my jaw when i wake up in the morning too, but if you have good dental hygeine you'll be ok. but one single thing is important, and even more than brushing, FLOSS YOUR FUCKING TEETH. i can't stress this enough. i floss regularly, but smoke coke for a few days? my gums'll bleed in the most unexpected areas too. FLOSSSSSS i've got floss to hand out to every bluelighter, i took the dentists entire floss box and ran with that fucker out the door, i deserved it though, 8 years without a cavity, fuck you if you think you can;'t be a heavy smoker and not have good teeth.

 

[Zonxx]

Amphetamines: Well if there something I love after psychedelic is my good old pal amphetamine pills! And like every stimulant his effects are very noticeable, especially because sober I am quite, serious and have an eternal resting bitch face. I get more sociable and have conversations with people I might feel shy if I were sober. Very energetic and is noticeable, not like tweaking but definitely energetic.

LOL YES. on amps, any topic is entertaining, im down for everything with amps its very similar to cocaine but i get annoyed much easier by people when i'm coked out, i don't get high with other cokeheads anymore.

Methamphetamine: Wierdly enough I get really relaxed, calm but at the same time very energetic. I can pass unnoticed if I am high on methamphetamine, the only thing that is noticeable is that I sometimes start to play with my beard hair. Normaly went I am sober I do it, but with my head hair and at home, done it since been a baby so. But sometimes I do the beard thing in public mostly went people are not around. Methamphetamine is a very scary drug and I have the most higher respect with Tina the Mistress, surely is something that can turn you into a full tweaker in less then a year. I don't hang out with tweakers, I don't want to have impulsive people in my drug use.

meh i'm using meth right now, actually i'm on both amphetamine and meth truthfully No one should recreate my consumption pattern as it is extremely dangerous i am extremely tolerant.

but all in all i feel like meth really simply is a suped up amphetamine which it is on paper, but yeah it's perceived effects can be more more in your face, specifically the euphoria, BUT for the record, no drug except meth kills my appetite why idk. meth is also stupid cheap, which doesn't help its 'addictive' potential since you can get high if you buy in bulk for a couple bucks a go

 

[TropicalPsychedelicBear]

LOL YES. on

LOL YES. on amps, any topic is entertaining, im down for everything with amps its very similar to cocaine but i get annoyed much easier by people when i'm coked out, i don't get high with other cokeheads anymore.

meh i'm using meth right now, actually i'm on both amphetamine and meth truthfully No one should recreate my consumption pattern as it is extremely dangerous i am extremely tolerant.

but all in all i feel like meth really simply is a suped up amphetamine which it is on paper, but yeah it's perceived effects can be more more in your face, specifically the euphoria, BUT for the record, no drug except meth kills my appetite why idk. meth is also stupid cheap, which doesn't help its 'addictive' potential since you can get high if you buy in bulk for a couple bucks a go

Wierd thing is that methamphetamine I don't feel euphoria at all, and I do eat on methamphetamine but not because I obligate myself to eat but that I feel really hungry and have appetite. What I really enjoy about methamphetamine is vaporizing it! I wish I could find something (psychoactive or not) to substitute methamphetamine in my lovely jumbo color changing pipe call "Sublime". Methamphetamine in my contry is very expensive so that's something that drive me away from forming habit. I manage to have the experience of using methamphetamine because I work in the richer part of the metropolitan area and meet this guy who supplies to rich people methamphetamines, importing it from US to this Island. So maybe I am the only one in my University to do it so.