Normalizing Addiction & Abuse — the crosswinds collective

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This blog post is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, please seek help immediately.

Before I was a police officer, I had NO idea what drugs were.

I can honestly tell you that I believed marijuana was a hardcore drug and “dope” was another word for a cigarette… my mom had successfully sheltered me from the ugly part of the world.

But then my world view tilted.. upside down.

After seeing abuse day after day, and learning that drugs are at the heart of all crime and most family issues, I believe an explanation of illegal drugs, what they look like, and how they show up in the everyday world, would remove the mystique and de-romanticize the promiscuity of using drugs.

This blog goes into the details of the top 5 drugs I witnessed being abused and the observable symptoms.

Alcohol

Depressant - Highly Addictive

Can cause memory loss, decreased motor function, impairs reasoning, speech, nausea and vomiting.

Ethanol, ethyl alcohol, beer, wine, liquor.

Let’s talk about functional alcoholics… because let’s be honest, it is not very often we encounter functional meth addicts.

Here are some red flags/ indicators you or someone you know is a functioning alcoholic:

Drinking has caused relationship issues
A lack of alcohol causes withdrawal symptoms
A loved one has confronted you. And you get angry/irritated about it.
Use mealtime for an excuse to have a drink
Making jokes about alcohol or the amount you consume
Engaging in high-risk activities: DUI, binge drinking, unprotected sex, etc
Experiencing frequent black-outs

man wearing joker face paint and smoking a cigarette in a bathroom

Methamphetamine (Meth, Speed, Clear, Glass, Crank)

Stimulant - Highly Addictive

Can cause memory loss, dilated pupils, anxiety/paranoia, decreased appetite, and delusions. Enlarged pupils.

Glass/crystalline shards, usually white/colorless but can be blue or pink. Users will have empty small ziplock bags with white residue or small containers with residue.

Injected by hypodermic needle and syringe
Smoked with glass pipe with bulbous end or bongs with bulbous attachments
Snorted with “tooters”

close up of woman laying in the grass, no make up

Cocaine/Crack (Blow, White, Snow)

Stimulant - Highly Addictive

Can cause increased confidence, alertness, decreased appetite.

Cocaine is usually in a fine white powder. Crack cocaine looks very similar to methamphetamine, but chalkier/powdery in texture. Users will have empty small ziplock bags with white powdery residue.

Injected by hypodermic needle and syringe
Smoked in glass pipe with filter
Snorted with “tooters”

Heroin/Opioids (Black, 30’s, 40’s,Oxy)

Can cause warmth and increased sense of relaxation. Heavy users can “nod-off” mid-conversation, then pick-up where you had left off when woken back up. Pin-point pupils.

Heroin appears as a black tar-like substance, or brown powder. Opioids in pill form are most commonly abused as fentanyl or oxycodone. Withdrawal from opioids causes severe flu-like symptoms. Users will have dirty spoons, rolled up balls of tin-foil, and unexplained large amounts of cotton balls/q-tips.

Injected by hypodermic needle and syringe
- Will often see a spoon and cotton q-tips in close proximity
Smoked by burning pills
- Will often see aluminum foil in close proximity
Snorted with “tooters”
Swallowed

girl holding a bag of pills in her mouth, drug addiction, drug addict

Inhalants/Whippets

Can impair coordination and speech, as well as hallucinations and brain damage.

Commonly found in household items such as: spray paint, nitrous oxide canisters, and glue. Users will often have inhalant residue on their hands or face, or abundance of inhalant containers in close proximity.