Drug addiction is a serious problem for today’s men. And whether you’re a loved one or a man who believes he might have a drug problem, you’ve come to the right place. There are many different types of addiction.
Drugs come in many forms, sizes, shapes, and colors. From cocaine to meth to creepy bath salts, there’s a lot of temptation to go around. Not only do drugs cause serious health problems, they can ruin a family and personal life.
Signs and Symptoms of Drug Abuse in Men
If you’re wondering if the man in your life is abusing drugs, here are common signs and symptoms of drug abuse in men:

• Sudden lack of attention to home or work responsibilities
• Mood swings
• Aggressive behavior
• Sneaking around
• Making excuses
• Unexplained absences
• Sleeplessness/excessive sleeping
• New group of acquaintances
• Criminal behavior
• Euphoria
• Depression
• Change in appearance *

*When it comes to change in appearance, it’s different depending on the type of drug a guy is using. For example, a man on cocaine might exhibit sunken eyes, rapid weight loss, chronic sniffling, runny nose, and bloodshot eyes. If a guy is using methamphetamines, he may exhibit sudden tooth decay, dilated pupils, skin lesions, and frequent sweating. Heroin-addicted men often exhibit signs of disorientation, difficulty speaking, shallow breathing, and infection at injection sites.
Health Dangers of Drug Abuse
There are so many health dangers of drug addiction and like the signs and symptoms of addiction can vary depending on the drug being used. For example, intravenous drug users are at increased risk for contracting a sexually transmitted disease. They are also at increased risk for developing infected lesions.
After long-term use, cocaine can cause irregular heartbeat, chronic chest pain, seizures, headaches, heart attack, respiratory failure, gastrointestinal problems, and repeated convulsions.
Methamphetamine users are at risk for severe mental symptoms such as hallucinations, paranoia, depression, and violent behavior. The physical health effects include liver damage, brain damage, lung damage, depressed immune system, and dental disease.
How Drug Addiction Affects Your Professional and Personal Life

As if the horrible things drugs do to a man’s body isn’t bad enough, drug addiction can severely impact both his personal and professional life. Drug use can tear a family apart at the drug-addicted person focuses on obtaining the drug at all cost. Finances can be ruined, jobs lost, and families crumbled all in a matter of months. This isn’t to say that a man who recreationally uses once in the while is going to find his life going down in flames but occasional use can turn to addiction overnight given the right drug.
Getting Help for Your Addiction
If you feel drugs have become the focus of your life, it might be time to think about getting help for your addiction. The mental and physical health effects of drugs can be reversed if you take the time to get the treatment you need.
There are as many different treatment programs out there as there are types of addiction. You can anonymously enter an inpatient facility to receive intensive, round-the-clock care or choose a more convenient outpatient program. You can also check into a hospital for safe detoxification before getting regular therapy to treat your addiction.
Whether it’s your own addiction or the addiction of a man in your life, there is always help and treatment out there. It’s never too late. Even if there’s been a loss of job, financial difficulties, or an end to a relationship, there’s always a new beginning on the other side.
Addiction doesn’t have to rule your life. You’re much stronger than you think. Spend some time alone and really think about how addiction has affected our life and what you can do about it.
If you’re a loved one, think about how to approach the addicted man in your life delicately. You might even think about staging an intervention with other concerned friends and family members. If you’re an addicted man, take a long sober look at the health and personal problems your addiction is causing. Look in the mirror and see the person you’ve become. That isn’t who you really are inside. The real you is still in there. All you have to do is get clean and let him out again.