Eight symptoms of addiction to substances that mean you should seek treatment

Recognizing the signs of addiction is one of the first steps someone can take toward seeking treatment. If you use substances, whether legal or illegal, and feel like you may be losing control, you should take a look below at eight symptoms of substance addiction that mean you should seek treatment.

Eight symptoms of addiction to substances

1. You have intense cravings — You spend a lot of time thinking about using substances. It might be the first thing you think of in the morning and one of the last things you think of at night.
2. You need to use more to achieve the desired effect — Frequent use of a substance leads to building up a tolerance to it. This means you need to use more frequently or in greater amounts to achieve the desired effect.
3. Using substances affects your responsibilities — Using substances, craving them all day or going through withdrawal symptoms affects your ability to do your job, study or pay attention to other responsibilities you have.
4. Using substances affects your relationships — Your substance use puts a strain on your relationships with friends and family. If using substances is often a source of contention between you and those you care about, you may be struggling with addiction.
5. You want to quit but cannot — You have a desire to use less or to stop using altogether, but cannot quit, even when the substance is impacting your life in a negative manner.
6. You spend too much money on a substance — You spend most of your money on substances or even go into debt or go broke to continue buying substances.
7. You do things you would not normally do to get a substance — You steal or you sell your possessions to get extra money to buy substances.
8. You experience withdrawal symptoms — You go through withdrawal symptoms whenever you don’t use substances for an extended period of time. Withdrawal symptoms vary from substance to substance but generally include:
   • Nausea
   • Sweating
   • Fatigue
   • Loss of appetite
   • Headaches
   • Shaking and trembling
   • Fevers
   • Seizures

Start your recovery journey at Tulip Hill Recovery

Do you feel like you identify with one or more of the symptoms above? It may be time to talk to someone about treating your addiction. 

More than 8 million of American adults who struggle with substance addiction are also battling a co-occurring mental health disorder. It is usually these mental health disorders that drive the need to use substances in the first place. Without healthy coping mechanisms, you may turn to substance use to help you feel better; but in the end, it only makes things worse.

At Tulip Hill Recovery, we are here to help. Overcoming addiction may seem impossible from where you are now, but believe us when we say we’ve been there and we know that there is hope and freedom in your future. Our team can work closely with you to help you find treatment for addiction and build healthy coping mechanisms to create a brighter future.

Are you ready to talk to someone about finding treatment for substance addiction and building a better future for yourself? Please contact us online or call us at 877-845-8192 to get in touch with our team and start the recovery journey.