subject: The Best Way To Figure Out The Signs Of Drug Addiction [print this page] Psychologists and addiction specialists often speak of addiction as a disease despite the fact that there are absolutely no tests that can be carried out to find out if this is an illness it is deemed to be. From a clinical setting, the diagnosis of addiction as an illness cannot be conducted. There are simply no biological indicators which can be used to diagnose this as an illness, disease or disorder. If drug addiction is not a disease then the only logical definition that we can formulate is that it is a choice. For some people, it is obvious that the problem of drug addiction is something they bring unto themselves and not essentially a disease they get affected with. It might take some time to accept that one willfully fell into addiction and thus most will be in denial about it for some time until things get out of hand and they finish up in center for drug rehabilitation.
If drug addiction is described as obsessive behavior then it is an all-consuming compulsion which can destroy finances, livelihoods and family relationships. An individual can become a little addicted or severely addicted so the word "moderation" is important to using potentially addicting substances like alcohol and street or prescription drugs. The one other thing that ascertains severity is the reasons behind the use or abuse of the substance. Are you drinking to hide emotional turmoil or to hide from hurtful realities you should rather be facing than running away from? Addiction doesn't happen in an instant, it is gradual and some individuals will even say it creeps upon you when you least anticipate it. So how do you know when you have entered the danger zone when abuse turns into something more insidious?
Here are some questions you should ask yourself
Do you see that you are sneaking off work or from gatherings to take a drug?
Are you a secret drug taker?
Do you drink alcohol or use drugs whenever you go to social settings to better deal with people as you feel shy?
Is your behavior affecting your relationships with friends and family?
Do you take drugs and alcohol to seem more confident?
Is your behavior affecting your financial situation?
Do you ever feel like you can't function unless you take a pill or a drink?
Do you drink or take drugs to forget or do you forget about your problems because you have taken a substance?
If your answers are mostly "yes" then you need to be worried you are either on the threshold of being an addict or you already are and you didn't know. Know that you know, one way or the other you can do something about it, get off the edge if you are approaching the danger zone or opt for rehab for drugs right away if you've already stepped over the edge into the danger zone that defines you as a bona-fide addict.
