Hawaii Island Recovery 
Any form of drug use can have ramifications for both individuals and their families. Being able to identify signs of drug use in a loved one is necessary to open a conversation about treatment, recovery, and sobriety. While drug use comes with a myriad of physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral signs, finding track marks can be a clear indication that treatment is needed. Knowing what to do when a person does find track marks on a loved one is necessary to navigate the situation carefully and explore potential support and treatment options. Hawaii Island Recovery is a resource for those ready to challenge their use of drugs and for families supporting their loved ones.
What Are Track Marks?
Track marks are small puncture wounds or scabs that occur due to the use of needles to inject drugs into the veins. These track marks are one of the most prominent and identifiable signs of those using drugs intravenously. Injecting drugs like heroin, cocaine, methamphetamines, or prescription stimulants and opioids can all leave these track marks on the body. However, finding track marks can be difficult for a couple of reasons.
For many of those using IV drugs, there will be an active effort to hide or cover up these injection sites. If a person does find track marks on a loved one, lying is common to try to mask their implications. Therefore, being able to accurately identify track marks oneself is paramount to helping family members and loved ones make the most informed decision on how to challenge drug addiction in a loved one.
While track marks can vary in severity, there are some common signs to look for to identify track marks accurately. These include:
- Small scabs or puncture wounds
- Redness around suspected injection sites
- Scarring
- Bruises
- Dark, discolored skin
- Changes in skin texture
- Collapsed veins
Track marks can also worsen over time with repeated IV drug use, especially if a person is injecting in the same location, furthering the damage done to the body. The physical effects of IV drug use can also be worsened by other unhygienic practices. Sharing needles can greatly increase the chance of infection and the spread of disease, while compromised hygiene routines due to addiction can cause more damage to the body, nutrition, and more.
While track marks are commonly seen on the forearms, this is not always true. It is possible to find track marks anywhere on the body that has easy access to a vein. Legs, upper thighs, the soles of the feet, and any other location are possible to inject drugs. Noticing these signs of potential track marks and talking to dedicated professionals about other signs of drug use and addiction can be crucial to helping a loved one get the treatment necessary to begin their journey toward a sober life.
Making it Hard to Find Track Marks
If an individual can locate and identify track marks on a loved one, it can be a clear sign that treatment for drug use and addiction is necessary. However, those injecting drugs are also wary of these signs. It is common for those engaging with drugs to make an active effort to prevent family members or loved ones from being able to find track marks on their bodies. As a result, many of those living with drug addiction may hide these signs from loved ones in various ways.
Covering The Site
The most common way that those living with a drug addiction may attempt to hide their IV drug use and prevent a loved one from being able to find track marks is by covering the injection site and preventing others from seeing the skin. Commonly, this is through the use of heavy, baggy clothing. An individual may wear out-of-season clothes, such as a sweatshirt in summer, year-round jeans, socks at all hours, and more to prevent others from being able to see an injection site. Others may use accessories to cover specific spots on their body.
Using Makeup So Loved Ones Don’t Find Track Marks
Makeup may also be used to help hide the signs of track marks, hoping to cover up the redness, scabbing, scars, or bruises that commonly help identify track marks. Applying makeup to odd places can be another sign that a loved one may be trying to cover up evidence of IV drug use.
Multiple Injection Sites
Those who are aware of the extent of damage that IV drug use can do to the body may also attempt to hide track marks by regularly changing injection sites. By moving between different injection sites, those using IV drugs can allow initial track marks to heal more and prevent overly damaging a single part of their body. However, any kind of IV drug use can result in track marks and recent sites can still be easily identified.
Isolating
Self-isolation tendencies are common among those engaging with drugs. Adopting a more secretive lifestyle, such as locking doors or leaving without notifying others can be cause to raise questions about potential drug use in a loved one. This secrecy can be used by those using drugs to prevent family members from witnessing evidence of drug addiction. Being averse to social outings or spending time with family can be another way of preventing family members from being able to find track marks.
