It’s rather common for a person to come home from a long day at work and have a glass of wine or a beer. However, when the body and the brain come to rely upon having that drink there might be a problem. If you’re drinking or using drugs regularly, addiction treatment might be necessary. Working with a therapist before, during, and after treatment may be the best way to ensure ongoing sobriety.
Addiction treatment can include a wide variety of components, including seeing a personal therapist. Typically, you might think of seeing a therapist for depression, anxiety, or insomnia – psychological issues that affect our everyday life. However, addiction is also a topic that many therapists address. In fact, anyone struggling withaddiction knows that addiction will affect one’s day to day living. If you’re not quite ready to admit yourself to a drug rehab facility, contact a therapist for support.
Therapy can explore the reasons behind your drinking, whether or not you need to go through detox, and any fears you have about giving up drinking or drug use. Certainly, therapy may give you a safe place to talk about the substance use before making the call to enroll in a drug rehab program. It can be difficult to make that phone call. Many fears can get in the way of a person getting the help they need. However, working with a therapist can help a person work through those fears, assist them throughout drug treatment, and support them in staying sober after treatment.
Here are the signs to look for if you feel your drinking or drug use is at a point where you need professional help:
Withdrawal Symptoms – If you notice that you’re having symptoms of withdrawal when you don’t drink or use drugs, you may be physically and psychologically dependent. For instance, if you drink 3 beers every night and one night you don’t drink at all, you might notice symptoms of withdrawal. This is the beginning sign of addiction.
Tolerance – If you notice that you need more of the alcohol or drug to experience the same highs you used to, you might be developing a growing tolerance. This means that the body is getting used to having the alcohol or drug in its system. If you find yourself drinking or using more and more drugs to feel its effects, you are showing the beginning signs of addiction.
Inability to Stop – This is one of the classic signs of addiction. When you can’t stop drinking or using drugs even if you want to, then you might have an addiction.
Neglecting Responsibilities – Another sign of addiction is when a person is thinking about drinking or drug use frequently throughout their day. Instead of meeting their family, work, or social responsibilities, they are either using substances or fantasizing about their next high.
Continue to Use Despite Consequences – If you find that you continue to drink or use drugs even though it continues to result in negative consequences, you may have an addiction.
These are some beginning signs of addiction. If you need help in order to stop, contact a mental health provider today.
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