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Do You Need Rehab?

Do You Need Rehab Addiction is a cunning disease. It may start as an innocent habit like having a beer every night after work but slowly begin to overtake your life. After a while, your method of relaxation begins to feel like a problem and may cause you to ask yourself, “Do I have an addiction?” Whether you feel an addiction start to form or recognize much later down the road that you’re an alcoholic, you can always seek help.

Warning Signs of Addiction

The American Psychiatric Association outlines eleven behaviors of addicts. Professionals working in the field of addiction and recovery use the following criteria to determine where a patient falls on the spectrum of addiction.

  1. Lack of control: Small quantities of alcohol turn into large amounts over a longer period of time even though you did not intend for your usage to progress.
  2. Desire to limit use: Simply put, you want to stop or cut back and can’t.
  3. Time spent: You spend a substantial amount of time trying to acquire drugs or alcohol.
  4. Cravings: A nearly-unstoppable urge to use or consume.
  5. Lack of responsibility: Over time, your alcohol consumption begins to take the precedence over daily obligations—work, school, family, etc.
  6. Problems with relationships: You may have difficulty maintaining healthy friendships, romantic relationships, or family bonds.
  7. Loss of interest: Social activities no longer motivate or excite you and you’d rather use drugs or alcohol.
  8. Dangerous use: This could refer to the quantity of consumption or the circumstances in which you find yourself while under the influence (such as driving drunk).
  9. Worsening situations: You continue to use despite the deterioration of your mental, emotional, or physical state.
  10. Tolerance: Over time, you need to consume more than you did before to achieve the same high.
  11. Withdrawal: Can manifest as physical or emotional effects such as anxiety, depression, vomiting, nausea, tremors, etc.

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Because addiction is not a one-size-fits-all disease, it’s important to understand you could have a problem even if you only identify with a few triggers. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders published by the American Psychiatric Association, identifying with 2-3 behaviors indicates a mild substance use disorder. Identifying with 4-5 reveals a moderate disorder and six or more indicates severe addiction.

How to Get Help with Addiction

There are many ways to approach substance abuse which depend largely on the severity of your condition.

  • Talk to a therapist: It’s helpful to determine the underlying cause of your addiction which can be unveiled with the help of a licensed therapist who specializes in addiction and recovery. It could be the result of childhood trauma, learned behaviors (e.g. parents were alcoholics), or the absence of coping mechanisms and social skills.
  • Attend a meeting: Alcoholics Anonymous is a great resource as the organization has meeting places all over the country. If you find you don’t like the format or particular group, try another recovery program or support group.
  • Change your scenery: It could mean separating yourself from friends who use (and therefore enable your use) or places where you know you’ll be tempted to drink. This will likely not be effective for moderate to severe addictions as the problem extends beyond small behavioral changes.

It’s crucial you realize you’re not alone in your addiction and you can get the help you need. The very definition of addiction tells us it’s a “chronic brain disease manifested by compulsive substance use”—not a character flaw. To explore your options for recovery, contact the American Addiction Centers hotline at 888-988-0437.

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