How Can You Tell?

[britjojo]

Other than finding the obvious needle tracks (which are often hidden under finger and toe nails) how can you tell if a person is injecting heroin? What are the common symptoms and how do they differ from other misused drugs?

[jimberan]

I think that one of the best ways to make certain if someone is a user or not is by taking some hairs from their brush and by getting some drug test performed.

[mtajim]

Drug test can take time , i think when people are addicted there faces change a bit , they seem to be feeling more sleepy and doze most of the time

[britjojo]

The hair test can need some specifics too, because frequently the hairs that break off in the brush are older. They might not contain the evidence that you want. You need to take the hairs right at the root for that.

[MHJ]

If the person is sickly thin and always in a nodding stupor that might be an indication of having a heroin problem. Of course, it could be any number of drugs as well.

[exjunky]

Other than finding the obvious needle tracks (which are often hidden under finger and toe nails) how can you tell if a person is injecting heroin? What are the common symptoms and how do they differ from other misused drugs?

Under nails? Ouch! I never heard of that. But it's true that junkies will shoot up in veins that you wouldn't think to look at, and the marks can be so small and discrete that you wouldn't even recognize it if you were looking right at it.

The biggest symptom of heroin use is the "nods". Once you see somebody "on the nod" you'll never mistake it for any other drug. They have these little "sleeping fits" that last just a few minutes then they snap out of it, only to "nod off" again.

Lots of junkies smoke, and smokers on the nod end up putting burn marks in every shirt, carpet, chair they get close to, because they nod out while a cig is burning.

Another big clue to look for is the eyes. When you're on heroin your pupils become smaller.

Another clue is constipation. All junkies are constipated, a lot, and usually are stocked up on Ex-Lax, Milk of Magnesia, and other medicines to help them with that.

Another clue is itchies. Junkies get itchy and often are seen scratching their noses or faces.

It's worth mentioning that every junky has to have some secret hiding spot where they keep the tools of their habit: syringes, the "cooker" (usually a spoon), and cottons for filtering.

I'll end this with a few youtube videos to really illustrate what junked up people look like

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTVkZH04Tpg - this guy is obviously on a lot of dope

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7J5s7XV1iU - this poor girl is pregnant and obviously doped up

Hope this helps.

[jade]

This is how my b/f knew that i was getting high (i was at that point where i really didn't care one way or the other):
-taking frequent trips to the bathroom, and either turning the shower on or stating that i had to take a dump, as an exuse.. i was always in there getting high.. how many showers can one girl take in a day and still look like shit??
-hardly ever eating, unless it was sweet. Junkies always seem to have candy in their pockets...I went from 219 lbs to 127 in no time at all. my skin sagged.. it was gross. This was after only 6 months using heavilly
-going on the nod in the middle of conversation..
-i always got my dope wrapped in a balloon, which was wrapped in a little piece of plastic. my b/f found tons of these things in the bathroom trash one time and freaked.
-burn marks on the bathroom counter from setting a spoon down, or on any other flat surface you think she might be using

I hope this helps.