If you are new to rehabilitation, you may wonder what addiction looks like and how to identify if you need help. Many variables in addiction may make you uneasy about identifying yourself as a substance abuser. However, some signs can help you understand if you need help. Knowing if you need help is crucial; if you allow your addiction to remain untreated, it may lead to your death.
Knowing the signs of addiction can help you to identify them in friends and family, which may save a life. This article discusses the many red flags that may be noticed with addiction and how to determine whether you should consider treatment. Addiction is a complex reality, but it can be managed successfully through treatment.
Denial
One of the first signs of addiction is being in a state of denial. When you are in denial, you tend to deny or embellish what is happening in your life. You might dismiss the matter, downplay the worries of others, or assign blame for your problems to someone or something else. Denial is a potent coping mechanism for addiction, whether it be to alcohol or drugs, to prevent facing the truth. This is especially true if you deny it to those who ask you if you are using substances or if you have a problem with addiction.
According to Addictive Disorders & Their Treatment, self-deception decreased when 12-Step programs were a part of a treatment program. It may help you to face your thoughts while dispelling the deceptions you have fed yourself throughout your addiction.
Ignoring Risk
Another symptom is not taking risks into the equation when making decisions. When you are struggling with addiction, you likely will continue to use drugs or alcohol, even if it is causing you and your loved ones harm. However, you may ignore this reality. This is also true if you are taking risks while using, such as operating a vehicle or having unsafe relationships. Other examples include ignoring obligations at work, school, or home and having legal issues. When substances circulate through your system, they numb your cognitive and direct needs, tricking you into believing everything is fine, even though the reality is starkly different.
Lack of Control
A troubling sign of addiction is a lack of control. Even in the face of wanting to stop or reduce your drug use, you cannot do so. If you are addicted, you will yearn for the substance you are abusing. You may frequently overlook other aspects of your life to satisfy or support your desires. Lack of control or the inability to refrain from using a substance or engaging in an activity is a common indication of substance abuse.
Physical Signs
Addiction can present itself in behavior, but it can also show itself in physical symptoms. This can help you recognize addiction in your friends and family. These may be more subtle signs such as sudden weight loss or gain, enlarged or small pupils, insomnia, and unkemptness. However, there can be more glaring symptoms, such as bloodshot eyes, poor coordination, slurred speech, and body odor.
Signs of Overdose
You may overdose when taking too much of one or more substances. Depending on the drug or combination of substances used, overdose symptoms can vary greatly. In addition, the signs and symptoms of an overdose may resemble a dangerous development of the drug’s short-term effects with particular substance types, such as opioids. There are also warning signs that may point to an overdose rather than significant intoxication, including changes like ceasing to respond to stimuli or having noticeably slowed or halted respiration.
An overdose can begin with drowsiness, trouble walking, agitation, and aggression. It could further lead to increased delusions, hallucinations, difficulty breathing, and loss of consciousness.
Withdrawal Symptoms
Drug withdrawal is the body’s physiological reaction to the abrupt termination or reduction of a substance on which it has become reliant. Different combinations of physical, mental, and emotional symptoms may be present in the various drug withdrawal syndromes; some of these symptoms can be deadly if untreated.
Individuals with an alcohol use disorder will experience withdrawal symptoms such as headaches, nausea, sleeplessness, and anxiety when alcohol use is discontinued. Serious withdrawal effects, including hallucinations and life-threatening convulsions, are possible. As a result, if you are addicted to alcohol, you should never try to stop drinking independently; instead, you need to undergo medical detox.
Choosing Help
According to StatPearls, clients come in two varieties. The first is upset by their use, and the second stay in a world of denial. Instead of living in denial, you can preserve your life and future happiness by becoming aware of your addiction.
This is only a small list of possible signs for those struggling with addiction. Only you can decide to choose treatment. Whether overconsuming alcohol or ingesting drugs frequently, you deserve to be free from the cycle of destruction. First Steps Recovery believes in your long-term sobriety and asks you to make your health a priority.
Addiction treatment requires knowledgeable medical professionals and proven techniques. At First Steps Recovery, we give our clients the resources they need for treatment and a secure setting that puts them at ease. All we ask of you is the decision to strive for a sober life. You alone have the power to change. Please get in touch with us if you or someone you care about is battling addiction. Until you feel confident enough to start living again, we will support and advise you as you go through the therapy process. Please call First Step Recovery at (844) 489-0836 to learn more about how we can serve you or your loved one.
Addiction treatment requires knowledgeable medical professionals and proven techniques. At First Steps Recovery, we give our clients the resources they need for treatment and a secure setting that puts them at ease. All we ask of you is the decision to strive for a sober life. You alone have the power to change. Please get in touch with us if you or someone you care about is battling addiction. Until you feel confident enough to start living again, we will support and advise you as you go through the therapy process. Please call First Step Recovery at (844) 489-0836 to learn more about how we can serve you or your loved one.
