Behavioral Symptoms

• Mood Swings: All mood-altering drugs produce a wide range of mood swings from euphoria to depression. A user may be passive and/or withdrawn one minute and angry or hostile the next.
• Personality Changes: A normally energetic and outgoing person becomes chronically depressed and uncommunicative or vice versa.
• Defensiveness: Blaming or claiming to be persecuted or victimized. Lack of personal responsibility for behaviors or consequences.
• Overly Emotional: Inappropriately happy, depressed, hostile, or angry.
• Overly Self-Centered: Has to have their own way and will do anything to have it.
• Tendency to Manipulate: Making excuses for failure or finding ways to blame or have other people handle their problems or bear the consequences of their actions or behaviors.
• Strained Communication: Unwillingness or inability to discuss important issues or concerns. Lack of desire to communicate or sudden willingness to communicate when this was an issue previously.
• Withdrawal from Family Activities: Refusing to eat or participate in family meals, celebrations,  holidays or previous activities.
• Change in Dress and Friends: Sudden deterioration of long friendships/relationships, deterioration in personal appearance and hygiene, spends time with suspicious friends and/or co-workers. Lack of concern for appearance.
• Lack of Self-Discipline: Inability to follow rules, complete  chores, school assignments, work-related duties, keep appointments or commitments. Difficulty controlling impulsive behaviors.
• Apathy: Little or no interest in meaningful activities such as church, friends, clubs, hobbies, sports, or other activities.
• School and Work Problems: Excessive tardiness, absences, drop in grades, drop in job performance, missed deadlines, failure to turn in assignments and take tests, suspension or expulsion, job loss.
• Anxious Behavior: Chronic jittery, jerky, or uneven movements, fearfulness, compulsiveness and talkativeness. Paranoia. Lack of trust in people that were previously trusted.

Physical Symptoms

• Change in appearance: Sudden gain or loss of weight. New & excessive sores on face or arms.
• Poor physical condition: Lack of coordination, stumbling, shaky hands, dizzy, consistent “run down” condition, chronic fatigue, irregular heartbeat. Breathing difficulties. Chronic complaint of pain or tiredness. Excessive lack of energy or sudden increases in energy.
• Eating: Changes in habits such as loss of appetite, increase in appetite. Changes in food choices. Sudden excessive sugar cravings. Lack of interest in food or sudden cravings.
• Eyes: Bloodshot or watery, consistently dilated pupils.
• Frequent colds: Sore throat, coughing, congestion, nausea, vomiting, constipation.
• Nose: Chronically inflamed or runny nostrils, constant sniffing.
• Speech pattern: Significant changes such as slurred speech, faster speech, slower speech.
• Body movements: Unusual twitching or strange behaviors. Repeated or unusual movements such as tongue thrusts, nose-touching, and lip-licking.