How to Spot Addiction
This article is not written by a doctor. If you have doubts about someone having an addition problem, call a specialist right away. This article is for general information anyone should know to keep in mind when they see problems and changes in people around them.
Because an addiction can negatively affect someone’s entire life, and other people around them, it is very important that their loved ones know exactly how to spot addiction. Also, because not all addictions are the same, family and friends should also understand what an individual may be addicted to. Having said that, here are a few of the most common types of addictions that many people are dealing with today.
Substance Abuse Addictions
• Alcohol
• Opiods
• Cocaine
• Marijuana
• Hallucinogens
• Tobacco
• Prescription Drugs (like tranquilizers, sleeping pills, sedatives)
Behavior Addictions
• Sex
• Food
• Using the Internet / Social Media
• Porn
• Gaming
• Shopping
• Cutting
All of these can have different negative effects on that person’s life. In some cases, the addiction takes over their life, and can even be fatal in the end. Particularly, when the individual is dealing with some form of substance abuse addiction. Everyone should want to know the signs to recognize a person with addictions. Read further to see the different types, the changes in behavior and how to get help.
1. Changes in Appearance
When an individual is dealing with an alcohol or a drug abuse addiction, there are some common problems that they can begin to experience. For instance, the individual may begin to lose excessive amounts of weight at a time, and people around them may discover that there are strange smells on their breath and their clothing.
2. Loses their Appetite and Lack of Sleep
In some cases, people may begin to experience a loss of appetite and they do not want to sleep. The changes that people can see on the surface are lacks of interest in both eating and sleeping.
3. Personal Grooming Goes to the Wayside
Another easy to see sign of a substance abuse individual is a lack of interest in their overall appearance. Also, they may lose interest in personal grooming activities like showering, washing one’s clothing items and even brushing their own teeth. At this stage of substance abuse, it is not uncommon for loved ones to notice these visible changes and begin to make plans to intervene.
4. Begins to Forget Things
During an individual’s bout of dealing with substance abuse, they may also begin to lose track of information and forget things altogether. At this stage, intervention is even more important as it shows a serious degeneration of their lives and a lack of ability to function.
5. Begins to Withdraw from Others
When the individual has been under influence of these drugs, they may also begin to withdraw from others and stop going to social gatherings. This will only get worse if the addition is not addressed promptly.
Getting help is the first step to recovery. Fortunately, there are many different ways to address these issues and they include intervention, personal one on one help with a trained professional in the psychological, health and medical field. The place to start is to call an addiction center or service. There are free and paid options in most places and you can simply do a Google search for addiction services and your city name to find a variety of options.
If you are in a school that does surveys, they may be able to pick up on these signs and address issues more quickly.