Signs of Drug Addiction
The essential precursor to looking for a rehab is to determine whether or not you’re actually experiencing a drug problem. Although substance abuse and a drug problem would seem to refer to the same thing, there’s a slight distinction to be made. Substance abuse simply refers to the misuse of a mind-altering substance, which is exhibited by anyone who overindulges. One the other hand, a drug problem implies that a person’s misuse of a substance has become problematic, or has begun causing problems in other areas of his or her life. Additionally, people who develop substance abuse problems typically experience some of the same effects, whether it’s an effect on their person, on their relationships, or some aspect of their overall life. So if you’re trying to determine whether you have a drug problem, it’s a good idea to look for some of these trademark signs of problematic drug use and dependence.
1. Effects on Self
As a substance abuse problem progresses, a person begins experiencing the aftereffects of a substance abuse session — known as a “hangover” — during more and more of his or her sober time. Soon it becomes more than just a hangover. There’s a lingering feeling of physical unwellness during the times when one isn’t under the influence of alcohol or drugs, which is the first indication of withdrawal. Similarly, a substance abuse problem has a quick effect of a person’s spirituality. Due in part to guilt and in part because of a preoccupation with substance abuse, most people who develop drug problems become detached from their beliefs and spirituality, triggering feelings of emptiness and a lack of fulfillment.
An alcohol or drug problem is also known to cause a growing disinterest in many of the things in which a person used to be involved or interested. Additionally, people with drug problems become much less social, especially when they’re not under the influence. There’s also a decreasing concern about physical appearance and oftentimes hygiene as well. Meanwhile, since substance abuse alters neurochemical levels to cause feelings of happiness and euphoria, people with drug problems often feel sad, depressed, aggravated, or anxious when they’re not under the influence. It’s also characteristic to feel emotionally flat and unaffectionate toward others, which compounds feelings of loneliness, isolation, and emptiness.
2. Effects on Relationships with Family
After the change in behavior and other personal effects, a substance abuse problem will have a profound impact on a person’s relationships with family members, spouse or partner, and other loved ones. Because of a general disinterest in anything that doesn’t involve alcohol or drugs, people with drug problems inadvertently become distant and non participative in their relationships. This emotional distance can result in losing the closeness that one previously had with loved ones. In many cases, being emotionally distant escalates to dishonesty and, when combined with a growing sense of desperation, will culminate in a person taking advantage of loved ones, even resorting to stealing from them if it’s deemed necessary.
It’s the unfortunate reality that a drug problem leads to many poor choices. In many cases, those poor choices will also have a direct effect on a person’s family, putting their health and well-being at risk. This will even cause relationships between other family members to deteriorate. It’s common for the parents of someone with a drug problem to have to kick him or her out of the home in order to protect the remainder of the family. Moreover, being kicked out of the home often means being cut off as well, no longer able to rely on the family that had reached their breaking point.
3. Loss of Job
Being an independent, self-sufficient adult in today’s society requires an income, which people maintain by working in their careers and jobs. For many people, the jobs they hold are the result of many years of hard work and maybe a college degree; however, it’s very unlikely for a person to develop any sort of career or hold a job that offers a level of security if he or she has a substance abuse problem. In fact, it’s almost impossible to have a drug problem and hold any job at all, even one that’s entry-level. If you develop a substance abuse problems while employed, your drug problem is inevitably going to lead to a decline in your performance or attendance and cost your job.
Depending on the industry in which a person works, the result of going to work while hungover or under the influence could be catastrophic, causing grievous injury to oneself or others. The inherent risk involved with an employee who goes to work while intoxicated is one that virtually no employer will take. Moreover, it’s increasingly difficult to find a replacement job when you have a substance abuse problem. Therefore, losing a job or being unable to find a job because of your substance abuse is a good indicator of the presence of a drug problem.
4. Loss of Friends
After blood relatives and spouse, a person’s friends are some of the most important people in his or her life. In some cases, they might be people you grew up with and who accompanied you through all the awkward phases of adolescence. For such people, there’s probably nothing you wouldn’t do for them, but when alcohol or drugs come into the picture, something changes. Before you’ve even realized that it has happened, you’ve reached the point where there’s nothing you wouldn’t do to get some distance from those nagging friends so you can enjoy your alcohol or drugs in peace. Like the flip of a switch, a person’s friends fall much further down on his or her list of important things, and the worst part is that the person’s friends will surely sense how unimportant they’ve become.
Alternately, a person’s substance abuse problem could be so off-putting to his or her friends that they actually take it upon themselves to weed the substance abuser out of their lives. There aren’t many wake-up calls as effective as realizing that one’s alcohol or drug habit is such that one’s friends don’t want to be around him or her. In short, a drug habit will cost someone many of his or her friendships, whether it’s because they’re less important than substance abuse or because they couldn’t be friends with someone who has such a serious substance abuse problem. When a person is spending much of his or her time abusing alcohol or taking drugs and can’t remember the last time that he or she wanted to speak to any friends, it would be a good idea to find treatment for a substance abuse problem.