Am I Addicted to Drugs or Alcohol?
There are different signs that you can look for to determine the answer to this question. But the first thing to say is that if you are even wondering, it is quite likely you either are, or you are at least in dangerous territory regarding drugs.
The second important factor to mention is that addiction comes on, on a gradient, it is hard to say exactly when someone is ‘officially’ addicted. It is a gradual process from occasional use, to more and more reliant and then fully addicted.
Lastly but probably most importantly, the rate of addiction is different for everyone. You cannot look at the amount consumed by someone else and see that they are still doing fine and therefore think that you will be ok too. It just doesn’t work like that. It is a wild variable and the effects of each drug on each person can be different.
These definitions are taken from dictionaries and are the key characteristics of addiction:
- A strong and harmful need to regularly have something (such as a drug) or do something (such as gamble).
- A condition characterised by compulsive engagement in rewarding stimuli regardless of adverse effects.
- The state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, as narcotics, to such an extent that its cessation causes trauma.
- The continued use of a substance or performance of some action despite attempts to stop and despite negative consequences.
When looking at your own situation, remember that the alcoholic didn’t start out that way, at some point, it was just an occasional drink. The heroin addict on the street corner ended up there due to a series of steps, he didn’t start out there.
It only takes a few steps down the ladder to end up in a place you never thought you would be. If you have suspicions or have noticed negative characteristics in yourself, then do something about it.
Not doing something about it despite the warning signs certainly answers your question of “Am I addicted to drugs?”
