The Most Common 7 Symptoms of Drug Addiction

Making the choice to enter rehab can be challenging. To which Amy Whitehouse replied, “No, no, no.” Addiction is fraught with social and financial repercussions, shame, and the fear of howe others will percieve you. Getting help from a professional to overcome an addiction shows strength, not weakness, because it means you’re ready to make a change for the better.

Preventing drug dependence (now called substance use disorder) from progressing to addiction requires prompt treatment. Although there is currently no known cure for addiction, it can be effectively managed through a comprehensive treatment plan.

There are symptoms that indicate when drug abuse has progressed to addiction. If you answered “yes” to any of the questions below, you may want to think about getting help from a drug rehab center.

Your life has become consumed by your pursuit of drug gratification.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), addiction is “a chronic, recurring medical condition often characterised byalongside compulsive substance seeking behaviours which continue inspite detrimental consequences and lasting changes in the brain.” If the negative consequences of your drug abuse are more important to you than keeping your job, repairing your relationships, staying out of jail, fixing your finances, or taking care of your health, you may have a substance use disorder. If you avoid or try to conceal your substance use from family members, manipulate situations to obtain your substance of choice, or hide your use from coworkers or friends, you may have an addiction.

You may need to increase your dosage or increase how often you take it to maintain the same effect.

When you develop tolerance to a drug, you have to take more of it to achieve the same effect as when you first started using it. When you repeatedly expose your brain to high levels of dopamine, your brain will respond by decreasing the number of receptors or completely shutting them down. Tolerance to the drug leads to dependence, and dependence to addiction when the resulting alterations in neurochemistry and function become fixed.

When you suddenly stop using drugs, you may experience withdrawal.

Any individual who experiences withdrawal symptoms upon reducing or discontinuing the use of harmful substances has developed a dependency. In order to adjust to chronic drug abuse, the brain will undergo chemical changes, eventually decreasing or even completely shutting down its supply of dopamine receptors. Subsequently, you may experience mild, severe, or even fatal symptoms if you suddenly reduce your drug dosage or stop taking it altogether. One can be at risk for developing an addiction to drugs even if they do not currently exhibit any signs of addiction.

The state of your mental health.

Substance abuse can cause serious changes in one’s mental health. Substance use disorder is a mental disorder and neurodegenerative disease that results from the long-term effects of drug abuse on the brain. You also have a high chance of developing additional mental health issues at the same time, such as depressive episodes, tension, chronic anxiety, hostility, suicidal ideation, hallucinations, and paranoia. Schizophrenia symptoms can also be brought on by drug abuse or misuse.

Substance abuse is damaging your body.

Damage to vital organs like the heart, spleen, respiratory system, brain, pancreas, and the central nervous system can result from long-term drug use. Tooth decay, inflamed gums, inflammations, acne, baldness, insomnia, and erectile dysfunction are all considered minor symptoms. Heart and lung diseases, infections, convulsions, cognitive impairment, cancer, stillbirths, psychosis, suicidal ideation, and overdoses are all examples of very serious health issues.

Multiple attempts to stop smoking without success have been made.

Toxic chemicals alter how the brain works and functional areas, leading to a compulsive need to repeatedly seek out and use drugs. Relapse rates for addiction to alcohol and drugs range from 40 to 60 % (higher for heroin) but can be higher or lower based on the substance used, the disease stage, the presence of co-occurring disorders, and the quality of treatment received.

The best part is that addiction can be treated, and there is a remission rate of 60-80% after successful treatment. An integrated addiction recovery programme at a specialist rehab center is your best bet for a successful outcome if you are struggling with substance abuse.

You’re all alone, sad, or broken inside.

Addiction is a solitary disease. You may undergo a drastic personality shift and withdraw from your support system as you end up losing interest in the people and things that once bring you joy as the problem gets worse. Addiction has negative effects on both the user’s mental and physical health, resulting in conditions such as chronic disease, anxiousness, depressed mood, remorse, pity, paranoid delusions, night terrors, loss of hope, and desperation. It can lead to a downward spiral of addiction, suicidal ideation or action, overdose, and, in the worst case, death.

Seek out qualified assistance before it’s too late.

The inpatient care provided by rehab facilities is essential. If left untreated, the problem will spread throughout the body and cause more and more severe damage the longer it is ignored. Restoring your mind, body, and spirit is the goal of an interconnected addiction recovery plan supervised by a multi-disciplinary team. Medical detox, medication supervision, talk therapy, alternative therapies, physical activity, a healthy diet, and meal planning are all part of a comprehensive addiction treatment programme.