Signs of being high

Standard symptoms and signs of being "high" are as follows:-

1. Feeling elated, feeling in "overdrive", feeling "high", feeling "wired ", and sometimes simply feeling very angry and irritable .

2. Much more energy than usual.

3. Much less need for sleep than usual (many people have trouble sleeping, but sleeping significantly less than usual and not missing such sleep or feeling unusually tired are significant indicators of being high).

4. More self-confidence than usual.

5. More social confidence and extroversion than usual, such as more confidently initiating conversation with strangers and with other people in social situations.

6. Making more conversation than usual.

7. Making more telephone calls than usual.

8. Feeling more creative than usual, with new ideas about future plans and ways to make

money. (Often these ideas have potential undoubtedly, but the person involved is unable to appreciate the real problems or risks associated with such new, positive ideas.)

9. Driving at higher speed or more aggressively than usual.

10. Having increased sex drive and perhaps being more flirtatious or more sexually active than usual.

11. Spending money more freely than usual.

12. In rare cases, people may take on multiple commitments and obligations, unable to appreciate the reality of what they are intending to do.

Unfortunately, in most people, episodes of being high cause lots of damage to their relationships with other people, cause lots of financial problems, and are usually followed by a crash into depression.

The diagnosis of mania or hypomania (the medical jargon for being high) is difficult in the early stages, as the affected person feels unusually well. The fundamental criterion is the change from the person's usual pattern of feeling and behaving, for no apparent reason. Of course, someone who has just heard some very good news , or has had some exciting developments in their life or in their relationships may feel unusually well and act unusually positively. Similarly, people abusing non-prescribed drugs may also feel temporarily very well before the effect of the drug wears off and the subsequent complications develop.