Signs A Loved One Has An Addiction

by erin on December 14, 2011

Being a witness to just how harmful a serious drug or alcohol addiction can be is quite a wake-up call. Families, friends, and significant others around the world have all felt the effects of addictions. Confronting a friend or family member about dependency can be very intimidating, but drug addiction treatment can ultimately make things alright again. Determining whether a loved one is addicted or has some other problem is the first step towards helping them.

Abuse

Having to witness a loved one suffer from alcohol or drug abuse is so incredibly difficult, but a lot of the time this abuse is not immediately visible. Knowing some of the most tell-tale symptoms can help you determine if a loved one is dependent. Just knowing some of the early warning signs can possibly help stop the problem before it becomes too prominent, and it could probably even help save a life. Addicts experience behavioral and physical symptoms. Behavioral symptoms – such as mood swings, anxiety, or general apathy – can be just as devastating as the physical symptoms – such as significant changes in weight, red eyes, runny nose, or a general look of sickness.

Mood

A tell-tale symptom of addiction is personality change. Someone who is usually friendly and confident might appear depressed, antagonistic, or violent. Mood swings are a very prominent symptom of substance abuse, and as one could imagine, these mood swings are damaging to all different types of relationships. In addition, an addict might change the group they usually associate with, change how they dress, or grow distant from loved ones.

Addiction

Symptoms of addiction make up a list that is very long, but it is important to remember that many of these symptoms could be of indicative of some other issue, such as depression, illness, anxiety, and more. Generally, these problems aren’t smoking-gun evidence to substance abuse, but that does not make them any less substantial. Actually, they deserve as much care as addiction, but should these symptoms escalate or change, a drug problem might be the cause. At this point, action is necessary, such as getting in contact with a drug addiction treatment facility.

Recovery

The process of recovery is always under threat of relapse. In the same way that addiction is detected, relapse also has some signs and symptoms to look out for. Manipulation and blame are two of these symptoms, and they are directly tied to an absent sense of personal responsibility. Sympathy is absolutely important in recovery, but even more important is helping the affected person readopt their sense of control over their life. Personal responsibility is necessary to do this. Another symptom is simple complacency. A recovering addict might assure themselves they’ve won. They’ve beaten the drug and no longer need to work towards recovery. However, this is a dangerous state of mind, and oftentimes, the one helping the person recovery becomes assured themselves, which compounds the problem. Relapse is a very real concern, and extra care should be taken to ensure the recovery process is completed to the fullest.

You are not by yourself if you are concerned a loved one might be struggling with an addiction. Looking into drug addiction treatment programs at residential drug addiction treatment centers and taking the first step towards making a loved one well again and helping them get back on track is something you can do to help. 

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