When times are difficult or a person is experiencing anxiety, many people turn to substances or alcohol to alter their mood. For some people, this looks like turning to alcohol in an effort to help settle their nerves and relax. For those with access to prescription painkillers, this can look like misusing pain pills to numb the anxiety and stress.
Pain pill abuse is a real problem in the United States. Every year, millions of people meet the criteria of having abused pain pills. There are a couple of problems with this. First, using pain pills to self-medicate does not solve the problem, it only masks it. And second, using pain pills to self-medicate can lead to an addiction, which causes a host of other problems.
Five Signs You’re Abusing Pain Pills to Self-Medicate
It’s not always easy to tell when you’re self-medicating. For example, you might have a drink because this is normal and acceptable in society. Or, you might turn to a pain pill thinking that one every now and then cannot hurt.
The truth is, self medication can be harmful and in some cases even lethal. It’s important to identify when you’re self-medicating so you can focus on breaking free of the substance you’re using and working to deal with the real problem that is causing you to turn to pills.
Five signs you’re abusing pain pills to self-medicate include:
- You turn to using pills when you feel anxious, stressed or depressed.
- Using the pills masks the problem temporarily, but you ultimately feel worse afterward.
- You’re building up a tolerance to the effects of the pill because you’re using them so frequently.
- You are experiencing an increase in other problems, such as issues in your relationships or at work or school.
- You crave use of the substance when you’re not using it.
Take Your First Step to Recovery at Tulip Hill Recovery
Self-medicating with prescription painkillers is a sign you need real help for a real issue. Don’t give into hopelessness or believe that you’ve reached the bottom. It is possible to break free of addiction to pain pills and to find help for whatever co-occurring mental health issue is causing you to use.
At Tulip Hill Recovery, we focus on helping you find treatment for your addiction and building healthy coping mechanisms for living with mental health disorders, like anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder.
Are you ready to talk to someone about treatment for pain pill 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 your recovery journey.
