You Ignore Warning Signs
People with addiction may notice the occurrence of negative side effects as the result of their use or addiction-related actions, but they choose to ignore them.
For example, someone who is addicted to exercise may notice they’re experiencing extreme fatigue after burning more calories than they have consumed in a day but will continue to undergo extreme workouts despite those feelings.
Emerging Trends In Substance Misuse:
- MethamphetamineIn 2019, NSDUH data show that approximately 2 million people used methamphetamine in the past year. Approximately 1 million people had a methamphetamine use disorder, which was higher than the percentage in 2016, but similar to the percentages in 2015 and 2018. The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that overdose death rates involving methamphetamine have quadrupled from 2011 to 2017. Frequent meth use is associated with mood disturbances, hallucinations, and paranoia.
- CocaineIn 2019, NSDUH data show an estimated 5.5 million people aged 12 or older were past users of cocaine, including about 778,000 users of crack. The CDC reports that overdose deaths involving have increased by one-third from 2016 to 2017. In the short term, cocaine use can result in increased blood pressure, restlessness, and irritability. In the long term, severe medical complications of cocaine use include heart attacks, seizures, and abdominal pain.
- KratomIn 2019, NSDUH data show that about 825,000 people had used Kratom in the past month. Kratom is a tropical plant that grows naturally in Southeast Asia with leaves that can have psychotropic effects by affecting opioid brain receptors. It is currently unregulated and has risk of abuse and dependence. The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that health effects of Kratom can include nausea, itching, seizures, and hallucinations.
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Poor Coping Skills For Stress
Stress is an important risk factor in addiction. It is especially important in the transition from moderate drug use to dependent drug abuse.
Stress is a risk factor for a few reasons. First, the more stressed you are, the more you will want to escape or relax, and that is why people turn to drugs or alcohol. Second, when you are stressed, you tend to do what is familiar and wrong instead of what is new and right, therefore you are more likely to fall back to your old ways.
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What Are Substance Abuse And Addiction
The difference between substance abuse and addiction is very slight. Substance abuse means using an illegal substance or using a legal substance in the wrong way. Addiction begins as abuse, or using a substance like marijuana or cocaine.
You can abuse a drug without having an addiction. For example, just because Sara smoked pot a few times doesn’t mean that she has an addiction, but it does mean that she’s abusing a drug and that could lead to an addiction.
People can get addicted to all sorts of substances. When we think of addiction, we usually think of alcohol or illegal drugs. But people become addicted to medicines, cigarettes, even glue.
Some substances are more addictive than others: Drugs like crack or heroin are so addictive that they might only be used once or twice before the user loses control.
Addiction means a person has no control over whether he or she uses a drug or drinks. Someone who’s addicted to cocaine has grown so used to the drug that he or she has to have it. Addiction can be physical, psychological, or both.
Recognizing Signs Of Marijuana Addiction
One of the hurdles of recognizing marijuana addiction is that most people are what we know as high-functioning addicts. This means that they go to work, school, attend to their families, and function as non-addict people. Because of this, family members and friends often dont realize their loved one has an addiction until its a significant problem. Even still, here are some signs that your loved one can be struggling with marijuana addiction:
- Irritability
- Defensive when confronted about marijuana use
- Completes denies or even claims marijuana addiction isnt possible
- Feels the need to take a break from family time or work to use marijuana
- Complaints about not feeling right when not using the drug
- Cannot stop talking about how good the drug makes them feel
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How To Treat An Addiction To Pornography When Youre Ready To Recover
If you believe you are suffering from porn addiction, rehabilitation is essential to gaining back control and living a healthy sexual life. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is often used to break the cycle of porn addiction. CBT focuses on minimizing dysfunctional thought patterns and actions. This is an effective therapeutic approach for those with mood disorders such as depression. The goal is to take self-defeating thoughts and transform them into positive messages. It also tries to find more positive and effective stress coping skills than substance abuse. CBT is often a short-term therapy that addresses immediate problems and includes abstinence from porn use. The resources to get you back to yourself exist. Now is the time to ask for help.
If you love someone you believe may be suffering from a porn or sex addiction, intervention services are available.
How To Know If You Have An Addiction: 7 Signs To Look For
Walking down the road of addiction is a life-changing event. Its no easy path to tread, yet such an easy path to stumble onto.
Addictions come in many shapes and sizes and go by many names. Regardless of what the addiction is centered on, however, it has the horrific potential of ruining your life. Addictions can be the root cause of destroyed relationships, lost jobs, financial problems, health issues, and more.
Do you understand how to know if you have an addiction?
