Substance addictions can have profoundly negative social, professional, personal, and financial impacts upon those facing such difficulties. That said, these dependencies often progress at a quick pace and addicts fail to realize that their problem has spiraled to the point where treatment is indicated.
Knowing When Help Is Needed
The key to conquering a chemical dependency is knowing the telltale signs suggesting that one’s concern is serious and they likely require professional assistance to ultimately beat it. Such criteria include:
Continual Cravings
As one’s addiction grows more pronounced, they experience an intense desire to use the substance in question. These urges are known scientifically as cravings, which can influence an individual’s physical, mental, and emotional health. Moreover, such feelings will not subside until the substance is ingested.
Increasing Focus On The Drug
One might need treatment if they discover that their focus increasingly shifts towards obtaining the chemical they are dependent upon. One’s work, family life, social calendar, and responsibilities take a back seat towards satisfying their next fix. Eventually, an addict’s entire life centers around procuring the drug they are a slave to.
Relationship Problems
Those requiring drug treatment often experience significant relationship issues. Drug dependents may engage in actions such as:
- Lying
- Cheating
- Stealing
- Shunning others
- Partaking in dangerous behaviors
- Experiencing appreciable mood swings
Typically, these behaviors cause tremendous friction with their loved ones and damage the relationships both parties share.
Losing Interest
Chemical dependents may lose interest in anyone or anything not related to the drug they are addicted to or obtaining said substance. In many instances, they no longer wish to:
- Associate with family or friends
- Participate in activities they once enjoyed
- Be among others
- Explore new or different experiences
Additionally, a solid percentage of dependents lose interest in sex. This problem might be a side effect of the substance they use or a physical or emotional manifestation of their addiction. Regardless, the issue could intensify romantic relationship struggles.
Tolerance
Someone may need professional treatment if they grow progressively tolerant to the substance they abuse. Usually, tolerance is a sign of addiction because the body and brain gradually require greater quantities of a given drug to produce the desired effects it elicits. Therefore, dependents often must ingest larger and larger concentrations.
Losing Control
In many cases, addicts eventually lose control. They become so consumed by the drug that they lack any power to influence their behavior. Such events could result in violence and criminality.
Knowing The Problem Exists But Being Unable To Stop
Arguably, realizing the problem is bad but lacking the control or fortitude to stop is a huge red flag. Many addicts are trapped by their addictions. They see how severe the issue has gotten but their bodies and minds are too dependent to enable them to stop without help.
Undergoing Withdrawal
Withdrawal is a major sign of dependency necessitating swift and aggressive professional intervention. As an addiction moves forward, the drug user’s brain and body ultimately cannot function without the substance.
Therefore, if the dependent go any length of time without ingesting the offending chemical, they may experience bothersome and potentially serious physical and mental manifestations called withdrawal symptoms. In certain instances, these events could prove dangerous and even life-threatening if not immediately suppressed.
Actions To Avoid
Those who believe that their addiction might require help from trained addictions specialists are implored to refrain from actions such as:
- Allowing fellow users to convince them their problem is not bad
- Diminish their problem if they are not experiencing most of the preceding indicators
- Thinking the problem is not severe because one has grown adept at hiding it from others
- Believing that the dependency is mild because one is able to hold down a job or execute daily responsibilities
In actuality, treatment industry insiders urge anyone encountering as few as one or two of the aforementioned signs to carefully reevaluate their usage and examine how said activity influences other areas of their lives.
Those stricken with several or all of the preceding symptoms are firmly encouraged to seek professional treatment. Preferably, such care should be administered inside a licensed treatment facility staffed by trained professionals well-versed in the art of addiction recovery.
Contacting Us
Anyone who believes that they might need help beating their dependencies is urged to reach out to us. Our southwestern Florida establishment has helped numerous former dependents get the help that they need and return to the happy and fruitful lives much thought they would never again witness. Call us at 844-639-8371.