Drugs and alcohol can be devastating in terms of their effects on the human body. Although several years of substance abuse take their toll, the negative impacts often begin within a few weeks to several months. That’s why detox is so important. The idea is to quit drugs or alcohol before they do any more damage.
Are you struggling with drugs or alcohol? Perhaps you’ve been thinking it’s time for medical detox, yet you are not really sure if your problems are serious enough to warrant it. If so, this post was written just for you. Continue reading to learn the top five signs you are ready for medical detox.
Sign #1: You Experience Physical Withdrawal Symptoms
Substance abuse creates a condition known as ‘dependence’. Dependence occurs when your body starts relying on having a certain level of drugs or alcohol in your system. As that level drops, your body reacts negatively. Simply put, you experience withdrawal symptoms.
Withdrawal symptoms between drinking or drug-using activities are a clear sign of dependence. There are different withdrawal systems associated with various types of drugs, but here are some pretty common symptoms you might already be familiar with:
- Headaches
- Nausea
- Sweating
- Tremors (the shakes)
- Anxiety and irritability
- Visual or auditory hallucinations
Note that these withdrawal symptoms are a warning sign that your body is craving whatever substances you have been abusing. They will subside over time if you let them run their course. Regardless, they indicate a physical dependence that might require medical detox to overcome.
Sign #2: A Loss of Self-Control
Next up is a loss of self-control in terms of your alcohol or drug consumption. When you first started using it, you were able to limit your use to a couple of times a week or just on the weekends. But now, you find yourself drinking or taking drugs more than you ever intended.
In addition, you have made several attempts to reduce your drug or alcohol intake to no avail. Try as you might, you can neither cut down nor stop. What you are experiencing is a loss of self-control driven by physical and psychological dependence.
Hand-in-hand with this loss of self-control is feeling like your whole life revolves around drinking or using drugs. Alcohol or drugs are constantly at the forefront of your mind. Even if you are still working and enjoy a regular social life, drinking or taking drugs is a normal part of everything you do.
Sign #3: You Ignore Negative Consequences
Serious alcohol or drug dependence can change the way you think to the point that you ignore the negative consequences of your behaviour. This is the classic definition of addiction. When you know drugs and alcohol are harming you, yet you continue using anyway, you are an addict.
What sort of negative consequences? Here are a few examples:
- Lost employment or income
- Broken family relationships
- Declining physical health
- Increased isolation
- Mental health problems
Continuing to drink or use drugs despite their negative impacts on your body and mind is not good. You’re in a dangerous place, a place you might only escape with the help of medical detox. Do not ignore the negative consequences of drinking and drugs. Get help.
Sign #4: Increasing Tolerance to Drugs or Alcohol
Although ignoring negative impacts is the defining characteristic of addiction, there is another characteristic that follows closely behind it: increasing tolerance. What is tolerance?
Tolerance is a physical condition that manifests itself in your brain tolerating drugs or alcohol in your system. Drinking offers the perfect example to explain this phenomenon.
Let’s say you consume eight drinks per day. A year ago, that much alcohol would have made you feel quite tipsy. But today, eight drinks do nothing for you. In order to experience the same tipsy feeling, you now need to drink ten per day. This is tolerance.
Needing ever larger amounts of drugs or alcohol to feel the same intoxicating effects is a clear indication of tolerance. But there is another aspect to it. You may need larger amounts of alcohol or drugs to feel like what you consider ‘normal’. It is a clear sign that you need medical detox.
Sign #5: Psychological and Behavioural Changes
The final sign on our list is experiencing psychological and behavioural changes. They are common with substance abuse. Psychological and behavioural changes are the result of how drugs and alcohol interact with the brain. Examples to look for include:
- Mood Swings – Regular and severe mood swings are a clear indication that you are struggling with drugs or alcohol. The more severe they are, the more serious your problem.
- Anxiety and Depression – Anxiety and depression are two mental health problems commonly associated with substance abuse. Again, severity is a key indicator of the level of a person’s dependence.
- Changing Routines – You might notice changes in your daily routine. Maybe you don’t eat as much because you’ve lost your appetite. Perhaps you’re not sleeping as much either.
- Isolation – As substance abuse takes hold, you may start isolating yourself from friends and family. The more isolated you become, the more you crave alcohol or drugs to feel better.
- Lack of Motivation – A lack of motivation is associated with both drug and alcohol abuse. You are no longer motivated to go to work or school, to engage in your favourite hobbies, or to socialise with friends.
All sorts of psychological and behavioural changes could be indicative of alcohol or drug dependence. Something as simple as increased irritability is a warning sign worth paying attention to.
The important thing to remember is that the psychological and behavioural changes are mere symptoms of a much more serious problem. Drugs or alcohol are having a negative impact on your mind and body. You need medical detox.
Help Is Available in the UK
If you have noticed these five signs in your own life, please consider a medical detox seriously. Help is available throughout the UK from Detox Plus UK through both outpatient and inpatient services.
