There are many types of addiction and many substances – and other things – that people can be addicted to. If you or a loved one are addicted to any substance, the sooner you get into drug rehab the better your chances are of getting over it and going on to lead a normal and healthy life. Sadly, in most cases people try to hide their addiction from those around them and continue to act normally, even when that is almost impossible.
There will always be symptoms of addiction for those who care enough to find out what to look for and who look deeply enough to find them. Here are some of the symptoms of addiction to alcohol or drugs. Some of these will only be known to the addict, while others can be recognised by parents or friends.
- Anxiety or being on edge and irritable
- Physically trembling and sweating
- Nausea and vomiting
- Depression and insomnia
- Loss of appetite and fatigue
- Headaches
- Unexplained absences from home, school or work
- Needing to borrow money
- Needing more of the substance to get the same result
- Feeling sick if you don’t have your drug
- Loss of interest in activities that used to interest you
- Poor marks in school exams when you used to get good ones.
- Change in friendships
Not all symptoms mentioned need to be due to an addiction. For instance, people can become depressed and have insomnia due to many other problems, from parents divorcing to facing important exams – or it can be due to something entirely different such as being bullied at school or harassed at work.
This is why so many addicts are successful at hiding their symptoms – at least in the first stages. They can excuse them by putting out all manner of other reasons for their symptoms. However, as the addiction progresses and steadily becomes worse, so will the symptoms and then they will be much more difficult to hide.
It is unfortunate that it is often too late for rehab to work by that time, simply due to the damage that has already been done to the body. When kidneys or liver start to break down and fail, all that can be done is to keep the person comfortable for as long as possible. This will cause deep anguish in your loved ones as they stand by helplessly watching you suffer.
The best thing for any addict to do is get into residential rehab along with counselling as soon as possible. If you are addicted, don’t put off this important step. It will enable you to get your life back and free you from addiction that will otherwise steal your health and happiness.