My brother is a drug user and an addict. It's hidden for the most part.
There were some serious changes over the past few years. For example many of his hangovers were intense. Like he could go out on a Friday or Saturday evening and come home the next day or the day after. He would be in the bed until Thursday and avoids the rest of the family too like getting up at night time. Not that we would be on his back.
I suspect hes using hard drugs with his friends and it was suggested elsewhere that it could be speed or mephedrone. I also think he's using weed as a softer drug to come down from the harder drugs and for the time in between hits of harder drugs.
I don't know what his current drug status is. What he is taking, how much he is taking, how often he is taking.
There was some serious mood and personality changes over the past 4 to 5 years. We used have a stray cat that came around begging for food. The sound of the cat used to irritate him. His response was far too much. To go thumbing down the hall with a pellet gun to shout at the cat and shoot at him to scare him away. He was like that for years with the cat. He has mellowed somewhat but his mood is still not right. Now his focus is on the neighbours dog. Other neighbours are doing some building work and have trucks coming and going. If he is woken, all he does his thumb and bang his feet down the hall to the bathroom.
He followed the lockdown. He was actually very good following the lockdown rules and he obeyed by them. He was actually surprisingly very good with the lockdown.
There's something not right. Time and time and time again he locks himself away into his room. It's not right. He has a fridge in his room and supplies but still it's not right. I don't know if he's getting stoned and he's just too stoned to get up or if it's some sort of a depression.
I read the drugs can alter moods, personality and hormones. He suffers from insomnia. He never once went to the doctor about it. I know now that it's from the drugs. Melatonin is a hormone responsible for sleep. Serotonin is a hormone responsible for moods and happiness.
I'm thinking now if he has depression that was fuelled by drug usage?
Does anyone have experience of this? Is this a long term depression? Does it get better? What is the prognosis? My mother has taken a soft approach with him in fear of him killing himself. I'm not handling it well myself and I have withdrawn and I avoid him completely now. I think he is someone who needs help.