Its almost guaranteed that everyone on the planet is addicted to something, even if its minor and somewhat inconsequential food, sex, pornography, videogames, TV, etc.
However, 1 in 7 Americans will deal with substance addiction. Substance addiction, unfortunately, has a far greater ability to become destructive in and around someones life.
Shockingly, even people suffering drug and alcohol addiction can remain oblivious to their own condition. Sometimes its because of fear or denial. Sometimes, people simply dont know or recognize the signs.
Were here to provide answers and guidance. Keep reading to understand and recognize the vital signs that point to addiction.
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You Feel You Need It To Deal With Your Problems
Alongside what Psychology Today calls the “craving or compulsion” to keep doing an addictive thing, there is often another motivator: the belief in its necessity to your functioning. The most common reason that addicts refuse to seek treatment, according to a study of 2.8 million drug users, is that they’re “not ready to stop using,” at a whopping 38.8 percent. Life without the addiction seems terrifying and impossible it has become one of the only reliable ways to deal with your issues and life in general, and you aren’t prepared to try to experience the world without it.
If You Cant Buy Something You Really Want You Feel Deprived Upset Or Angry
Lets say you see a beautiful dress that you just have to have. But you cant afford to buy the dress and the shop owner doesnt allow you to pay for it in small increments.
You beg the shop owner to let you pay it off this way because the thought of not buying this dress is painful.
But once you eventually buy the dress, it wont be long before you find something new that you want to buy. Its an ongoing cycle.
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Are All Addictions The Same
Is addiction to shopping or texting the same as being hooked on drugs or alcohol? We know these things can affect your brain in many of the same ways. But experts don’t yet agree about how far those similarities go. If you feel you have a habit that’s out of control, talk to your doctor or a therapist.
You Have Mind Consuming Thoughts And Cravings
Everyone has wants, desires, and even cravings. However an addicts cravings are overwhelming. Theyre consuming.
A traditional sign that an addiction is forming or has formed already presents itself in your mind.
When youre addicted, once the idea of using pops into your head, you wont be able to think of anything else. Until you satisfy that craving, whether it takes a day or a week, the thought will be there.
These thoughts start innocently. In your mind, youre just thinking about it. It may even start out with you thinking about how it needs to stop.
However, the more you think about it, the more it starts to sound appealing. Before long, the appeal turns into a craving. Finally, the craving turns into a necessity.
Addicts go down this very train of thought all the time, sometimes every day. Thats why its so important to seek help. As an addict, you cant trust your own mind.
It hurts to hear, but its a sincere truth.
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What Would The Old You Have Said About This
When your own thinking surrounding certain behaviors changes in order to make room for the vice, Cofield says you may have moved into an addiction. Finding reasons to rationalize behaviors that you might normally see as irrational is also a common thing, he says. Also, if its something you feel the need to hide from others because of what they might think, then that is probably another sign that it has gotten out of control.
Do I Need Health Insurance To Receive This Service
The referral service is free of charge. If you have no insurance or are underinsured, we will refer you to your state office, which is responsible for state-funded treatment programs. In addition, we can often refer you to facilities that charge on a sliding fee scale or accept Medicare or Medicaid. If you have health insurance, you are encouraged to contact your insurer for a list of participating health care providers and facilities.
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When Your Vice Puts You On An Island
Cofield says when someones life revolves around addiction, They may start to distance themselves from others. This could be due to them being preoccupied with their addiction behaviors and thoughts. They may start to neglect friends and family, he says. For parents, this could mean neglecting their children and for others, it could mean neglecting their significant other. Feeling ashamed of their behaviors could also be a reason for distancing themselves from others.
You Are Beginning To Suffer From Pain Due To Being On The Computer Too Much
Despite this not being substance abuse, porn addicts can have withdrawal symptoms that include anxiety, fear, depression, anger, mood swings, sadness, loneliness, and procrastination. Physical symptoms can include backaches, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, dry eyes, personal hygiene issues, disordered eating, and disordered sleep patterns.
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You Experience Withdrawal Symptoms
Learning how to know if you have an addiction may present itself when you try to stop using.
Addictions plague both the body and the mind. Not only can you become mentally and emotionally addicted to substances, but your body can become physically addicted as well.
Withdrawal symptoms take place when your body goes without the substance and it becomes distressed. These symptoms will be stronger based on the depth of your addiction. The sooner you realize you have a problem, the easier it will be to recover from it.
Withdrawal symptoms are also determined by what substance youre addicted to. They range from irritation and anxiety to muscle soreness, seizures, and hallucinations.