Hiding track marks is rarely done out of any malice for family members. Rather, for many of those engaging with drugs of any kind, it is often seen as a way to “protect” friends, family members, and loved ones from the destructive effects of the drug or to prevent these important people from worrying about the challenges they go through each day. A loved one hiding track marks isn’t typically done simply so they can continue to engage in drugs, but rather so family members aren’t as impacted by their destructive effects. However, the effects of drug use and addiction are never truly isolated, even if these efforts to prevent loved ones from finding track marks are common.
What To Do If You Find Track Marks
Accurately identifying track marks on a loved one can be a major challenge, and comes with a wave of intense and challenging emotions. This realization is never easy to process, and it is common to want to jump in and help a loved one immediately. However, track marks indicate the need to approach the situations delicately and with educated intent to ensure family members and loved ones can address the situation without inadvertently adding more stress.
Take a Deep Breath
It is normal to be overwhelmed with intense and complicated emotions if an individual does find track marks on a loved one. Feelings of disappointment, anger, frustration, sadness, and more are all common and completely normal. While these emotions are warranted in the situation, they can also make addressing drug addiction and track marks difficult. Rather, it is more important to wait a moment, step back, and take a deep breath. Reacting to the situation with intense emotions, especially ones like anger, can make it difficult to provide effective support. Mentally and emotionally collecting oneself is paramount to approach the situation calmly and fairly.
Educate Oneself
Education is paramount during this time. Addiction is an incredibly complicated disease, especially when it comes to potent IV drugs like heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamines. Learning about these drugs, their effects, and other signs of drug use can be crucial. Talking to professionals like those at Hawaii Island Recovery is also important to further understand the effects of addiction on the brain and to better sympathize with a loved one living with addiction while challenging feelings of anger or resentment that are common after a person does find track marks.
Find Track Marks and Other Evidence of Drug Use
Drug use can impact every facet of daily life, and those engaging with drugs regularly can leave evidence of use around if a person knows what to look for. Behavioral changes, paraphernalia, or even locating needles in the garbage can all be evidence of further use that can help confront an individual with the extent of their use. Having this evidence alongside specific signs of drug addiction such as specific behaviors on particular days can be important for having a fair and honest dialogue without feeling like a personal confrontation or attack.
For example, instead of saying that a loved one is “always gone,” mention specific times when their behavior was odd, such as sneaking out at a particular time of night on a specific day.
Get Ready For a Conversation
Talking to a loved one about drug use is difficult. An individual often has one chance to start this dialogue, and choosing the right time and place is an important decision. Choosing a neutral place where a person won’t feel confined or attacked, and is otherwise comfortable, is necessary. A neutral living space, or even their bedroom or house, can be the best place to begin. Likewise, choosing a place with limited distractions, such as having curtains and an area with low outside noise pollution, can further help these conversations stay focused.
Similarly, scheduling these conversations at a time when there won’t be other time restrictions is important. These conversations can take a long time, and being able to have extended conversations without having to cut them short or interrupt them is paramount.
Lastly, getting ready for a conversation about such a heavy topic also means steeling oneself for difficult questions and responses. These conversations will be incredibly emotionally charged, and ensuring that each person is emotionally prepared, calm, and ready for it can take time.
Organize A Plan
Before confronting a loved one about drug addiction, each person or family should set a goal for the particular conversation and have a plan on how to navigate the difficult conversation ahead. Rehearsing difficult questions and collecting resources about potential treatment options can all be important. Knowing the goal of a particular conversation, whether it be to situate oneself as a support, introduce harm reduction strategies, or get a loved one to commit to Hawaii Island Recovery or another local treatment program for their health can be essential for keeping these difficult conversations focused and on-message.
