Rose worked as an intern at a financial agency. She was pretty excited about her first experience working in the corporate sector. She handled the work culture well and gained rewards and promotions soon after. Long hours of work often ended with a glass or two of wine with her colleagues at a club or a café.
Drinking sessions became regular as she felt happy and relaxed as a result. Slowly, she became addicted. She needed alcohol to relax her tense muscles and prepare her for the next day. She started binge drinking as the work pressure increased. The result was nights out, hangovers, absences from work, and the day came when she was terminated. She lost the job she was so proud of due to her addiction.
Many of us develop a liking for something that causes more harm than good. You can be addicted to alcohol, drugs, sex, video games, gambling, or even shopping. And when the matter becomes out of hand, a person must be advised to seek help from a rehabilitation facility that can provide holistic treatment for underlying problems while in recovery as well as treatment afterward.
You can control the situation and prevent it from worsening. All one needs to do is watch out for the signs of addiction and take action immediately. These are some of the red flags:
Here are 8 signs that you have an addiction
1. Addiction despite negative effects – Typically, the affected person will ignore warning signs and continue to pursue their addiction even though it may adversely affect their physical and psychological health, relationships, and work.
2. Refusing to attend social events – People who abuse substances may become so attached to their addiction that they may eventually stop attending social gatherings they liked before, because the events may offer them the chance to use their substance of abuse.
3. Feeling withdrawal symptoms – An addict may suffer from severe withdrawal symptoms when trying to quit an addiction. The body gets so used to a substance that it becomes upset in its absence. Symptoms of withdrawal can be both physical and psychological and in some cases even life-threatening.
4. Keeping addiction under wraps – Many people hide their addiction by keeping it a secret. Because they fear being judged, they hide their habit from friends and family.
5. A greater tolerance – When someone becomes addicted to a substance, their body becomes used to the high, leading to tolerance, so they require rising levels of the substance. Addiction can completely dominate the mind and body.
6. We are unable to stop – No matter how good of a person’s intentions, addiction can become too overwhelming, so the person may be unable to quit or taper off. People lose self-control when they let their emotions influence them.
7. A risk-taker – Risk-taking is characteristic of addicts. When under the influence of a substance, people can lose their guard and take risks. In addition to stealing stuff, people who are addicted are also likely to engage in dangerous sexual practices, drive while under the influence, and often get in fights and abuse others.
8. The provision of excuses – A person starts to develop addictions when he or she begins telling lies and making up excuses for his or her behavior. As soon as friends or family members express concern for him/her, he/she may use every trick in the book to escape them and withdraw into his/her own world.
Seek help before it’s too late
However, it is possible to deal with addiction if one admits that he or she has a problem and is willing to accept help. The longer the matter is delayed the more likely it is that the health will deteriorate and the fewer chances of full recovery there will be.