Thursday, November 29, 2012

Recognizing Addiction

Acknowledging you or someone you know has an addiction is hard. You may deny an addictions existence, give excuses, or even think the problem will fix itself. Truth is, recognizing the craving is the first step in helping you or someone else seek help and get over addiction.

This talented young Wentzville, Mo. artist shared his depiction of the polarized world of addiction and recovery
What are some ways to detect addiction problems?

An obvious one is a change in behavior. The people who notice changes in behaviors the most are the ones closest to someone. Is someone you know irritable or acting distant? A change is behavior can come from addiction by changing the way a person may act, react, and think. Drugs can even cause mood changes, depression, aggression, and paranoia in people.

One less obvious one involves money. Is someone constantly borrowing money from friends and family? Addictions can be expensive, and cause users to spend large amounts of money forcing them to borrow money from friends and family. Borrowing can also lead to stealing money and other items.

Be above the influence!
A change of friends. Have you noticed someone has changed a group of friends? Someone you know may be shying away from their old steady friends and may spend their time around risky characters. A person may share their addictions with other people, and choose to spend their time around those similar people.

Is someone not performing as well as they used to at work or school? A change in performance relating to addiction can be caused by a change in sleeping pattern, changes in attitude, and the times when they need to get their "fix". You may also notice someone moving away from their goals, instead of making progress in their life they may become depressed and not try to succeed.

Recovery vs. Addiction
Besides emotional and psychological changes, people can also see physical changes.

You may notice someone has red, glassy, or dilated eyes. People may show signs of physical drug use on their bodies including scratch marks, needle marks, or burns. Drugs can cause changes in speech as well, including speaking in rapid incoherent phrases and also slurred speech. You might even notice someone acting different including constantly scratching their body, showing quick movements including looking around, and even appearing lethargic while moving or walking.

At Preferred Family healthcare we understand how hard it can be when a family member needs help. We also understand how much care professionals take when making a referral. That's why, for over 30 years, both families and professionals throughout the Midwest have trusted us.

Learn more about our services on our Website, or more about our prevention services.

-Maxwell Law

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