Addiction is not just a switch you can turn off and on. It’s an all-consuming lifestyle that bleeds into all areas of life.
It’s not just the people who struggle with addiction that are affected; it’s their entire family and friends’ circle. The process of overcoming addiction starts with identifying the reasons why you need help, and why you might need to head to a clinic like Workit Health.
Inability to curb the habit
The chief sign that your habit is becoming a massive problem is when you are physically unable to stop, even when you try. People with addiction usually wake up consumed by their addiction and don’t spare a second a moment indulging.
Over time, this compulsion gets worse because the person’s brain chemistry changes. Instead of being aware that their behavior is negative, their brain starts to trick them into thinking their actions are normal and necessary.
Job performance is affected
People who struggle with addiction are likely to lose their job or at the very least have their job performance suffer as a result of their addiction. Careers can be ruined very quickly when habits take over responsibility.
Has the individual called out sick multiple times? Are they showing up late or leaving early on a regular basis? Has their quality of work gone down?
Relationship loss
Romantic relationships and friendships can evaporate as the the person subconsciously starts to alienate themselves from others.
They might stop answering phone calls, text messages, and have their social media activity slow down as well. If you notice this pattern taking place with your loved one, it may be a sign that they are slipping in a bad way.
Many people will struggle to understand what the person is going through.
Poses a risk to others
As bad as it is for the person to hurt themselves, we never want to see someone else get hurt by the person’s poor choices.
Operating motor vehicles while drunk or high, mistakenly attacking people while hallucinating, and other behaviours are unacceptable. The moment this occurs, help has already been long overdue.
Losing your home
Financial struggles are par for the course for people struggling with addiction. When bills aren’t paid, the results are devastating. Home foreclosures and seizure of property are two of the more common outcomes, as their lifestyle involves spending more money than they can earn.
This is bad enough when it affects the addict personally, but when it affects family members and children it’s a catastrophic issue. Putting family on the streets to support an addiction is awful and avoidable. When this occurs, it’s time to call a professional for help.
Recovery isn’t impossible to find
Some may believe that recovery from addiction is not possible due to cost and time commitments. This couldn’t be further from the truth.
There are many affordable or no cost programs to curb addiction and they’ve been proven to work.
Alcoholics or Narcotics Anonymous are two of the staples when it comes to seeking help and rehabilitation from addiction. These are easy to join and are available in every city across the US. Best of all there’s no commitment necessary. Individuals can attend however many meetings they see fit.
Hospitalisation from addiction
If a person’s habits have led them to the hospital on multiple occasions, it’s definitely time to seek help. A trip to the hospital is usually a cry for help. An overdose or alcohol poisoning can easily result in death, so it’s imperative for the addict to seek help from a licensed professional as soon as this occurs.
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Image credit: Freepik
Peter Wallace has been an advocate for mental health awareness for years. He holds a master’s degree in counselling from the University of Edinburgh.
