Drug addiction is a terrible disease that affects more than the people addicted to drugs. It can tear apart relationships and families. How? Because the need for drugs overpowers all other desires, even when the drug addiction leads to physical harm or death. Recognizing the signs of drug addiction can literally save the life of a loved one struggling with addiction. This is important because they never see the harm they are inflicting on themselves. A substance abuse treatment program can help them break free from their addiction and regain control of their life.
At Arkview Recovery Center, we offer detox and residential drug addiction treatment programs to help those struggling with drug addiction and wish to make a real change in their lives. If a loved one is struggling with drug addiction, call 717.744.0756 today to learn more about recognizing the signs of drug addiction.
Understanding Drug Addiction
Drug addiction changes your brain chemistry and creates a physical dependence on the drugs you’re ingesting. Opioids and other drugs flood your body with chemicals that mimic the euphoric effects that dopamine naturally creates. Your body stops producing dopamine as it is getting a stronger dose from an outside source.
With some drugs, even after just one use, you can fall into a powerful dependence. In turn, that may create painful withdrawal symptoms that will worsen the longer you abuse drugs. Withdrawal symptoms can begin as early as a few hours after your last fix and last for weeks unless you take more drugs. Withdrawal symptoms can include:
- Headaches
- Shivering
- Nausea and vomiting
- Insomnia
- Diarrhea
- Irritability
Long-term drug users will face powerful cravings that push them to steal and do whatever it takes to find their next hit. Unfortunately, that could include stealing from or harming friends and family. The cravings that drug addiction creates are powerful enough to drive the person to keep abusing drugs even to the detriment of their own health.
3 Signs of Drug Addiction
If you’re concerned that a friend or family member is abusing drugs, there are signs that you can look for that indicate they’re struggling with drug addiction. Three warning signs of drug addiction include:
- Behavioral changes – A person abusing drugs will go through mood changes that are easy to spot. Sudden mood swings, becoming depressed, and being easily irritable are all common signs of drug addiction.
- Physical changes – Long-term drug addiction can be devastating to a body. Look for extreme weight loss, frequent bloody nose, needle marks on arms and in between fingers and toes, gum disease, and sores around the mouth.
- Lifestyle changes – One of the warning signs of drug addiction is a change of lifestyle. Keeping unusual hours, new sketchy friends, and a lack of interest in things they used to love can indicate they have a serious drug problem.
By recognizing the signs of addiction, you can help friends or loved ones see the damage they’re causing to themselves and those around them. Many times, they’re blind to how their own actions are affecting others.
To Help Understand the Warning Signs of Drug Addiction, Call Arkview Recovery Center Today
Convincing friends or loved ones that they need a substance abuse treatment program can be very difficult. Part of addiction is people’s belief that they don’t have a problem. As a result, confronting others dealing with drug addiction can worsen their addiction if not done with compassion.
At Arkview Recovery, we can help your loved one struggling with drug addiction through our detox and residency substance abuse treatment programs. We understand that addiction affects us differently and will form a treatment program based on individual needs. To learn more about the warning signs of drug addiction, call 717.744.0756 today to get your loved one the help he or she needs with drug addiction.
Kyle is Lead Therapist at Arkview Recovery Center. He holds a Master of Social Work degree from Temple University and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. He has years of experience working directly with individuals who suffer from addiction and mental health disorders. Being in long term recovery himself, Kyle is very passionate about the recovery process. He is heavily involved in the local recovery community in which he enjoys his commitments to service and giving back. His specialty is in group therapy and developing clinical staff. Kyle brings to Arkview a holistic approach to recovery, specializing in mindfulness, reality therapy, and solution-focused therapy.
