Some people can use alcohol or drugs recreationally, without it developing into a substance use disorder. How can you tell if someone you know has moved from occasional use to addiction? At Safe Harbor Recovery Center in Portsmouth, Virginia, we want to give you the tools you need to recognize if your loved one might need help to address their substance use.
Understanding Addiction Risk
Some people are more likely than others to develop an addiction to substances. This includes people who:
- Were aggressive as children
- Didn’t have a lot of parental supervision
- Had low ability to refuse peer pressure
- Experimented with drugs or alcohol early in life
- Had easy access to drugs at school
- Grew up in an impoverished community
- Have close blood relatives with substance use disorders
- Have a mental health disorder
- Were raised in a home where family members misused substances
- Smoke or inject drugs
- Use drugs that have more potential for addiction
Spotting Red Flags
A trained clinician can diagnose your loved one with a substance use disorder if it is appropriate to do so. In addition to noticing signs of use, some that might indicate that it’s time to help a person in your life to get professional support for their substance use include:
- “Doctor shopping” to get more than one prescriber to give out the same medication
- Taking prescription medication after it is no longer needed for the health concern for which it was prescribed
- Building up a tolerance for the drug
- Mixing prescription medications with alcohol or other drugs
- Inability to stop using the drug or reduce use, even when desired and even when negative consequences result from use
- Lack of interest in things they once enjoyed
- Struggling with daily activities that were once easy
- Doing dangerous things under the influence, such as driving or operating heavy machinery
- Stealing or lying to people to get drugs
- Changes to sleep, appetite, attitude, appearance, and hygiene, or friend group
- Having unpleasant symptoms after the drug wears off, such as shakiness, headaches, depression, nausea, sweating, fatigue, confusion, seizures, or fever
Consequences of Ignoring Problem Drug Use
Addiction can impact every part of a person’s life. Getting help for your loved one right away can help them to avoid long-term consequences, including:
- Infections and diseases from shared needles, including cellulitis, endocarditis, Hepatitis B and C, or HIV and AIDS
- Cancer
- Heart problems
- Stroke
- Dental issues
- Overdose or even death
- Worsening mental health
- Poor fetal health when a mother uses substances
- Increased risk of suicidal thoughts and attempts
- Family and marital problems
- Work issues and job loss
- Academic struggles
- Legal or financial troubles
Talking to Your Loved One About Your Concerns
If the list above sounds like someone you know, then it’s probably time to have a conversation about what you see. This could involve holding an intervention by:
- Deciding who the calm, positive, loving people in their lives are, so that you can invite them to participate, such as family, friends, spiritual leaders, or someone from a local recovery support group
- Explore treatment options and try to make arrangements in advance, with a program that could enroll your loved one right away
- Decide on a day and time to hold the intervention, preferably when the person you’re concerned about is likely to be sober
- Determine what consequences will occur if the person refuses treatment, but only select consequences you are determined to implement
- Practice what you will say before talking to your loved one
Things to Know About the Recovery Process
Once your loved one is connected to treatment, it is important to remember that addiction recovery is a lengthy process and that your friend or family member may experience some challenges in their sobriety journey.
Keep in mind:
- It takes more than willpower to overcome addiction. If your loved one has a relapse, that doesn’t mean they aren’t trying to recover.
- Addiction isn’t a moral failing. Trauma and mental illness often play a role in getting good people hooked on bad substances.
- Treatment works when the person is ready for it. Sometimes people need to go through treatment more than once to reach sustained, long-term sobriety.
- Relapse can be a learning process.
- A strong support system is a powerful recovery tool.
At Safe Harbor Recovery Center, we know how hard it is to watch your loved one change in front of you because of problem substance use. We help people who are struggling with addiction to recover and regain the quality of life they deserve. We also offer support and education to our clients’ loved ones.