Addiction is on the rise throughout the United States. The statistics show that 11.7 percent of the population who are over the age of twelve have used illegal drugs.
If you suspect that you or your loved one may be having problems with addiction, some signs are hard to miss.
These common signs of addiction in yourself or a loved one are easy to spot if you are aware of them. Take a look at some of the signs that you need to pay attention to, so you can get help.
The Behavioral Signs of Addiction
The behavioral signs of addiction are often the first evidence of drug addiction that people see.
When a person is addicted to drugs, their behaviors will start falling into certain patterns. These patterns are usually destructive.
Neglect of Responsibilities
An addiction to drugs will usually show itself as neglect of other important priorities in life.
You or your loved one may start letting the responsibilities that you have to your family or your job slide. Truancy from school or dropping out altogether may also occur.
This is where addiction takes on a destructive pattern because it has overtaken you or your loved one’s life.
Reckless Endangerment of Self and Others
One of the key characteristics of addiction is the total disregard for the physical or emotional distress that is happening to yourself or those around you.
Even though it is obvious that the drug is causing harm, you may be unable to stop yourself from going down that path.
You or your loved one may find yourself wanting to break the habit but find it difficult to do so.
If you do stop abusing the drug for a few days or weeks, you may go right back to the same pattern eventually. When this becomes a cycle, addiction is getting out of control.
If you have been confronted about your drug abuse but have denied it even though you know it is true. This is also a telltale sign that you are addicted and need help.
The Physical Signs of Drug Addiction
Physical addiction signs often become obvious over time. Physical signs of the effect of addiction can be severe or mild. The physical signs of addiction can become dangerous if they are not dealt with quickly.
Lack of Self-Care
When you are a loved one becomes addicted to drugs or alcohol, one of the telltale signs may be a lack of self-care. You may start forgetting to look after yourself.
Personal hygiene may become an issue, and you or your loved one may start losing weight. Drug abuse may also cause a loss of appetite, so eating patterns may start to change, and this can lead to weight loss.
Insomnia
When you or a loved one becomes addicted to drugs, you may notice that your sleep pattern starts to change.
A lack of sleep will result in being excessively tired and unable to function effectively throughout the day.
It may also result in brain fog, making it difficult to concentrate and do simple tasks. There may also be a loss of memory.
At the extreme, there may be an irregular heartbeat and high blood pressure, which can become dangerous and lead to hospitalization.
The Psychological Signs of Addiction
Addiction doesn’t only affect people behaviorally or physically. There may also be psychological damage.
The psychological damage can begin slowly, and then it escalates until you or your loved one’s life is completely out of control.
Personality Shift
One of the major signs that a person is feeling the effects of addiction is a personality shift.
If you or your loved one were previously kind or loving, you might notice that you start becoming aggressive and argumentative. Angry outbursts and sudden shifts in mood are characteristics of addiction.
You or your loved one may start withdrawing from people. This withdrawal from others is usually accompanied by secrecy.
Paranoia
One of the many symptoms of addiction that you or your loved one may get from addiction is paranoia. Drug abuse can cause people to create fantasies. You or your loved one may think that people are out to harm you.
You or your loved one may go from barely thinking about an incident or an interaction to completely obsessing about it.
You may then come to paranoid conclusions about what it all means. The line between fantasy and reality is often diminished when there is addiction.
Lack of Motivation
Addiction can often cause people to lose their motivation. You or your loved one may go from being hard-working and focused on your future to not caring at all. This psychological shift occurs because the drug has now taken priority.
The need to have the drug becomes more important than any other achievement. This means that work performance, school performance, and family life will be affected. This is when getting help from a treatment center such as Hope Rising Recovery may become necessary.
Get Help for Addiction
One of the most important things anyone can do if they are plagued with addiction is to get help. Addiction is rarely something that one can battle on their own and win.
However, once signs of addiction are spotted, with the help of professionals, family, and friends, it is possible to put addiction behind you.
Getting back on the right path is not always easy, and it may require dedication and perseverance on your part or that of your loved ones.
The good news is that many people have taken this path before, and they have succeeded. If you would like more informative tips, please visit the health section of the website.
About The Author:
Stacey Smith is a freelance health writer. She is passionate to write about women’s health, dental health, diabetes, endocrinology, and nutrition and provides in-depth features on the latest in health news for medical clinics and health magazines.
