Are you a lover of great shows? One of my favorites lately on Netflix has been Shameless. It’s, without a doubt, a hilarious, exciting, and sometimes downright gross depiction of a dysfunctional family living in the neighborhoods of south side Chicago. The story follows the life of a single dad named Frank Gallagher who has six rowdy kids and spends much of his free time drinking at bars in town. While he spends his days almost completely drunk, his six kids learn to take care of themselves and survive the scary process of being in high school, experiencing puberty, and conquering young love. They go through the normal ups and downs that being a teenager brings while coping with the drunken mistakes that their father makes almost on the daily. From being stuck across the Canadian border on a drunk drive to getting put into jail, Frank’s life is extremely entertaining as it is chaotic. It’s a thrilling lifestyle to follow when you’re actually just sitting in bed with some popcorn for a fun Saturday night. As fun as it is to binge watch these episodes one by one, the show does demonstrate a dark truth about drug addiction symptoms and the effect it casts on family life. An addict can be anyone who has allowed a strong substance or process to completely take over their lives. In turn, their social relationships, finances, and degree of self-control suffer while the addiction serves as their driving force to make decisions every day.
If you don’t want to end up like an addict, especially a constantly grumpy one like Frank, it’s important to know how to assess your current habits. If you feel like a certain drug is taking over your everyday life, you might need to take an assessment to figure out a treatment plan. If you know for a fact you’re addicted, you need to seek a professional who focuses on customized rehab and holistic treatment to get back to complete health. Your body, mind, and spirit will thoroughly thank you. Let’s break down the common signs of being an alcohol and a drug addict to calm your searching mind.
- You have cravings. But not the occasional ones that pass by every other day. You’re constantly yearning for a little more of a certain substance or activity and are experiencing both physical and mental side effects. Drug addict symptoms include extreme paranoia, hunger, low energy, irritability, and high stress when they suddenly go off the substance that they depend on to function throughout the day. You’ll also see a need for an increased dosage over time as your body is building up a tolerance to whatever you are taking.
- You can’t think straight. Your mind is fully consumed by the drug of your choice and you find yourself thinking about the next time you’ll take it, how to get more, where you should take it alone, and the various ways to cover up your tracks from others. These thoughts will completely interrupt your productivity, conversations with others, or other tasks that are usually easy to accomplish otherwise.
- You can’t stop. You’re hooked now to the drug and the term “moderation” is too far away at this point to practice. You’ll want to continue taking a substance no matter what because you’ll feel mentally and physically sick without it. Even if you’ve stopped for some time, you may find yourself crawling back to its trap despite your strong efforts to stay sober.
- You’re lying to yourself and others. Every drug addict knows that their behavior is unhealthy, but they suppress the cold hard truth to the deepest pit of their stomach to feel better about themselves. When you become extremely addicted to a substance, others will inevitably notice what you’re doing and start to ask questions. You’ll find that you will have to cover up your locations and financial expenses to maintain your addiction. Many addicts seriously deplete their savings as they try to buy more of a substance and their financial health pays the price.
- You’re continuing your addiction no matter what. Any person who isn’t experiencing the pull of a substance will be able to notice that the consequences aren’t worth the physical, financial, and emotional hassle. Yet, a drug addict won’t be operating on their own logic as they’ll feel that the addiction must be maintained by whatever is possible. This is where a reality check must come into play so the addict can get an intervention plan formed to become sober as soon as possible.
Get Treated
If you’re experiencing signs of addiction and symptoms of drug addiction, then you must seek options to become healthy again. Because drug addiction is typically a chronic disorder that has occasional relapses throughout a treatment process, a short-term option is simply not enough. For most people, choosing a treatment plan that is a long-term, involves multiple interventions, regular monitoring, and focuses on overall health is way to sustainable sobriety. Proper addiction treatment programs can include behavioral therapy that focuses on the inner thoughts that drive behavior, a change in exercise and diet, medications prescribed by a therapist, or a combination of these methods. Each plan of treatment or combination of treatments will be different on the patient’s individual needs. Consult a local rehab location to make sure the right plan can be formed for your preferences.
If you want to get the process moving quicker about seeking an option for treatment, feel free to look at online addiction forums and addiction quizzes. They’re extremely easy to take and help you assess your current situation with substance abuse. It accounts for your behavior as an addict and what triggers drive your decision to keep coming back to it. Reach out to resources like these to get the health you deserve!
