Addiction and drug abuse are never easy situations to accept, especially if they are impacting your loved ones. But how does one understand the common signs of addiction and the telltale signs of drug abuse in a family member or close friend?
You may be missing some other key signals for drug abuse as a family member’s, or friend’s, addiction begins to manifest. Knowing the signs of addiction early helps to improve the success of an intervention, therapy, and rehab. Most importantly, you’ll personally want to establish clear benchmarks in order to accept the hard truth that someone close to you is battling addiction.
So what are these telltale common signs of addiction? What can you do to then make sure your dearest loved ones to attend the best addiction treatment center?
How Can I Definitively Identify Common Signs of Addiction?
The most basic signal of substance and drug addiction includes frequent intoxication or high during everyday activities. However, this is usually a sign of critical drug abuse after several days, months, or even years of addiction.
What you’ll want to understand are some of the basic and early signs of addiction to effectively determine when drug or substance dependency is developing in a loved one. A list of these early indicators includes:
Obsessive thoughts or actions related to drug abuse – whenever a loved one is constantly talking about getting high or constantly seeking to use drugs. This is usually a clear sign of substance dependency.
Unable to control drug or alcohol consumption – regardless of whether a person should stop for health-related reasons, or for personal reasons, they can’t. This is usually a sign of physical and chronic addiction.
Denial of addiction or drug use – an addict that frequently denies their addiction or constantly lies about drug use is likely struggling with substance use. Denial is a strong indicator that a person is physically addicted and has an emotional struggle with their drug use.
Physical symptoms of drug use – common symptoms including bloodshot eyes, dilated pupils, difficulty with speech, weight loss or gain, and sudden loss of consciousness indicate signs of chronic substance use.
Emotional swings or sudden behavior changes – a loved one struggling with addiction is likely to experience violent, sudden, and unexpected emotional changes. Usually, behavior and emotions are very erratic for addicted individuals.
What are Some Psychological Signs of Addiction?
Psychological indicators of substance use and addiction are sometimes harder to detect than physical symptoms. As mentioned above, emotional swings and sudden changes in mood are a strong indicator of substance use.
However, other psychological factors to consider include:
- Increased anxiety
- Increased inattentiveness or lowered focus
- Decreased motivation in hobbies or activities
- Drastic personality changes
- Sudden paranoia
Where Can I Go to Help My Loved One Address Their Addiction?
Once you identify any addict with addiction issues, it is best to get professional help at an addiction treatment center like the one offered at Crestview Recovery.
At Crestview, our team of clinical and behavioral specialists can help those with even the most chronic addiction symptoms manage their dependency and create a more stable life. If you have a loved one that is battling addiction please call 866.262.0531 to learn more.
Addiction is never an easy condition to manage and can be equally difficult to spot. Use these telltale common signs of addiction to help get your loved ones the help they need ASAP!
Since 2016, Dr. Merle Williamson, a graduate of Oregon Health Sciences University, has been the Medical Director at Crestview Recovery, bringing a rich background in addiction medicine from his time at Hazelden Treatment Center. He oversees outpatient drug and alcohol treatments, providing medical care, setting policies, detox protocols, and quality assurance measures. Before specializing in addiction medicine, he spent 25 years in anesthesiology, serving as Chair of Hospital Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee and Chief of Anesthesia at Kaiser Permanente. This experience gives him a unique perspective on treating prescription drug addiction.
