A drug addiction can single-handedly destroy a person’s life. It can quickly spin out of control and leave the addict feeling like he or she cannot cope with daily life without using their drug of choice. Here at Discovery Institute, we’ve been helping people overcome their drug dependency for over forty years so we know how much substance abuse effects everyone involved. We wanted to share some of our knowledge with you, so we’ve come up with 10 signs that you might need help with your drug addiction.
Signs to Look for that Show a Drug Addiction Problem
Those addicted to drugs cannot quit on their own. Some do try, but most don’t succeed without seeking professional help. In most cases, when someone tries to quit the addiction on their own, they end up relapsing rather quickly.
- Lying about your drug use becomes a recurring problem. The more lies you tell, the worse your problem is.
- Your behavior deteriorates until you act completely out of character. Many people in the throes of addiction do things they would never consider doing if they were sober because they don’t have a clear head to think through their actions.
- You begin to lose friends because of your drug use. Many people can’t cope when a friend is trapped in the vicious cycle of drug abuse. On the flipside, many users tend to disregard their friends in favor of hanging out with other users—especially their drug dealers. Drug addiction brings fellow addicts together in disastrous ways.
- Those who abuse substances tend to have drastic changes in their appearance: both hair and weight loss are common, as well as the change in the texture of your skin—this is caused by the damage drugs do to the body.
- You become preoccupied with drugs that your responsibilities slip. Many substance users are so distracted by acquiring and doing drugs that they stop caring about anything else.
- If you have said that you feel better when you’ve taken your drug of choice, then you desperately need help with your addiction. Illegal drugs shouldn’t make you feel better about yourself compared to how you feel when you don’t have them in your system.
- You have developed a physical tolerance for your drug of choice, which has led to increased use of it. The more tolerant you are, the worse your addiction is.
- You have isolated yourself from the people in your life so you can continue your drug use without interference from others.
- If you have gotten into any kind of legal trouble or have lost your job due to substance abuse, then you need help with your addiction.
Do any of these sound familiar? If so, these are all classic signs that your addiction has gotten out of hand and that you need to seek help for it. If you are ready to end the cycle of drug dependency and get your life back on track, pick up the phone and give the Discovery Institute a call at 1-800-714-2175—we can help.
Dr. Joseph Ranieri D.O. earned his BS in Pharmacy at Temple University School of Pharmacy in 1981 and His Doctorate Degree in Osteopathic Medicine at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1991. He is Board Certified by the American Board of Family Medicine and a Diplomate of the American Board of Preventive Medicine Addiction Certification. Dr. Ranieri has lectured extensively to physicians, nurses, counselors and laypeople about the Disease of Addiction throughout New Jersey and Pennsylvania since 2012.
