Let me start this article by saying that if you are an addict you already know that. You may reply “How can I say such a thing?”. Well, I am saying it because there are signs and symptoms that makes you aware of this fact. You are the first one who sees and feels this.
Let’s take a closer look together.
The first question that arises is “Have you used alcohol or other drugs?”, most of us will answer „yes” to this one, that`s OK, we all use alcohol from time to time and some of us also use drugs.
The 2nd question is „Have you felt that you use too much alcohol or drugs?”, if you answer „yes” to this one, you might have an addiction. Let’s analyze further.
Have you tried to cut down or quit drinking or using alcohol or other drugs? If you find hard to quit drinking or taking drugs, you have an addiction.
Addictions are accompanied with physical health problems. If your addiction is not really recent you might:
- have blackouts or other periods of memory loss
- injured yourself after drinking or using drugs
- convulsions, delirium tremens
- had hepatitis or other liver problems
- felt sick, shaky, or depressed when you stopped
Alcohol and drug use can also cause psychological problems. Your addiction can cause problems between you and your family or friends, can cause you troubles at school or work, etc. Because of your behavior it can also cause legal problems and even get you arrested.
Remember, when drinking or using drugs you are more likely to do something you wouldn’t normally do, such as break rules, break the law, sell things that are important to you, or have unprotected sex with someone. Usually you feel bad and guilty after such actions.
To have a clear picture of your condition it is important to contact a specialist, well, actually two. There are always two aspects of an addiction. There is a physiological part and a psychological part.
In the process of evaluating your addiction level a psychologist can use tools that are made to help him/her decide faster and evaluate in an objective manner. One of the best tools I can think of is DUSI, The Drug Use Screening Inventory.
The DUSI measures severity of problems in 10 domains: (1) substance abuse, (2) psychiatric disorder, (3) behavior problems, (4) school adjustment, (5) health status, (6) work adjustment, (7) peer relations, (8) social competency, (9) family adjustment, and (1 0) leisure/recreation. In addition, it contains a lie scale and documents drug and alcohol use, preferred substance, and substance with which they report the greatest problem. This tool will not only give a helping hand in putting the right diagnosis but also gives valuable information on what can be done to improve your condition.
Addiction is a complex but treatable disease. If you are diagnosed with an addiction there will be two specialists who are going to take care of you. One of them, the doctor, will monitor your physiological condition and might prescribe some (legal) drugs. The other one, the psychologist will take care of your psychological condition. The best psychologists are the ones who also do psychotherapy. Psychotherapy will help you stay away from your addiction. You need psychotherapy because people trying to quit an addiction often replace it with another. A psychotherapist will help you quit your addition in a healthy manner.
