Am I Drug Addict?

Warning signs of Addiction

Drinking alcohol in reasonable amounts is socially acceptable by most cultural standards. Even hard and excessive drinking is somewhat customary – after all, every good college student goes through a ‘phase’, during which blacking out and profusely vomiting are almost considered a twisted right of passage. But what about drug use? The social acceptance of recreational drug use depends heavily on the region and the culture. In some states, marijuana is legal, for example, while in other regions it is sternly banned. In states like New Jersey and Philadelphia, opiate use has become somewhat of a social norm – at least amongst certain age groups. A teenager experimenting with prescription painkillers may, in some regions, be considered as normal as a young adult investigating his parents’ liquor cabinet. When it really comes down to it, however, your personal relationship with drugs is what truly matters. Do you use recreationally, finding that you are able to put the substance down with ease whenever an obligation needs to be met or the threat of a consequence arises? Or do you believe that you may, in fact, have a problem with drugs? Let us help you bring light to the situation, and assist you in deciding whether or not attending Hawaii drug recovery is the right choice for you.

Are You a Drug Addict?

There are several questions you can ask yourself in order to help you determine whether or not you should be considering inpatient care.

1. Do you ever use drugs when you are by yourself?
2. Have you ever attempted to manipulate a doctor in order to receive prescription medications?
3. Do you often use drugs to help you wake up in the morning, or to help you fall asleep at night?
4. Has your performance at work or school ever suffered as a result of your drug use?
5. Do you sometimes take one drug to overpower the unpleasant effects of another?
6. Have you ever lied about how frequently you use drugs, or how much you use at one sitting?
7. Do you tend to avoid people who disapprove of your drug use?
8. Have you experienced legal consequences as a result of your use?
9. Have you ever taken a drug without knowing what effect it would have on you?
10. Does the thought of running out of drugs scare you?
11. Do you feel as if you need drugs in order to have a good time?
12. Have you ever felt guilty or ashamed of your drug use?
13. Does using drugs interfere with your sexual relationships?
14. Has your drug use begun to cause issues at home?
15. Have you ever taken drugs to cope with emotional distress of discomfort?
16. Have you ever overdosed?
17. Do you continue using drugs despite a steady accumulation of negative consequences in interpersonal relationships, at work or school, and potentially with the law?

If you answered ‘yes’ to more than half of the above-listed questions, you may be afflicted with a drug addiction. Of course, determining whether or not you are a drug addict is no small task. Throughout most of your using, you have likely been expending quite a bit of time and energy convincing yourself that you ‘have it under control’ and that you ‘can stop whenever you want’. Therefore, when it comes time to admit to yourself that you may actually have a problem with drugs, you will need to break through the thick wall of denial that you have spent months or years tirelessly constructing. Keep in mind that there is no shame in admitting that you need help, and that your state of being will likely begin to improve as soon as you start taking action. Even if you remain completely unsure as to whether or not you require outside help, please feel free to call us at Maui Recovery today at 800-919-2066 for more information on drug addiction and Hawaii drug addiction recovery options.