How does one know they are addicted? Is it possible to get clean without the help of a drug rehab center? If you have developed an unhealthy relationship with drugs and alcohol, questions like these may already be running through your mind. Today we will be discussing the common, tell-tale 8 signs that someone has an addiction and should get to a recovery center right away.

8 Signs You Need a Drug Rehab Center

1. You Lack the Self-Control to Stop

If you have told yourself and others with conviction, that you have had your last drink or hit, but wind up in the same place time and time again then your ability to exert control over the situation has become compromised.

Over time, addiction rewires the brain’s reward circuit to favor drugs over natural stimuli. It disrupts behaviors such as planning, self-control, and awareness, and dulls the senses, making finding a fix the only priority.¹In these circumstances: where self-control is limited and drug use is compulsive, getting yourself, or a loved one to an addiction treatment center should be the top priority.

2. You Feel your Health Declining

The long-term side effects of regular drug use can cause a myriad of different health problems. These include, but are not limited to:

• Cancers such as lung cancer from inhaling smoke, as well as liver, esophageal, head, and throat cancer from abusing alcohol ³
• Damage to the cardiovascular system, which can lead to hypertension, irregular heart rate, stroke, and cardiovascular disease
• Weakened immune system: inviting in infection and sickness
• Drastic and unhealthy changes to your weight, metabolism, and body development (in adolescents)
• Diseases like Hepatitis and HIV from using and sharing dirty needles
• Declining mental health leads to anxiety, depression, psychosis, schizophrenia, and more

Getting sober now can significantly reduce your risk of developing these and other health problems. Regular use of drugs is correlated with drastically lower life expectancy. Don’t hesitate; getting addiction treatment now can help you get your health back on track and extend your life.

3. Your Social and Professional Life is Suffering

When you are suffering from drug addiction, it’s common to prioritize drug use above all else. People who abuse drugs can drive others away by being unreliable or combative. This could mean making plans and canceling them, or becoming angry, and flying off the handle for little to no reason.

If you feel like your social life is following this trend, then it may be time to enroll in a treatment program.

4. You’re Engaging in Risky behaviors

Drugs can make you feel invincible, dulls your senses to pain, and can even convince you that your bad ideas are actually good ones. When bad ideas become things like driving intoxicated or stealing money and items from others, going to treatment can prevent you from taking actions that create legal consequences and tragedy.

5. Your Family is Urging You to Stop

Sometimes families will stage interventions to help the person understand how their disease is affecting those around them. It may also come in the form of an ultimatum; a family member threatening to withdraw financial or other forms of support if the person doesn’t get clean.

Whether it is done in private, or in a group setting, family conveying a sense of worry is an indication that your drug use is getting out of hand.

6. You are Running Out of Money

Fueling a drug habit can be expensive. As addiction progresses people find themselves spending lots of time and money chasing the next high. As tolerance to the drugs your taking increase, it becomes even more difficult and expensive just to get through the day.

If drug abuse continues it can get so bad that individuals can’t afford rent or basic necessities and have to rely on charity others. Some people might be hesitant to go to rehab because of the costs, but the reality is that living with drug addiction is far more expensive.

7. Your Tolerance Has Reached Dangerous Levels

Taking large amounts of dangerous and addictive substances multiplies the health risks and leads to overdose. Drugs like cocaine, methamphetamine, and opiates such as heroin, fentanyl, oxycodone, and morphine have the highest potential to cause overdose deaths. Allowing a tolerance to build for these drugs is dangerous because when people build a resistance, they are less aware that they are taking things in treacherous amounts.

8. Withdrawals Occur When You’re Not Using

Withdrawals are evidence of the body’s chemical dependency to one or more substances. They can happen when you are trying to quit, can’t get the drugs you need, or even reduce the amount you’re taking.

Getting clean without a treatment center is difficult and dangerous when severe symptoms are present. Rehab centers help you detox in a safe, medically supervised environment. That’s important because tried and true ways, what we call: evidence-based practices significantly increase your odds of getting clean and maintaining sobriety.

To learn more about our approach to addiction treatment, and how to get started on the path to recovery, contact us now at 877-290-2058.

Sources

Goldstein, R. Z., & Volkow, N. D. (2011, October 20). Dysfunction of the Prefrontal Cortex in Addiction: Neuroimaging Findings and Clinical Implications. Nature reviews. Neuroscience. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3462342/.

Overdose risk: The Easiest Drugs to Overdose On: Jc’s recovery center. JC Recovery Center. (2020, July 28). https://www.jcrecoverycenter.com/blog/easiest-drugs-to-overdose-on/.

Patterson, E. (2021, March 3). Drug Abuse and Cancer Risk: Risk factors for cancer. DrugAbuse.com. https://drugabuse.com/addiction/health-issues/cancer/.

Warner, M., Trinidad, J. P., Bastian, B. A., Minino, A. M., & Hedegaard, H. (2016, December 10). Drugs Most Frequently Involved in Drug Overdose Deaths: the United States, 2010-2014. National vital statistics reports: from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics System. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27996932/.