Signs of Addiction

There are many signs of addiction, whether you or a loved one experiences addiction to alcohol, heroin, prescription opioids, or some other substance. The attentive, professional staff at The Right Step Centers know the signs of addiction, and how to provide treatment programs that help an individual through recovery from addiction, and from dependence.

When you experience one or more symptoms or signs indicating that you have an addiction, getting the help that you need is crucial to your health, and possibly, to your life. Addiction signs are more harmful and more complex than some signs of tolerance, or signs of dependence on any drug.

Learn about the signs of addiction, how they potentially affect you, and your loved ones.

Understanding Addiction

When you have an addiction to one or more substances, you cannot live up to that age-old comment that, “I can stop using anytime that I want to stop using. I just do not want to stop.” The reason that you cannot stop using anytime that you want is because, with addiction, an individual does not have control. Addiction is a disease.

Some specific factors about addiction include:

Addiction often starts with experimental use of recreational drugs with friends or peers

Some people become addicted to drugs legally prescribed to them

Some substances lead to addiction faster than other substances

Individuals with addiction typically continue using the drug in spite of harmful consequences

Addiction is a complicated disease that affects the brain and major organs

Co-occurring mental health disorders often occur with addiction

It is important to understand that your addiction is caused by a brain disorder. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) explains that addiction involves the functional changes to circuits within your brain that are involved in self-control, reward, and stress. Your ability to exhibit self-control diminishes as the addiction progresses, likely leading to increasing the amount and frequency of your drug use.

Although most people likely think of drugs like heroin, fentanyl, or prescription opioids when considering addiction, it is possible to become addicted to virtually any drug, including marijuana, street drugs such as meth, club drugs, and benzodiazepines.

An important part of understanding addiction and the need for you to get addiction treatment involves knowing the signs of addiction.