5 Signs You Need Drug Rehab

Medically Verified: 2/1/24

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All of the information on this page has been reviewed and verified by a certified addiction professional.

5 Signs You Need Drug Rehab

Identifying drug abuse in yourself or a loved one is scary. Consequently, determining when substance abuse treatment is necessary can be a daunting task. Physical side effects of drug addiction may vary depending on the type of drug being abused. While physical signs are generally indicators of drug abuse, psychological and behavioral changes are also important signs that most professionals use to determine if an individual is in need of drug rehab. It is important to remember that if you are wondering whether or not you or your loved one needs treatment, that you consult with a medical professional. Here are five signs that you need drug rehab.

Building Tolerance and Experiencing Withdrawal

One of the earliest signs you may need drug rehab is a tolerance of drugs. Once you find that you need larger doses of the drug over time to achieve the same desired effect, you have developed a tolerance. When this happens, you should consider drug abuse treatment. Developing a tolerance can be dangerous. You may require large doses of the drug – putting you in jeopardy of overdosing. 

Withdrawal symptoms go hand in hand with drug tolerance. Withdrawal symptoms Once an individual experiences psychological or physical symptoms of withdrawal, you may need to consider seeking professional help. Signs of drug withdrawal may include:

• Sweating
• Nausea
• Trembling
• Irregular Sleep Patterns
• Irritability
• Mood Swings
• Body Aches
• Chills
• Cold Sweats

Powerlessness

Powerlessness, or loss of control, often occurs alongside tolerance and withdrawal symptoms. You may promise yourself and others that you will limit your use to “weekends only.” On the other hand, you may promise to stop altogether, yet discover you cannot control your urges or your drug use. If this has been your experience and you feel you have lost control, you need to seek out professional at a drug rehabilitation center. You may have been able to conceal the severity of your drug use before. However, once an individual has crossed over the threshold and into full-blown addiction, it may be seemingly impossible to hide his/her drug abuse. 

Neglecting Hobbies and Activities of Interest

If you find yourself spending less time participating in things you once loved to do, you may need to seek help for your substance abuse. Once you have become addicted to drugs, you may find yourself spending all of your time acquiring, consuming, and hiding your drug use. You may begin spending all of your energy and obsessively focusing on achieving the next high. This insidious cycle will leave little time or energy to engage in activities you once enjoyed. 

Drug addicts who do not seek help from a drug rehabilitation program often find themselves isolating. Once the mental obsession has begun, addicts tend to avoid people that love them the most. Once the addict has experienced withdrawal symptoms, knowing the pain of withdrawal ahead is oftentimes enough to keep the addict using drugs and avoiding substance abuse treatment.

Continued Use Despite Negative Consequences

One of the most dominating and painful consequences of drug addiction is a continued pattern of a behavior despite any negative consequences that have come from it. Once this phenomenon has begun, drugs have caused significant changes in your life – mostly negative. As a direct result of your drug addiction, you may find yourself losing your marriage, job, interpersonal relationships, physical appeal, sanity, and many other negative consequences. You may begin to suffer from significantly detrimental health complications as well. If you find yourself unable to stop using drugs, despite negative consequences, it is time for you to enter a drug treatment program.

Financial, Legal, and Social Problems

If you have been struggling with drug addiction and haven’t entered treatment, there are some common signs that you may have experienced. You most likely have socially isolated from sober friends or family members. In addition, you may have experienced turmoil within interpersonal relationships. Many addicts in the throes of addiction, have either lost their job or are in jeopardy of losing it. 

Eventually, money becomes a very big issue. The all-consuming thought you may be experiencing is to acquire more money to buy more drugs. You may begin to engage in erratic and reckless behaviors to get more money – ultimately resulting in legal consequences. You may find yourself in trouble with the law and still unable to stop using drugs. If you are experiencing any of these issues you need to seek professional help through a drug rehabilitation program.