Addiction
02 December 2009
USER OR ADDICT?
Each of the following is a warning sign that drug use is becoming drug addiction. The more “yes” answers you have, the more likely it is that you’re becoming or are already addicted.
1. Do you get drunk or high regularly?
2. Do you think about or plan your substance use in advance?
3. Do you get drunk or high alone?
4. Is using making you sick or causing you on-going physical symptoms?
5. Do you lie about how much or how often you are using?
6. Have you stopped doing things you used to enjoy so that you can get drunk or high?
7. Have your eating habits, sleep patterns, or mental abilities changed?
8. When you’re not high, do you feel depressed, hopeless, run-down, or unmotivated?
9. Do you have blackouts or memory gaps?
10. Do you have to use more of the same substance to recapture your earlier highs?
If you think you’re an addict or love someone who is, contact us. We’ll be able to help.
BEHAVIORAL WARNING SIGNS OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE:
If you or a loved one is developing any of the following behaviors, you (or he/she) may have a substance-abuse problem. Complete the following statements, then identify each statement as either True (T) or False (T).
My (or my loved one’s) substance abuse causes me (or him/her) to…
break promises. (T or F)
neglect responsibilities. (T or F)
arrive late for work or school. (T or F)
skip work or school. (T or F)
fall behind in work or school. (T or F)
get sick. (T or F)
begin delinquent behaviors (lying, cheating, stealing, etc...). (T or F)
run away from home. (T or F)
have casual or risky sex. (T or F)
engage in prostitution. (T or F)
commit crime. (T or F)
vandalize property. (T or F)
assault other people. (T or F)
try other, more dangerous drugs. (T or F)
drive or operate machinery while high or drunk.
take dangerous physical risks. (T or F)
The more statements you identified as true, the greater the substance abuse issue is. Get help now.
FIVE LEVELS OF SUBSTANCE USE AND ABUSE
Do you or a loved one use drug substances? Use the following categories to determine just how serious your drug use situation is:
- EXPERIMENTAL USE: trying substance once or twice.
- RECREATIONAL USE: using a substance socially, only with friends or at a party
- CIRCUMSTANTIAL USE: using a substance to escape or avoid personal problems or life circumstances OR using a substance to get through a challenging situation (e.g.: taking caffeine-laced pills to stay awake to study for exams).
- INTENSIFIED USE: increasing over a long period of time. This describes the regular user who experiences on-going physical symptoms because of their drug use (sore throat, cough, runny nose, nosebleeds, weight loss, irritability, etc...).
- COMPULSIVE USE: True addicts who can’t voluntarily give up their substance abuse. They can no longer choose not to use, and suffer significant life and heath disruption because of their addiction.