Nurses (particularly those who work in the ER or pain management) can spot drug SEEKERS pretty easily. Some of the reasons are in that list above. But it's really just a matter of experience - when you see it every day, it gets to be recognizable. But a nurse may not be able to tell any more then anyone else that Jimmy smokes pot on the weekends but it doesn't interfere with his job/school/etc. Not all drug users are drug seekers.
I think it's the same with any "specialized" career, like a mechanic can diagnose a car or truck by the way it sounds on the highway or a dressmaker can tell the pattern was laid wrong by the way a dress hangs on the wearer.
Just being out and about in the world, I can spot a person with chronic lung disease and can probably tell you what medications the person takes for his, her condition. The same for someone with liver disease, even the difference between alcohol induced liver problems vs. another liver disease, or heart disease of chronic or acute status.
I'm not as astute with drug seekers because addiction isn't our "problem"; someone else will address the addiction problem when it is appropriate. That's not to say that I (we) ignore the obvious behavior of watching the clock and planning for the next dose of a narcotic or the physical signs of drug use. It's just that no one comes to me (us) and wants to be admitted to our unit(s) simply to receive drugs. Usually they come to us for the basics of respirations and heartbeats!
longsally111
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EC
