Addiction, whether to drugs or alcohol, is a terrible disease that takes its toll on both the user and those around them. Here are 11 signs of alcohol or drug addiction to watch out for:
11 Signs Of Alcohol Or Drug Addiction
- Repeated attempts to stop or quit. You have unsuccessfully tried to cut back on using or drinking or tried to stop altogether.
- Cravings. You experience a compulsive urge to use the substance and your mind keeps going back to it, distracting you from other activities.
- Taking larger amounts of the substance and for a longer time than intended. Over time, you notice you’ve started using or drinking more than you wanted to and kept on doing it for a longer time.
- Spending a lot of your time using or drinking. You’re progressively spending more time thinking about the substance, getting high, or dealing with the aftermath of using e.g. hangovers.
- Continued use despite negative consequences. Your family and other relationships are suffering, you’re experiencing financial problems, your job is on the line, you’re in poor health, etc. but you still can’t stop using.
- Increased risk-taking under the influence of the substance. Taking the substance leads to risky behavior e.g. drunk driving, unsafe sex, overdosing, and blacking out, among others.
- Physical and psychological problems. Your body starts to show the effects of the addiction e.g. lung cancer, liver damage, depression, anxiety, and dependence. Despite this, you keep taking the substance.
- Developed tolerance for the substance. Eventually, your body develops a tolerance for alcohol or drug leading you to take higher amounts to achieve the same high.
- Withdrawal symptoms develop. Whenever you reduce the amount of drink or drugs you’re taking or try to stop, you experience withdrawal symptoms. Some of these may be serious enough to be life-threatening.
- Responsibilities and obligations are neglected. You start neglecting your responsibilities e.g. ignore your children, skip work or show up late or hangover, miss deadlines, ignore your schoolwork, etc.
- Giving up activities that were previously enjoyed. As the addiction takes hold, you stop doing or participating in activities or hobbies that you used to enjoy before. You become more secretive and withdrawn.
We Can Help
If you or a loved one is showing one or more of the signs listed above, coupled with a marked change in behavior then addiction may be the culprit. Impact Outpatient Program is here if you need someone to talk to. Located in Louisville Kentucky, Impact Outpatient Program offers both intensive outpatient and traditional outpatient addiction treatment programs. We also have virtual telemedicine sessions so our clients can access their therapy sessions wherever they are. Contact us today and we’ll be happy to walk you through our admissions process as well as our treatment programs.