When you are someone who struggles with addiction, it may be hard to recognize if you are self-medicating to deal with chronic stress or other issues. If you feel like you may be struggling with addiction and self-medication, here are five common signs to look out for.
1. You turn to drugs or alcohol when feeling stressed.
If your urge to use drugs or alcohol is directly related to the level of stress you experience, there’s a strong chance you are using drugs or alcohol to cope with your stress, mental health challenges, or other negative emotions. This is self-medication, and the sooner you can identify the pattern, the sooner you can seek help.
2. You have heightened anxiety when you don’t have access to your drug of choice.
Does it stress you out if you don’t have easy access to your substance of choice? For example, maybe you have to wait for your next paycheck to restock the alcohol in your fridge. Or your prescription is running low, and you’re not sure how you will get a refill. If you find yourself frantic and especially anxious in situations like these, you’re likely self-medicating.
3. You feel your tolerance increasing.
The more you use almost any substance, the higher your tolerance for that substance will be. If only one drink used to take the edge off, but now it takes two or three, this would be a marked increase in your tolerance for drinking alcohol. As tolerance increases, the side effects of that substance usually do as well which can contribute to overall stress levels.
4. Your substance use has actually increased your stress, not decreased it.
That’s the thing about drug or alcohol use: it seems so harmless at first, and can even seem to provide some temporary relief! But it’s a slippery slope and can turn into an addiction we wish never started. Once those feel-good effects die down, you end up just feeling worse than you did in the first place. This is a likely sign of self medication and a good time to seek help.
5. Your friends and family are concerned.
If the people who love you the most have reached out to tell you they’re concerned about you, they’re probably onto something. It can be very difficult to recognize an addiction issue in yourself, so it’s vitally important to listen to your loved ones when they speak up. The easiest reaction is to be defensive, but keep in mind, if you trust that they love you and have your best interest in mind, it is probably in your best interest to listen to what they’re saying and take action to determine if you need help. The earlier the better.
What To Do If You’re Self Medicating.
Once you are struggling with addiction, it can be very difficult to quit on your own, especially from a pattern of self-medication. The first step is to seek professional help. Rehab and recovery professionals will determine the best next steps for you, the first of which will usually be detox. A detoxing phase can help your body safely adjust to the absence of your drug of choice in its system. Sometimes, this process will require medical management of a difficult withdrawal process. This is why it is especially important to seek professional help before trying to quit on your own. Many detox facilities accept insurance and alternative payment methods to keep treatment accessible to those who need it most. Addiction voice recovery center can be the best choice for you.
If you are ready to seek help and begin your journey to recovery, reach out to Beachcomber Delray today.