Opioid addiction is a crisis in the United States. 

Death due to opioid addiction overdose remains the number one cause of injury-related death in the U.S. 

Most overdose deaths involve opioids, according to the CDC. Opioid addiction impacts many directly, it impacts friends and family members. 

So what are the signs of opioid addiction? 

It can be a bit hard to tell at first. Generally a person that is addicted to opioids will have a generally nervous disposition. The brain creates a whole-body craving. A person’s history is important to take into account and opioids are so powerfully addictive that anyone is not immune. 

Your friend could go in for a routine knee surgery and come out with a bag full of oxycodone. Is the person under a lot of stress and possibly could have sought out some type of pill or morphine? 

How old is the person? 

The younger age, around the teens or early 20s, have a higher risk. Although it can also not discriminate to age overall. 

What is their history with depression or anxiety? 

What is the quality of this person’s relationships like? 

How do they make you feel, has their mood changed and do they seem like a different or a shell of themselves? 

And then eventually signs could escalate into stealing money to attain more opioids as with any addiction it can empty a person’s pockets quickly. 

This can lead to lies and other strange behavior in this person. 

Another sign is that a person tries to steal your own prescription medication from a medical procedure you have had. 

If your intuition is telling you someone you love has an addiction to opioids then speaking up could save their life. 

The first step would be to get them to a physician or health professional for help and also make sure to take care of yourself.