Signs of Addiction

Drug addiction, sometimes also called drug dependence, is when someone uses alcohol or any other drug to the point that they need it to feel normal. To them, feeling normal means being drunk or high.

Some signs that a friend or family member has an addiction are listed below.

• The person needs to have the drug or they begin to feel uncomfortable.

• He/she is not be able to control how much of the drug they use or how often they use it. They try to stop using but they can't.

• He/she feels moody or sick when they don't have the drug in their body.

• The person spends most of their time using drugs or getting drugs instead of doing activities they once enjoyed.

• More of the drug is being used in order to get the same high or drunk feeling they got the first time they used. This is called increased tolerance.

• The person keeps using the drug even though they are having physical, legal or other problems because of the drug use

Did you know?

One in 4 adults in the United States suffers from addiction.

One in 3 families has at least one family member who suffers from addiction.

Addiction is a family disease--everyone in the family is affected by a drug or alcohol abuse problem.

Teens and addiction: From experimenting to dependency

When a teen becomes addicted to alcohol or other drugs, his/her personality and mood change. They may begin to argue with you more often, spend a lot of time alone, disobey you and they may even steal from you. Below are some descriptions of drug use at certain stages.

• Experimental use: A teen who is experimenting may use beer or marijuana at a party with friends. Their drug use is not planned.

• More regular use: Teens who are using drugs more regularly may begin experimenting with harder drugs. They may drop out of after-school activities, get poor grades and start using drugs on week nights.

• Daily preoccupation: At this stage of drug use, teens are thinking about when they are going to use the drug again. Teens in this phase may have more arguments with their parents and trouble with the police.

• Dependency: Teens who are dependent or addicted to the drug may get drunk or high during school, or drop out of school. They may lose weight, have more trouble with the law and feel depressed.

Resources: Who can help?

The question of whether or not a teen or adult needs help to quit their alcohol or drug use is determined by a drug abuse treatment professional. Use the resource below to find drug abuse or alcohol abuse programs that can help you or someone you care about.

Substance Abuse Treatment Facility Locator

1-800-662-HELP

www.findtreatment.samhsa.gov
24 hours/7 days a week

Sources:

http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/addiction/berman/intro.html

http://www.who.int/substance_abuse/

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/

http://www.bobbybenson.org/