Drug and alcohol abuse is a very common problem at all ages and stages of life. From the trauma of losing a loved one or life-altering accidents to bad break-ups and workplace stress, there are many situational instances that can lead us to making choices of abusing alcohol and drugs. Can-Am Interventions would like to bring awareness to the signs of addiction and to offer help and guidance for those who are struggling to recover from drug and alcohol abuse.
Listed below are signs that a person is in active addiction:
- You keep taking a drug after it’s no longer needed for a health problem.
- You need more and more of a substance to get the same effects (called “tolerance”), and you can take more before you feel an effect.
- You feel strange when the drug wears off. You may be shaky, depressed, sick to your stomach, sweat, or have headaches. You may also be tired or not hungry. In severe cases, you could even be confused, have seizures, or run a fever.
- You can’t stop yourself from using the drug, even if you want to. You are still using it even though it’s making bad things happen in your life, like trouble with friends, family, work, or the law.
- You spend a lot of your time thinking about the drug: how to get more, when you’ll take it, how good you feel, or how bad you feel afterward.
- You have a hard time giving yourself limits. You might say you’ll only use “so much” but then can’t stop and end up using twice that amount. Or you use it more often than you meant to.
- You’ve lost interest in things you once liked to do.
- You’ve begun having trouble doing normal daily things, like cooking or working.
- You drive or do other dangerous things (like use heavy machines) when you are on the drug.
- You borrow or steal money to pay for drugs.
- You hide the drug use or the effect it is having on you from others.
- You’re having trouble getting along with co-workers, teachers, friends, or family members. They complain more about how you act or how you’ve changed.
- You sleep too much or too little, compared with how you used to. Or you eat a lot more or a lot less than before.
- You look different. You may have bloodshot eyes, bad breath, shakes or tremors, frequent bloody noses, or you may have gained or lost weight.
- You have a new set of friends with whom you do drugs and go to different places to use the drugs.
- You go to more than one doctor to get prescriptions for the same drug or problem.
- You look in other people’s medicine cabinets for drugs to take.
- You take prescribed meds with alcohol or other drugs.
Help?
Addiction is a very difficult matter to overcome. It isn’t something we catch or is done to us. It is something we are born with. Its part of our thinking and our behaviours. People with addictive tendencies can be treated. It is not something that can be cured. This is a life-long condition that needs to be treated and acknowledged for life. This may sound like an overwhelming and unmanageable task, but the longer you maintain healthy recovery the easier it becomes to manage. The habits you form and methods you learn become second nature and allow you to be the strong and balanced person you are meant to be. If you or someone you care about is struggling with addiction(s) please reach out to us. We are here to give support and guidance, and to provide treatment that will be best suited for your recovery. We look forward to the opportunity of meeting you.
E: patti.pike@canaminterventions.com
1-800-638-1812 Toll Free Internationally
415-827-3725 Cell /Text
415-578-2875 Office