No One Wants To Get Addicted
People start using drugs for different reasons. People end up with a Drug Habit for no good reason.
Some choose to try them because they are curious about the way they will make them feel. They have seen other people taking drugs like heroin, cocaine, or ice and they feel left out. People want to feel what their friends are feeling. They want to know what it’s like to be a part of what they think is the “in crowd.” Or, maybe they are at a club or party and someone asks them if they want to get high. They say, “sure – why not!?”
Others start using drugs because they are in pain. It could be physical or emotional pain. Many people become hooked on prescription opioids, for example, because they have sustained an injury or undergone surgery. They are prescribed narcotic pain medication from a doctor and they take it for legitimate reasons. After awhile, though, they may become physically addicted. Others take drugs because they are hurting inside, depressed, or feel lonely and they want to change the way they feel.
Whatever someone’s reasons might be for taking drugs in the first place, no one chooses to get hooked. No one sets out to become to have a drug habit or become and addict. Not one single person in the history of the world said to themselves when they were little, “When I grow up, I want to be an addict!” Not one.
Addiction Has a Way of Creeping Up On You
The thing about drug addiction is that it’s tricky. It kind of just happens when you aren’t looking. First, it’s fun to use drugs. You like the way they make you feel and you think life is one big party. Laughing and hanging out with your friends and you have a good time. You do them every once and awhile and it’s all good.
Soon, you start doing drugs on the weekdays. It starts to take more of your time and money to sustain the supposed good time that you are having. You find that you think about drugs a lot when you’re not doing them. You want to do more and more – so you start doing more and more. Maybe you really don’t notice that anything is wrong, though you still convince yourself that everything is okay.
Before long, you are doing the stuff every single day. If you don’t do it, you feel irritable and discontent. Angry and hostile. You have to do drugs when you wake up and you need them to fall asleep. Sometimes you go on binges that last days at a time. You spend all of your money on it. Now, you are hooked. And you have no idea how it happened.
If The Party Has Ended & You Have A Drug Habit, You Need Help
When addiction finally takes complete control, there is nothing fun about using drugs. The party is over. Your drug use has spiraled out of control and your life is going downhill – FAST! You are alone and isolated and you no longer feel you can function with or without drugs. You have a drug habit.
If you’re not having a good time anymore and you think you might need help for your drug habit, contact us. We can get you into treatment right away so you can get your life back and start having fun again. Sober fun.
Adderall abuse is difficult to spot. It is not as dramatic as other illicit drugs. Some tell-tale signs of Adderall abuse include rapid speech, rapid or repetitive movements, and hypervigilance and hyperfocus. People who are using Adderall will become highly energized, more than we commonly see even in younger people. Since it tends to facilitate focus, abuse of Adderall can create focus which appears abnormal. The more visible sign of dilated pupils in conjunction with these other symptoms could demonstrate signs of Adderall abuse.
Some of the most common CNS medications include Xanax, Klonopin, and Valium. These are commonly prescribed by a physician or psychiatrist for anxiety related issues. While the medications do have and can be used for their intended purpose the abuse of such medications is pretty common. The signs of abuse are drowsiness, confusion, memory problems, vision changes, and even personality or behavior changes. Though a mild effect as described does not necessarily mean abuse, long term effects do signify abuse. Just to clarify, some of these medications are meant to cause drowsiness or limit anxiety so lethargy or slight behavior changes may be noticeable. But this should not be for extended periods of time. Each of the three common types of CNS medications will be described below. As well as withdrawal effects associated with this medication class.
Support groups are also a good source of appraisal. They offer insight on how individuals are doing in recovery. We all can be our own worst critics in many instances. Where we see ourselves as coming up short in recovery, an outside appraisal can show us we are in better shape than we realize. This type of outside validation and encouragement can be priceless in addiction recovery.
