Three tell-tale signs of drug abuse / addiction
1. Lies
This is the most consistent and persistent component of addiction. For an addiction to survive it must remain hidden. This is why most people don’t get treatment for their addiction until it becomes so severe that they cannot hide it anymore.
This is the most consistent and persistent component of addiction. For an addiction to survive it must remain hidden. This is why most people don’t get treatment for their addiction until it becomes so severe that they cannot hide it anymore.
We recently admitted a beautiful young woman who is addicted to heroin. She talks openly of the drug being the only love she has in her life. This is despite having a child and a family that love her very much. Addicts will lie to protect their addiction from danger (aka discovery) just as you or I might lie to protect a child or loved one from an aggressive assailant.
Common areas where lies start stacking up might include loved-ones disappearing for long periods of time, suddenly needing quite a bit more sleep, or the disappearance of money and possessions — particularly consumer electronics or jewelry.
2. Friendships
Addiction, like misery, loves company. Whenever a person starts using heavily his or her peer-group will change, often quite quickly. This is because people who do not share the addict’s vice will generally become concerned and/or alienated. It’s one thing to smoke a joint at a party; it’s another thing when marijuana use starts happening multiple times a day every day. The first scenario is teens experimenting; the second is a life-style choice that will generally bring with it a specific and narrow peer selection.
Addiction, like misery, loves company. Whenever a person starts using heavily his or her peer-group will change, often quite quickly. This is because people who do not share the addict’s vice will generally become concerned and/or alienated. It’s one thing to smoke a joint at a party; it’s another thing when marijuana use starts happening multiple times a day every day. The first scenario is teens experimenting; the second is a life-style choice that will generally bring with it a specific and narrow peer selection.
This is actually one of the easiest ways for me to tell who is doing well in the treatment center I run. The degree to which those who are bent on becoming sober and healthy attract like-minded clients is almost uncanny. Sadly, the opposite is also true. There have been many times over my years in the field where I have thought a client was moving in one direction, but observation of their peer-group lead me to another conclusion.
It should be noted that this shift is often a bit more difficult to discern with alcoholism. Consumption of alcohol is a societal norm so it does not carry the stigma associated with other drugs of abuse. There is also a cultural expectation that binge drinking is simply part of late-adolescence. I remember an old friend who used to tell me “it can’t be considered alcoholism until after we graduate college.”
3. Appearance, media and lifestyle
When someone becomes addicted to a substance or behavior they begin to build a life around their addiction. It’s the most important thing in their lives, their one true love. This will have an inevitable and usually significant impact on their choice in clothing, their choices in media and their lifestyle in general.
When someone becomes addicted to a substance or behavior they begin to build a life around their addiction. It’s the most important thing in their lives, their one true love. This will have an inevitable and usually significant impact on their choice in clothing, their choices in media and their lifestyle in general.
An environmentalist is someone whose lifestyle is built around being good to the Earth. There are those who might be considered recreational environmentalists, for whom environmental preservation is one of a number of interests, and there are those who are more passionate. When an environmentalist goes to buy a new car are they more likely to look at a Prius or a Land Rover? The choice will be the one that corresponds most directly with their personal interests and passions.
In the same way, a recreational user will generally have things that are more important than drugs or alcohol in their lives and their lifestyle correspond. A full-blown addict will make every decision, every day, with their addiction first in their mind.
