<ul><li>Lack interest in things you used to love</li><li>Change your friends a lot</li><li>Stop taking care of yourself</li><li>Spend more time alone than you used to</li><li>Eat more or less than normal</li><li>Sleep at odd hours</li><li>Have problems at work or with family</li><li>Switch quickly from feeling good and bad</li><li>Crave or strongly desire to use the substance</li></ul>

Signs of a Substance Abuse Problem

<h4>Continued</h4><h2>Cocaine</h2><p>This drug speeds up your whole body. When you use cocaine, you may talk, move, or think very fast. You may feel happy and full of energy. But your mood may then shift to anger. You may feel like someone is out to get you. It can cause you to do things that don’t make sense.</p><p>Using cocaine for a long time will lead to strong cravings for the drug.</p><h2>Marijuana</h2><p>A growing number of states have legalized medical uses of marijuana. A handful of states also allow recreational pot. But in most states, it’s still illegal.</p><p dir="ltr">
          <a href="https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/marijuana-use-and-its-effects" data-metrics-link="" data-crosslink-type="article" dir="ltr">Marijuana</a> can make you feel silly and laugh for no reason. Or you may feel sleepy and forget things that just happened. Driving while high on pot is just as dangerous as drunk driving. And heavy marijuana use can leave some people “burned out” and not think or care about much.</p><h2>Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products</h2><p>You may not think of these as drugs. But tobacco has a chemical called nicotine that gives you a little rush of pleasure and energy. The effect can wear off fast and leave you wanting more. You can abuse and get addicted to the nicotine in cigarettes, just like other drugs.</p><h2>Signs of a Substance Use Problem</h2><p dir="ltr">When you first start taking a substance, you may think you can control how much you use. But over time, you may need more of the drug to get the same feeling or effect. For some people, that can lead beyond abuse to <a href="https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/default.htm" data-metrics-link="" data-crosslink-type="article" dir="ltr">addiction</a>. Signals that you may have a problem with substance abuse include if you:</p><UL><LI>Lack interest in things you used to love</LI><LI>Change your friends a lot</LI><LI>Stop taking care of yourself</LI><LI>Spend more time alone than you used to</LI><LI>Eat more or less than normal</LI><LI>Sleep at odd hours</LI><LI>Have problems at work or with family</LI><LI>Switch quickly from feeling good and bad</LI><LI><p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Crave&nbsp;or strongly desire to use the substance&nbsp;</p></LI></UL><h2>Don't Wait. Get Help Now.</h2><p>Substance abuse affects every part of your life. It can hurt you and the people around you. It can ruin relationships and your financial health. Abusing drugs can also lead to addiction and cause serious health problems and even death.</p><p>If you or a loved one is struggling with&nbsp;substance abuse, WebMD Connect to Care Advisors are standing by to help.</p><div dir="ltr">
          <span dir="ltr">WebMD Medical Reference</span>
          <span dir="ltr">Reviewed by <a href="https://www.webmd.com/casarella-jennifer" dir="ltr">Jennifer  Casarella</a><span dir="ltr"> on September 29, 2020</span></span>
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        <span dir="ltr">© 2020 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.</span>
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<p>This drug speeds up your whole body. When you use cocaine, you may talk, move, or think very fast. You may feel happy and full of energy. But your mood may then shift to anger. You may feel like someone is out to get you. It can cause you to do things that don’t make sense. </p>

<p>Using cocaine for a long time will lead to strong cravings for the drug. </p>

<p>A growing number of states have legalized medical uses of marijuana. A handful of states also allow recreational pot. But in most states, it’s still illegal. </p>

<p><a href="https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/marijuana-use-and-its-effects">Marijuana </a>can make you feel silly and laugh for no reason. Or you may feel sleepy and forget things that just happened. Driving while high on pot is just as dangerous as drunk driving. And heavy marijuana use can leave some people “burned out” and not think or care about much. </p>

<p>You may not think of these as drugs. But tobacco has a chemical called nicotine that gives you a little rush of pleasure and energy. The effect can wear off fast and leave you wanting more. You can abuse and get addicted to the nicotine in cigarettes, just like other drugs. </p>

<p>When you first start taking a substance, you may think you can control how much you use. But over time, you may need more of the drug to get the same feeling or effect. For some people, that can lead beyond abuse to <a href="https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/default.htm">addiction </a>. Signals that you may have a problem with substance abuse include if you: </p>

<ul><li>Lack interest in things you used to love </li><li>Change your friends a lot </li><li>Stop taking care of yourself </li><li>Spend more time alone than you used to </li><li>Eat more or less than normal </li><li>Sleep at odd hours </li><li>Have problems at work or with family </li><li>Switch quickly from feeling good and bad </li><li><p>Crave or strongly desire to use the substance  </p> </li> </ul>

<p>Substance abuse affects every part of your life. It can hurt you and the people around you. It can ruin relationships and your financial health. Abusing drugs can also lead to addiction and cause serious health problems and even death. </p>

<p>If you or a loved one is struggling with substance abuse, WebMD Connect to Care Advisors are standing by to help. </p>

Substance Abuse: Know the Signs

Signs of a Substance Abuse Problem

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