A sad fact of addiction is that when someone is addicted to using drugs, they will continue experimenting with how they ingest the drugs. This experimentation, often dangerous, continues in an attempt to get the best high or the fastest high. Individuals who use cocaine will often move from snorting it to smoking it or injecting it. Similarly, someone who began by ingesting prescription pain medications may begin to snort or smoke the pills. Others, typically those in college or younger, will stumble across smoking opioid pain medications and then find themselves addicted.
As an outsider looking in, you may be trying to determine if your loved one struggles with addiction. You may not know the signs, and you may not know that one drug can be taken in so many different ways. At Laguna View Detox, we know all about the different ways drugs can be taken and the devastating effects created by their use. We are here to help you and your loved one navigate their road away from addiction.
What Does It Mean to “Smoke Pills”?
While many people simply swallow prescription opioids, others crush them into a powder to either inject, snort, or smoke. By injecting, snorting, or smoking the powder, the individual gets a more potent high. However, smoking pills is also more dangerous and can cause respiratory issues. When we swallow a tablet, the drug has to pass through our gastrointestinal system and liver, which means it takes longer to feel the high. When someone smokes pills, the drugs enter through the lungs and result in a faster high. Smoking prescription drugs leads to a higher dependence and, as a result, more drug-seeking behaviors. Someone who is smoking prescription pain pills may be more likely to begin seeking illicit drugs such as heroin as their addiction progresses.
Signs My Loved One Is Smoking Pills
There are some common signs and symptoms of opioid use, regardless of how they are ingested. Those who use opioids will have pinpoint pupils, lowered blood pressure, decreased heart rate, and lowered body temperature. Other symptoms include exhibiting a euphoric feeling and appearing to be moving more slowly.
Those who are smoking pills will likely have paraphernalia for smoking the pills, such as spoons for crushing the pills, lighters, and papers to roll the powder. Sometimes you may see signs of withdrawal when your loved one is between bouts of using. Opioid withdrawal looks almost exactly the opposite of opioid intoxication. You might note that they cannot sleep, are sweating, have teary eyes, complain of pain, are nauseous, and have diarrhea. If you suspect that someone you love is abusing opioids, it’s critical to know the signs of an overdose. Opioids slow down the body, so if you notice that your loved one’s breathing has slowed down to less than ten breaths per minute and they are unable to remain awake, contact emergency services for help.
How Laguna View Detox Can Help You With Addiction
At Laguna View Detox, you will get round-the-clock professional care for your opioid addiction. We understand how quickly opioid addiction can happen, and we’re here to support you as you break free. As one of the leading private drug rehab centers in Orange County, we provide luxurious, inpatient rehab treatment. With some of the industry’s best staff, we will design a holistic treatment plan catered to you. We are committed to assisting you in getting onto the road to clean and sober. We’ll guide you from detox to inpatient treatment to aftercare in one of the most beautiful areas in California. Contact us today, and let us help you get free of your addiction!