Understanding Addiction: Signs, Symptoms, and Treatment Options

Treatment for addiction, the most severe form of substance use disorder, is as individualized as addiction itself. No two people have the same experience with addiction. It is imperative  to understand the universal signs and urge loved ones who exhibit them to get help. The most telltale indicator: continuing substance “despite negative consequences” due to unmanageable cravings. 

The intense, brain-chemistry-altering cravings that accompany addiction “elude control and interfere with functioning.” People with addictions physically cannot control their cravings and struggle to function without their substance of choice. They’ll disrupt their ordinary lives to satisfy those cravings. 

The first step to solving a problem is admitting you have one. No one can help a loved one take on an addiction without recognizing it for what it is. 

What Addiction Looks Like From Outside 

If you are unsure whether a loved one needs an intervention or ultimatum, consider their recent behavior. If they’ve experienced one or more of these issues, they may have a drug problem:  

• Disinterest in hobbies, work, or school 
• Declining performance at work or school 
• Drastic weight loss or gain 
• Red or bloodshot eyes 
• Poor grooming 
• Money issues or sudden criminal behavior 
• Demands for privacy and secretive behavior 
• Unstable relationships 

Remember that while these behaviors are common, not everyone with an addiction experiences them all—and that various addictive substances have other, unique effects. 

Common Addictive Substances 

Addiction can happen to anyone, especially because some addictive substances are both legal and readily available: 

• Alcohol
• Caffeine
• Cannabis
• Inhalants 
• Prescription opiates
• Sleeping pills
• Tobacco

Even though millions use them every day, in extreme cases they are just as unhealthy as dangerous and illegal drugs: 

• Benzoates
• Heroin and other opiates
• Methamphetamine
• PCP, LSD, and other hallucinogens

While many people can safely consume supervised doses of legal drugs, they should always watch for the signs of addiction. If abusing illegal drugs, stop as soon as possible. 

How to Tell if You Have an Addiction 

Addiction alters behavior, shifts thoughts, and changes the body. Everyone experiences addiction differently, so watch for any these signs. 

Physical Signs of Addiction 

Someone with an addiction often experiences extreme weight loss or gain and changes in their sleep schedule. Certain drugs have other side effects: tobacco causes coughs, and small sores appear on meth users’ faces. 

The defining physical indicator of addiction is invisible: increased tolerance. Regular drug use numbs neurotransmitter receptors, forcing users to seek higher doses to achieve the same effects. Going for a long time without the drug leads to withdrawal symptoms, which makes relapsing even more tempting—a way to get some relief.  

Mental Addiction Indicators 

Increased tolerance builds desperation. With enough abuse, the body and mind come to rely on the addictive substance to achieve baseline functioning. When that happens, unconscious cravings for the drug become nigh-impossible to control and take over daily life. 

Addiction patients can’t quit even if they want to, and thinking about taking the drug when sober. They lose interest in other enjoyable activities, steal money or other items to pay for drugs, and neglect their relationships. 

When to Seek Treatment 

When behavior becomes disruptive or withdrawal symptoms and side effects become too severe, it’s time to consider addiction treatment. Sometimes, risk-taking and criminal behavior driven by unconscious desperation decides for the patient as consequences force them to attend treatment. The lifelong journey through addiction treatment is long and difficult. Fortunately, intimidated or reluctant patients have more approachable alternatives. 

Alternatives to In-Person Drug Treatment 

Not all resources cost money that many patients don’t have. Online support groups, free hotlines, and other low-cost resources give patients vital information, evaluate their concerns, and direct them to the most suitable treatments.

Knowing When Someone Needs Emergency Medical Treatment 

Some people don’t have the time or good fortune to research their condition. Someone who overdoses or shows signs of heart attack or seizure needs immediate intervention. They then need to enter drug treatment before their compromised health suffers a second attack, which they are much less likely to survive. 

Types of Drug Treatment 

Many patients don’t need emergency intervention, but low-impact self-guided study won’t address their disruptive addiction symptoms. Detox provides a vital space to overcome the worst withdrawal effects, while therapies help manage the long-term consequences accompanying addiction. 

Detox 

Detox is a short-term procedure undergone in a controlled environment. It may involve tapering the substance to avoid potentially-lethal side effects. Medical professionals wait on standby to take on the worst medical and psychological issues. 

Therapies 

Many addiction patients experience co-occurring disorders like anxiety and depression. The two feed each other. The patient takes the drug to cope with their symptoms, or experiences terrible depression because of the ways addiction changed their lives. 

Addicts in therapy develop the tools they need to objectively assess and control their cravings and reasons for use. Therapists provide support and validation when they struggle, which their loved ones might not be able to give. 

Medications 

Treating drug addiction with prescription drugs is a valid and viable option. Doctors use safer opioids like Methadone in a controlled environment for opioid addiction, or other drugs for alcohol dependence. Alternative nicotine administration methods like patches wean users off cigarettes, and other options may be available. 

Treatment Settings 

Some patients can stay home with their families, commuting to their treatment center daily. Some patients in crisis remain in a hospital until stable. Others, who can’t trust themselves to live on their own, move into residential rehab. 

Outpatient 

Patients in outpatient rehab live at home and have limited time for work and socializing. They commute to the facility each day, where they follow a strict schedule of therapy sessions and medication management. 

Inpatient 

Inpatient patients live in the facility full-time. After medically-assisted detox, they undergo intensive therapies that identify harmful behavioral patterns. They find new ways to reconstruct their social and financial lives, build new connections, and overcome cravings. 

Residential 

Like inpatient care, resident patients aren’t allowed to leave the facility. Residential care usually lasts much longer and places patients in a sealed community rather than a hospital. They live, work, and attend treatment in a closed campus. This process usually lasts several weeks but can extend up to three months or longer. 

Contact SoberMind Recovery to Answer All Your Treatment Questions

SoberMind’s many specialty programs, like LGBTQ sober living, give addiction patients from all walks of life the tools they need to move forward. Contact us for more information about our dual diagnosis treatments, Los Angeles residential inpatient programs, and more.