There Will Be Resistance
Even the most well-crafted and sympathetic of approaches to these topics will most likely be met with resistance, denial, and even lying. These are common self-defense measures for those engaging with drugs, and it is crucial not to interpret these actions as personal attacks or slights. Rather, staying calm and understanding the effects of drugs on a person’s life can help contextualize these kinds of responses.
Continuing to use evidence, rather than engage with this emotionally-charged approach to the conversation, can be an important way to address possible lies and challenges throughout the conversation.
Familiarize Yourself with Treatment Options After You Find Track Marks
There is no single journey to a sober future, and overcoming drug addiction is a very personal journey. Likewise, what works well for one person may not necessarily be the best option for another. Talking to local treatment facilities like Hawaii Island Recovery about potential treatment programs and options, methods, available therapies, and more can be necessary when creating a plan to best support a loved one in overcoming drug addiction.
Having an understanding of the treatment options available can empower family members and loved ones to help those living with drug addiction make the most informed decision on where they can pursue treatment for the highest chances of success. Likewise, having pamphlets or websites of these locations already pulled up can encourage a person to do more research on the location and community that they feel they will best fit into for their success.
Avoid Assumptions and Accusations
Track marks are an important piece of evidence of drug use, and can be used to open a conversation about treatment options. However, these conversations must continue with this same approach to evidence. Avoiding assumptions and approaching the conversation as a conversation rather than an accusation or interrogation is paramount. Allowing each person time and respect to speak is necessary, and it is important to take their responses seriously. By using evidence to back up provable claims, family members can situate themselves as supports and prevent a loved one from seeing family as a hurdle to future drug use, forcing an individual to confront the extent of their drug use instead.
Challenge Enabling Behavior
Enabling drug use goes far beyond simply making drugs accessible. Rather, doing anything that can facilitate drug use can be considered enabling. For many, enabling is unintentional, such as providing money for rent, groceries, or necessities when it shouldn’t otherwise be necessary. This can cause those living with drug addiction to compromise their budgets and finances further to purchase more drugs, even if families believe they are supporting their loved ones.
Providing unnecessary monetary support, making excuses for, not following through on set consequences, or ignoring other signs and consequences of use are all ways that family members and loved ones may be enabling further drug use. Talking to the professionals at Hawaii Island Recovery about effective methods of support and what changes may be necessary can be the best way of encouraging positive support.
Seek Personal Care After You Find Track Marks
Taking care of oneself is important, especially with the stress that comes after a person finds track marks on a loved one. Engaging in self-care, individual therapy, and more can help each person process these stresses and challenges. Finding local outpatient therapy centers and support groups for families of those overcoming drug addiction can be an important resource. For others, finding family treatment programs to address drug use and its effects on the family, and engaging in a unified approach to overcoming addiction can facilitate effective personal healing. Online support groups and communities can also be a way to connect with other families who have navigated similar challenges.
Hawaii Island Recovery’s Hawaii drug rehabilitation centers take a familial approach to treatment and recovery to encourage change inside and outside of the treatment facility for a holistic and sustainable approach to healing for entire families.
When a person does find track marks on a loved one, it presents a very challenging situation and one that demands attention. Dedicated family support and professional treatment are both essential during this time. However, that doesn’t mean that any part of drug addiction and recovery is easy to navigate. Being able to find track marks is just the beginning of the healing journey. Working with professionals, engaging in mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical healing practices, and engaging in dedicated family programs are all part of the journey to overcoming the devastating effects of IV drug use on individuals and their families alike.
Finding track marks on a loved one is a difficult and tense situation, and knowing what steps to take is crucial. at Hawaii Island Recovery, we understand the challenging position that drug use and addiction can put not just individuals but entire families. Our Hawaii drug rehabilitation centers can help you start the journey from finding track marks to sobriety. We offer a holistic approach to overcoming drug addiction, providing professional care to those overcoming drug use as well as education and support to their families for the most effective and sustainable change. From professional detox programs to residential treatment, experiential therapies, and a community of peers, we can help you. Call us today at (866) 390-5070.