There are multiple and unique symptoms for each type of addiction, however, the typical responses are as follows:
Alcohol withdrawal a few days to a few weeks of tremors and/or seizures
Heroin and pain killers 5 days of flu-like symptoms
Cocain Up to 10 days of depression and restlessness
Benzodiazepines Several weeks or months of seizures and anxiety
New Insights Into The Causes Of Addiction
Addiction involves craving for something intensely, loss of control over its use, and continuing involvement with it despite adverse consequences. Addiction changes the brain, first by subverting the way it registers pleasure and then by corrupting other normal drives such as learning and motivation. Although breaking an addiction is tough, it can be done.
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Your Tolerance Is Increasing
Tolerance isn’t necessarily your body’s ability to “take” a large amount of something it’s more about the relationship between the quantity of an addictive substance or behavior and the reaction it creates. As addicts progress into an addiction, their body gets accustomed, and requires more and more of the addictive thing to get them the same high as when they started. The NCADD calls this “adaptation,” but it can be difficult for addicts to keep track of the rising amounts required to create the same effects.
Signs Of Heroin Abuse
Many people who suspect heroin abuse in a loved one or colleague may not even know what this substance or its related paraphernalia look like. As the Foundation for a Drug-Free World explains, heroin is white in its pure form, but other substances are often cut into it and turn it rose gray, brown, or black.
Heroin paraphernalia include the containers used to transport it and instruments used to consume it. Examples of paraphernalia include but are not limited to:
- Small pieces of foil with burn marks
- Small tubes
- Black tar
- Smack
Heroin is a highly addictive drug and an overdose can prove fatal. For this reason, signs of heroin addiction should be taken seriously, and measures should be taken to stage an intervention or otherwise convince a loved one to join a rehab program.
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The Practicalities Of Recovery Are Intimidating
They could also be afraid of getting help, Cofield says. Whether its outpatient or inpatient treatment, most addictions will require some form of therapy to work through. People struggling may be afraid of the unknown associated with seeking treatment. They could also be worried about how it might impact their lives in other ways as far as jobs, finances, living arrangements, etc.
You Dont Feel Good When Your Partner Is Not Around/ You Feel Jealous Easily
One of the most common signs of being addicted to a person is that you feel bad when your partner is not around which leads to feelings of paranoia that maybe he is with someone else. If they left the house to go out for a drink with his guys and you feel anxious about what might happen, then you should know that you are addicted to them. And the biggest problem is that they wont realize what it means to be attached to someone like that.
Your partner will never be able to understand you, neither will they know how much you suffer when they are not around. And you will totally lose yourself over the man who doesnt love you as much as you love them. This will also result in you overthinking that if theyre hanging out with someone from the opposite sex, theres something going on. Thus, you may grow irrationally jealous at times. So, you better think twice if that is what you really want!
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Youve Started Looking At Illegal Pornography
According to the American Osteopathic Association, Studies show that those who view Internet pornography for hours each week have decreased gray matter, a major component of the central nervous system, than those who do not view it. This means there are fewer neurons and neuroconnectivity in the pleasure centers of the brain. This leaves the brain craving more while making it harder for the same images to provide pleasure. Addicts then seek increasingly deviant sexual images depicting violence or children to satisfy their craving.
This risky behavior can lead to breaking the law and being convicted of a sexual felony. Being a sex offender can limit your access to work and housing. The stigma surrounding sex offenders will also throw you into deeper isolation and could exacerbate your addiction.
Crime And Deviant Behavior
- Have you ever manipulated a doctor to attain prescription drugs?
- Have you ever used substances without knowing what they were or what they would do to you?
- Have you ever stolen substances or stolen something to pay for substances?
- Have you acted erratically or felt not in control of your actions?
Addiction often drives reasonable individuals to uncharacteristic behavior and, in many cases, even crime. Faking a health condition to obtain prescription drugs, stealing from friends or family, and taking unknown substances are common among individuals struggling with addiction. If you find yourself acting out of character, committing crimes or doing things that hurt loved ones to satisfy your substance use habits, you likely have an addiction.
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Your Friends Family Or Co
One way to know if you have an addiction is if other people start pointing it out.
People who are close to you will know if somethings off. They may not come out and directly ask you if you have an addiction, but they will notice changes in your appearance, mood, and behavior.
Your instinct will be to lie and hide your substance abuse. Additionally, bringing it up and asking for help is incredibly difficult. If someone who loves you has noticed and is offering you their help, take this opportunity to come out of hiding.
Having just one person on your side who knows about your problem can make all the difference in the world. Dont let pride or shame stop you from getting the help you need and beginning the process of recovery.
