The Warning Signs of Addiction: How to Help Someone You Love
It can be difficult to perceive the warning signs of addiction, and often times, those who have been struggling with the disease for quite some time have become skilled at hiding their substance abuse. If you believe that someone you care for may be dealing with an addiction of any kind, there are several risk factors, signs, and symptoms that could be indicators of this. It is possible that someone you love could require professional treatment at a drug rehab center.
Signs and Symptoms
- Unexplainable personality changes
- Lack of motivation
- Health related issues, such as: memory loss, headaches, vomiting, nosebleeds, unexplainable exhaustion, facial or hand burns, bruises, body sores, weight loss or weight gain, tooth decay, and more
- Mental instability
- Unstable emotions
Risk Factors to Consider
According to SAMHSA, there are four key features of risk when it comes to addiction:
- Individual – These risk factors involve circumstances such as genetic predisposition to addiction or prenatal exposure to alcohol.
- Relationship – This set of risk factors includes parents who abuse drugs and alcohol or who suffer from mental illness, or both, child abuse, or lack of supervision.
- Community – Risk factors like neighborhood violence and poverty affect many children in the area.
- Societal – Lesser recognized risk factors like lack of economic opportunity, racism, and laws that leave wiggle room for substance abuse require more discussion when determining how to address the issues that contribute to substance abuse.
Steps to Take
When considering risk factors in your community, you must address more than just the obvious aspects contributing to drug and alcohol abuse. Even if the local colleges have a good anti-drug and alcohol program for underage students, if local convenience store owners are not sticklers about seeing ID, the program will be less effective. Parental informational sessions on teen alcohol and drug abuse should be implemented in the surrounding community as well. It truly takes a plan that involves several aspects in order to be thorough. If you do have a friend or family member that would benefit from taking control with professional help, it’s important to know what to look for in an addiction recovery program.
What to Look for in a Drug Rehab
United Drug Rehab Group always uses a clinically managed detox. This process allows for a relaxing and peaceful detoxification experience. Your loved one won’t need to worry about going “cold turkey” or experiencing painful withdrawals here. Your safety and comfort during your clinically managed detox will be regulated by our experienced staff members. Following detox, your family member will reside in our luxurious housing accommodations while undergoing a customized addiction treatment program that is designed from a dual diagnosis approach. By treating all aspects of your loved one’s addiction, you can be sure that our addiction treatment center is committed to comprehensive care and restorative healing for all of our clients. We also offer a wide variety of positive coping mechanisms for your loved one to explore. Our network of providers will help them discover whether options like yoga, meditation, exercise, hiking, art, 12 step programs, individual counseling, group therapy, and more, will work as replacements for substance abuse during times of temptation and stress. Call our experienced intake coordinators today with any questions or concerns you may have about addiction treatment options for your loved one.
