There’s no shame in suffering from addiction. Currently, over 20 million Americans suffer from a substance abuse problem. Many of these suffer from addictions as a result of opiates — a category of drugs that’s famously addictive.
Are you worried that a loved one of yours is suffering from an addiction to opiates? Recognizing the signs of opiate addiction is key in making sure that a loved one gets the treatment they need.
This article will walk you through some of the main signs of addiction and what you can do to get your loved one into a great opioid addiction treatment program in California.
1. Abdication of Responsibilities
Unfortunately, as an opiate addiction worsens, a person is more likely to start giving up on their responsibilities. These can be personal or professional responsibilities.
It’s not uncommon for someone suffering from an opiate addiction to stop showing up to work, or to experience a significant drop in the quality of the work that they do get done. In extreme cases, this can lead to someone getting fired from their job.
On top of this, someone suffering from an opiate addiction might also abdicate responsibilities when it comes to their personal life. They might stop taking care of housework that they share with their family or significant other, might skip out on plans with friends, etc.
This can happen for many reasons. Opiate addiction often affects the mental state of those suffering from it.
These people also might be missing out on their responsibility to pursue opiates — the addition is so strong and the withdrawal effects are so significant that this often feels worth it. On top of this, one can also very will be high, causing them to forget about their responsibilities.
2. Weight Loss
Those suffering from the effects of addiction often lose weight as well. Opiates act on the brain, and change the experience of the brain’s reward system.
Our brain experiences a psychological experience of need and reward, which is what causes us to get hungry and consume food and water, which we need to survive. However, when someone abuses a chemical that alters our bodies and minds, this system doesn’t always work out.
The drug itself doesn’t cause one to burn fat or not absorb nutrients; it simply surpasses the appetite and the desire for food.
Those who are addicted have a tough time feeling pleasure or comfort from anything that isn’t the drug that they’re addicted to. Because one doesn’t enjoy food as much, they might not even eat food when they’re hungry.
There’s a reason why addiction is often conceptualized as a “spiritual disease,” even by those who don’t believe in a higher power. It’s somewhere between mental and physical, and rewrites people’s brains to act in strange ways.
Make sure you have empathy for those suffering from addictions, because it’s almost impossible to conceive of what they’re going through.
3. Change in Friend Group
The stereotype of “falling in with a bad crowd” is unfortunately true in a lot of cases.
When people start abusing opioids, their priorities start to change. They’ll start seeing people who can help them feed their addiction.
This process can be accelerated when one’s old friend circle starts asking cornered questions about the one with substance abuse problems. The addicted person could very well not want to deal with this, and isolate themselves from their friends further. This can cause them to view their new friends who feed their addiction as their “real friends” who understand them.
If your loved one has suddenly and unexpectedly seen a shift in the people they’re seeing, this could be a bad sign. One reason why an opiate addiction treatment in Chatsworth is worth it is isolation.
The staff at these treatment centers focuses on building a community for those suffering from addictions. Patients won’t just receive one-on-one time with therapists, but they will be led through group therapy and team-building exercises. Often, one stays friends with these people outside of therapy.
The staff will also guide those suffering from addictions into support groups and 12-step programs outside of therapy. From here, they can form living communities with sober friends and learn how to enjoy life this way.
The addicted person won’t have contact with their outside friends, or their phone, and will only be visited by close loved ones who are rooting for their recovery. This will ensure that their emotional bonds can be reconfigured in a way that is beneficial for them.
4. Being Secretive
Those suffering from an addiction will start to be secretive about their actions. At first they might start by having good excuses to leave the house at strange hours, but as it keeps going on, these excuses might get more hasty and unconvincing. As stated above, the reward centers of the brain are changed, and they might think they’re being a lot more convincing they are.
They also might get antsy about their personal belongings. They might be very careful about making sure you don’t see their bags or go into their room.
Check up on your drug slang. When they’re speaking on the phone or to friends, they might use these to cover up their intentions.
Understand the Signs of Opiate Addiction
If you can tell the signs of opiate addiction and catch them early, you’re more likely to get the person you love the treatment that they need.
For more information on addiction and treatment, contact us today.
