Sometimes, when struggling with addiction, there is a preliminary phase where we’re not totally sure if what we’re experiencing is, in fact, addiction. Other times, it might be a loved one we’re concerned about who is developing an addiction. Are there early signs of addiction we can be on the lookout for?
Recognizing early signs of addiction in ourselves can help us get the support we need before the problem gets totally out of hand. It can also help family members and friends be alerted to what their loved one might be going through and support them in getting the help they need. If you’re concerned about yourself or someone you care about, reach out to Athens Area Commencement Center.
Early Signs of Addiction and Daily Routines
Some of the more obvious early signs of addiction have to do with our daily routines and the sudden or incremental changes to those routines. If we’re struggling with a dependence on an addictive substance or behavior, we might begin to have a hard time keeping up with our regular schedules. We might start missing work or school. Our sleeping habits and eating patterns might become erratic. We might start neglecting our health in different ways, such as not prioritizing sleep, skipping meals, or stopping our prescribed medications.
Early Signs of Addiction and Socializing
Our ways of socializing might change. Where we might have enjoyed the occasional night out with friends, we might now be partying every day. Our ideas of socializing might also change. Dinner and a movie might have been our idea of a fun night, but now we’re only able to have fun if we’re using drugs and alcohol.
Early Signs of Addiction and Social Circles
Similarly, our social circles might change. If we’re now drinking or using more than we used to, we might have formed friendships with other people with those same habits. These friends are often the people who introduced us to our drug of choice in the first place. Our loved ones might worry that these new friends are a harmful influence on us.
Both children and adults alike can feel a sort of peer pressure to emulate the people we admire. We want to be accepted and included. If drugs and alcohol are a big part of the friend groups we want to be a part of, we might be more likely to follow suit. When the people whose approval we seek are also struggling with addiction, our own addictive tendencies can be compounded.
Early Signs of Addiction: Relationships
Sometimes, the early signs of addiction show up in our relationships. We might fall for someone new, and to other people in our lives, things appear to be moving too quickly in the relationship. Friends and family members might notice reckless behaviors on our part. They might be alerted by things they feel are a cause for concern. Examples might be moving in together too quickly with a new partner or isolating ourselves from other loved ones. This new relationship, often with a partner we’re using or drinking with, can become our top priority at the expense of everything else in our lives.
Early Signs of Addiction: Work and School Instability
For many of us, the first signs of our addictions will show up in our work and school lives. We might have disciplinary issues at school or at work. Chances are we’ve had more unexcused absences from school or missed more days at work. We might have missed deadlines or stopped turning in work altogether. There might be changes in our temperament that our teachers or employers pick up on. We might be argumentative with coworkers or pick fights with classmates.
Financial and Legal Issues
Problems with financial and legal issues are often a warning sign of addiction. Those of us struggling with addiction will often be so dependent upon our drug of choice that we go into debt because of it. We might find ourselves in trouble with the law. Maintaining our financial stability and avoiding legal issues can be nearly impossible when we’re drowning under the weight of addiction.
Early Signs of Addiction and Personality Changes
One of the first warning signs of addiction that loved ones might pick up on is personality changes. When we’re close to someone, we know them well. How they speak to us, how they make us feel, and how they behave on a daily basis all give us a sense of their energy, mindset, and personality. Addiction changes us at our very core. Someone who is patient and kind can become aggressive and even violent when using. The person we’ve always thought of as being a loving person can become mean-spirited.
Addiction is often accompanied by mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. Early signs of addiction can be an increase in symptoms such as prolonged sadness and heightened stress levels, which can also be risk factors for addiction.
Early Signs of Addiction and Behavioral Changes
Some of the clearest and most obvious early signs of addiction present themselves in a person’s behavioral changes. Many of us struggling with addiction will begin to isolate ourselves more. We might be self-isolating because we’re trying to hide our addiction from our loved ones or because we’re ashamed of the things we’ve done as part of our addictions. Many of us will use or drink alone, in secret. We might find ourselves lying to people about our whereabouts in order to conceal our addiction.
Relationships are often torn apart by addiction. People’s savings are depleted. Legal troubles abound. Professional and educational careers are derailed. Community-based treatment programs like Athens Area Commencement Center can help you pick up the pieces when addiction has deeply impacted your life. Knowing some of the early signs of addiction can help you and your loved ones avoid some of the same consequences.
Recognizing some of the early signs of addiction can help prepare us to have those difficult conversations – whether those conversations are ones we need to have with loved ones or whether they’re the inner conversations we need to have with ourselves. Knowing some of these early signs of addiction can help alert us when someone we love is struggling. At Athens Area Commencement Center, we have years of experience helping people recover from addiction. If you find that you or a loved one has a problem with addiction, know that you’re not alone. Help and support are available to you. Take the first step. Call (706) 546-7355 for more information on our treatment programs.